Background: During the last few years, the surgical principles of abdominoplasty remained unchanged. Therefore, many observed results have misaligned, high and straight abdominal transverse scars, leading to the final positioning of the umbilical scar to be very close to the transverse scar, which gives the impression of a short abdomen. We propose that the abdominoplasty should change the basic conception of its marking, because we believe that it is important to place the transverse scar lower in the medial and pubic region, and higher in the lateral extremities, thus allowing a rotation of the flap of the anterior flanks back lumbar in the median inferior direction.
Materials: We analyzed 136 patients with abdominal deformities and subjected them to lipomid-abdominoplasty making a marking with strong upper concavity and lateral sides of the scar oriented to the lower transverse line of the abdomen, 4 cm equidistant from the root of the thigh. We also associate liposuction as a complementary treatment to body contouring.
Conclusions: It is important to determine the area of the abdominal deformity and its classification, to establish the strategies of treatment, and association of complementary procedures. A lower marking respecting the treatment areas will allow a better esthetic scar and a harmonic body contour as well as an adequate placement of the elements: umbilical scar, pubis and lateral extremities of transverse abdominal scar.
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Keywords: Abdominal design; Abdominal marking; Abdominoplasty; Body contouring; Lipoabdominoplasty; Lipomid-abdominoplasty; Liposuction; Mid-abdominoplasty; Midiabdominoplasty; Mini-abdominoplasty.