The Technique of Inverse Abdominoplasty

Abstract

Inverse abdominoplasty is not a version or type of reverse abdominoplasty, where the incision is just below the inframammary fold and the abdominal skin flap is elevated and pulled upwards. Also in inverse approach the lower abdominal skin is elevated, pulled downwards and the skin excess lower to the navel is excised. However in this technique the surgery starts with a seagull shape supra-umbilical incision and the flaps superior and inferior to the umbilicus are elevated separately. Horizontal-vertical plication and the resulting vertical shortening create significant median skin excess, which is later divided in two folds by an Umbilical Anchor and resulting reverse tension, thus fashioning false rectus muscle folds appearance with a midline valley and lateral tension shadows with a coke-bottle shape waist. Furthermore, inverse start-up facilitates the surgeon to perform the procedure in much shorter time due to shorter flaps superiorly and inferiorly.