Dana R. Towle, MD

Body Contouring

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Body contouring involves the reshaping of undesirable parts of one's body through the use of plastic surgery. In this process, a surgeon combines various procedures to alter the shape of the body.

The most common techniques used are liposuction and abdominoplasty (tummy tuck). Liposuction is used to remove fat from the arms, legs, and torso. The surgeon begins by inserting a cannula (a slim, hollow tube) into small incisions near the area, or areas, to be recontoured. The cannula is moved through the layers of tissue, extracting the necessary fat. Once the fat and tissue are removed, the surgeon stitches the incision and trims away excess skin. Several techniques exist. The super-wet technique injects fluid into the patient's body, roughly the same amount as the fat to be extracted. The tumescent technique injects double or even triple the amount of fluid. In UAL (Ultrasound-Assisted Lipoplasty), a specially designed cannula liquefies the fat and suctions it away. Your surgeon will suggest the most appropriate form of anesthesia (epidural block, intravenous sedation or a local or general anesthesia). For more information on liposuction, click here.

Patients considering a tummy tuck as part of their body contouring can choose either a complete or partial procedure. A full abdominoplasty begins with an incision above the pubic area that is extended between the hipbones. The surgeon then makes a second incision to separate the navel from the underlying tissue. Next, the skin is separated and pulled up to the level of the ribs. The surgeon pulls the abdominal muscles together and stitches them into position. The navel is then relocated and stitched into place. The surgeon replaces the skin (excess skin is trimmed) and sutures the original incisions. A complete tummy tuck takes between two and five hours and may or may not be outpatient based. Click here for more information on abdominoplasty.

In addition to these procedures, breast lift, breast reduction, and breast enhancement surgeries may also be performed to improve the appearance of the torso.