Background: Aesthetic surgery of the thoracoabdominal region is one of the most frequently performed surgical procedures in plastic surgery. The combination of circumferential liposuction, autologous fat grafting of the buttocks and/or lower limbs, and the modified transverse abdominoplasty as an adjuvant procedure all done in a single surgical procedure is not very common. The authors present a prospective study of the surgical technique of composite body contouring, emphasizing the low rate of complications and the high overall patient satisfaction.
Methods: A total of 64 consecutive female patients were operated on between January 2004 and January 2007. All the patients who were included in the study were candidates for a classical abdominoplasty. Posterior and lateral syringe-assisted liposuction combined with fat insertion into the buttocks and/or lower limbs was performed. Autologous fat grafting was done in the gluteal area for buttocks enhancement and in the lower limbs to correct contour deformities. Anterolateral liposuction with modified transverse abdominoplasty was done as an adjuvant procedure. Overall satisfaction with body appearance after composite body contouring was rated on a scale of 1-5.
Results: From 1,500 to 4,600 ml of fat was obtained with liposuction (mean = 2,478 ml). Forty-five patients had fat grafting only to the buttocks area. Six patients had fat insertion into the lower limbs and 13 had fat injection into the buttocks and lower limbs. The amount of fat transplanted to the buttocks varied from 165 to 625 ml (mean = 346 ml) and to the lower limbs it varied from 75 to 270 ml (mean = 195 ml). Three patients (5%) suffered from early complications, including infection (3%) and hematoma formation (2%). Nine patients (14%) had late complications, including hypertophic scars (7.5%), dog ears (4.5%), and localized fat excess (2%). Nine patients (14%) underwent revision surgery. Sixty-three percent reported that their appearance after composite body contouring was "very good" (42%) or "excellent" (21%) and 27% responded that their appearance was "good." Only 10% thought their appearance was less than good, (7% "fair" and 3% "poor").The average follow-up time has been 3.2 years (range = 2-5 years).
Conclusion: Composite body contouring combines circumferential liposuction, fat grafting of the buttocks and lower limbs, and modified transverse abdominoplasty to accomplish very good aesthetic results in a single surgical procedure with a low rate of complications and high patient satisfaction.