This 28 year old, wife and mother from Riverside, California, came to see San Diego Cosmetic Surgeon, Dr. Tom Pousti for a breast augmentation and liposuction consultation in his Temecula/Murrieta Valley office. After having children, this patient was unable to lose the excess skin and adipose tissue of the abdominal area. After examination, Dr. Pousti instructed the patient that liposuction of the abdomen would not give her the result she wanted, on the other hand, liposuction of the inner and outer thighs would help her reach her goals in that area. The patient would benefit from a tummy tuck. She had many visits with Dr. Pousti and was comforted by the fact that Dr. Pousti is a double board certified Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon.
She decided to proceed with abdominoplasty surgery, and liposuction of the lateral and medial thighs and decided that she would postpone the breast augmentation to a later date. She understood that these procedures could be performed at the same time ONLY if Dr. Pousti thought it safe to do so
The night before surgery, she came into the office for “markings”. This is when Dr. Pousti takes about 30 minutes to an hour drawing on the patient and discussing where the incisions will be and how everything will be moved around. These markings are essential for a smooth surgery. This patient was very clear that what would make her happy was to have a nice deep belly button that looked sexy and to take out as much fatty tissue as possible. Here you can see the markings:
The surgery day: August 2006. Before entering the operating room, the patient meets with Dr. Pousti once again to review all of the procedures one more time. Any questions or concerns will be addressed.
During the surgery, Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Tom Pousti works with his highly trained team in the operating room to achieve the goals for this patient.
First, the abdominoplasty procedure– all of the excess skin and adipose tissue
is removed, as well as the damaged skin around the abdominal area, leaving the
patient with a very “tight” tummy. The patient must take care to protect the
incision for 2-4 weeks after the procedure.
Last the liposuction of the outer and inner thighs are performed. Care is taken to remove equal amount from both sides to achieve symmetry after the procedure.
The patient followed up in our office for her post-op care. The Doctor reminds the patient she must walk hunched over to keep the incision from opening and to take it easy (no heavy lifting and no strenuous activity). All post op care is taken to make sure that all incision lines are healing and that there is no infection present. The drains that are placed during the surgery to help with fluid accumulation will stay in on average 1-2 weeks until removed by the Doctor.
During the recovery period, the patient must take care to protect her incisions and not to overdo the activity. Around 4-6 weeks after the procedure, the internal sutures begin to dissolve and therefore it is critical to limit the activity to prevent wound healing problems.
During the patients recover period she was taken care of by her husband. He did a wonderful job making sure she followed all the post op instructions. The patient healed quickly and is very happy with her results.
Here she is only a few months after her liposuction and abdominoplasty surgery:
Note that the incision is kept low and concealed in clothing. Also, her abdominal wall is firm in any position.
During the first month, there is a lot of healing that the patient will undergo. She will have to protect the incision and stay “hunched over” during that time. As time goes on, the patient will slowly stand up straight and res