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What is a Reverse Abdominoplasty?

asked 3 years ago by anon
Latest answer by Rod J. Rohrich, MD
Question viewed 11,164 times
Tags: abdomen, reverse, technique

is it a way to improve a tummy tuck?  confused!

21 answers to What is a Reverse Abdominoplasty?

+10

Reverse Upper Abdominoplasty

'Reverse Upper' abdominoplasty Not infrequently I see patients in whom there is as much skin laxity in the upper abdomen as there is in the lower abdomen. In fact, some patients after pregnancy will have fairly 'toned' lower abdominal skin, but very lax and redundant upper abdominal skin. In these situations, the removal of skin in a vertically downward direction ( a conventional tummy tuck) is not adequate to correct the upper abdominal skin laxity. Such patients are... more
Michael Law, MD

Raleigh-Durham Plastic Surgeon

michaellawmd.com

+2

Reverse tummy tuck

A reverse tummy tuck is a procedure that is performed in order to correct for the laxity of the upper abdominal region. I have found the procedure of tremendous use in those who also need a breast lift. The incisions are placed within the fold under the breast through the incision that is often needed for a breast lift.
Siamak Agha, MD, PhD

Orange County Plastic Surgeon
+2

Reverse tummy tuck is for upper abdominal skin laxity

Consider a reverse tummy tuck as a tummy tuck done upside-down. Excess skin and fat from the upper abdomen, that would not be well-addressed with a classic tummy tuck, is excised. The abdominal flap is pulled up and the wound closed. The scar ends up under the breasts and across the lower chest. This is not a common operation for several reasons. First, significant upper abdominal skin laxity that would necesitate this approach is much less common than lower abdominal skin laxity. Secondly... more
Jeffrey Horowitz, MD

Baltimore Plastic Surgeon
+2

Reverse abdominoplasty

In highly selected patients, either due to severe laxity and fat in the upper abdomen or scars on the abdomen a reverse abdominoplasty is chosen. The position of the scar is put in the infra mammary crease and joined inthe midline between the breasts.This will tighten the upper abdomen, and it also goves access to the breast if any surgery is contemplated on the breast. One can use the extra skin and fat in the upper abdomen and fold it into the breast to enhance the size and shape of the... more
Samir Shureih, MD

Baltimore Plastic Surgeon
+2

Reverse abdominoplasty tightens upper abdomen

Reverse abdominoplasty refers to an upper abdominoplasty done to tighten upper abdominal skin that cannot be tightened by a lower abdominoplasty or mini tummy tuck. The scars are usually placed beneath the breasts to conceal the scar. This procedure is done on patients who have only lax upper abdominal skin or in patients who have had a lower or mini tummy tuck and are left with loose upper abdominal skin. The reverse abdominoplasty or upper tummy tuck is complex and requires skill and... more
Brooke R. Seckel, MD

Boston Plastic Surgeon

www.drseckel.com

+2

Reverse abdominoplasty = Upside down tummy tuck...

Plastic surgeons do their best to hide scars in surgery. In select patients with excess skin, fat, and tissue in their upper abdomen, the best place to hide a scar may actually be at the top of the abdomen instead of in the bikini area (as usually done in a regular tummy tuck). An upside down tummy tuck, or a reverse abdominoplasty, will place the scar under the breasts, at the top of the abdomen, and will pull the skin of the abdomen up. Patients who may be candidates include those who have... more
B. Pat Pazmino, MD

Miami Plastic Surgeon

www.miamiaesthetic.com

+1

What Is A Reverse Abdominoplasty?

A reversed abdominoplasty is an aesthetic procedure done in patients that have more excess skin in the upper abdomen rather than the lower abdomen. In carefully selected patients, this can work. The scar is in the upper abdomen and crosses the center and can be problematic in some patients. It is not routinely recommended. I would highly suggest that you visit a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon that specializes in this type of surgery before making any decisions on this type of procedure. more
Rod J. Rohrich, MD

Dallas Plastic Surgeon
+1

A Reverse Abdominalplasty

Good Question!! And it IS confusing!! A Reverse Abdominalplasty is a procedure, which can be used to address slight to modest excess laxity of the upper pole of the abdomen -- that is the area between your belly button and your breasts. The idea is to place incisions under the bra line and remove some excess skin here causing some tightening in the upper abdomen. Reverse Abdominalplasty has limited usefulness as it will not address excess skin below your belly button and it will not address... more
Carlin Vickery, MD

New York Plastic Surgeon
+1

Reverse tummy tuck

Areverse tummy tuck is a fairly rare procedure. If a patient has a lot of loose skin above their umbilicus that a traditional tummy has failed to removed then a reverse procedure can work very smartly for them. This involves an incision underneath the breast to pull the skin upwards and remove extra tissue.
Pramit Malhotra, MD

Ann Arbor Plastic Surgeon
+1

Reverse abdominoplasty places scar under breast

You are the first person to ask this question. A reverse abdominoplasty places the scar under the breasts instead of across the lower abdomen. The scar goes across the midline-this is important. If you are wearing a scoop neck or V-neck it is possible to see this scar. This procedure is sometimes used for patients who want a tummy-tuck and a breast augmentation, but don't want implants. The extra tissue in the upper abdomen that would normally be thrown out, is instead used by folding... more
Tracy Pfeifer, MD

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon
+1

The Reverse Tummy Tuck is an option for treating cellulite like wrinkling above the navel

The Reverse Tummy Tuck is a potential surgical option to treat loose, wrinkled, cellulite looking skin changes located above the navel. It becomes the operation of choice particularly if there is no problem with skin laxity below the navel. A reverse tuck involves removing half moon shaped portions of skin below each breast. Once the resultant defect is sutured the final scar is strategically hidden in the fold beneath each breast. The effect is to pull up and thereby tighten and smooth the... more
David A. Ross, MD

Chicago Plastic Surgeon
+1

Reverse Abdominoplasty

Most people do not need this, and most plastic surgeons have not performed this! This is an old concept that has received some recent attention in the plastic surgery literature. Typical candidates are post-bariatric patients...people who have lost significant weight. This is to treat the residual upper abdominal skin excess after a traditional tummy tuck. This is done by excising the skin and lifting it up, rather than down. The scar will be under the breast folds, but has to go across betwe more
Rafi S. Bidros, MD

Houston Plastic Surgeon
+1

Reverse Tummy Tuck (Abdominoplasty)

The major downside of a Tummy Tuck is its transverse scars through which the tummy is flattened and the waist is narrowed. Although this scar is relatively long, it can often be hidden under most commonly worn styles of underwear. In some patients, a "regular" tummy tuck cannot be done (due to placement of other surgical scars) OR because the skin that needs to be removed is mostly in the upper tummy. In such cases, a high transverse scar is placed across the chest under the... more
Peter A. Aldea, MD

Memphis Plastic Surgeon
+1

Reverse abdominoplasty or upside down tummy tuck for the upper abdomen

The reverse tummy tuck is a very good option in a small number of patients. The traditional tummy tuck tightens the entire front of the abdomen from the ribs to the pubic area, by removing a football-shaped area of skin between the belly button and the pubic area. The skin above the belly button is then lifted up and pulled down to the bottom edge of where the tissue was removed, leaving a scar horizontally across the lower abdomen. Some patients however have good skin tone in the lower... more
Richard Baxter, MD

Seattle Plastic Surgeon
+1

A reverse abdominoplasty tightens the upper abdomen

Most patients with loose skin/muscle in the tummy area will be better off with a regular tummy tuck procedure. A reverse tummy tuck tightens the upper abdomen only and most people have loose skin either all over or mostly in the lower abdomen. Thus, few people are good candidates for a reverse tummy tuck. The reverse tummy tuck is done through incisions in the fold underneath the breasts. The skin is then lifted, pulled upwards and trimmed. This is the reverse of a standard tummy tuck... more
Caroline Min, MD

Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon
+1

Reverse abdominoplasty or tummy tuck

A reverse tummy tuck is a method of liftin the skin upwards instead of pulling it downwards.  The skin incision is placed immediately below and under both breasts. It generally removes loose skin in the midriff area.
Otto Joseph Placik, MD

Chicago Plastic Surgeon
+1

Reverse abdominoplasty is not a great procedure

A reverse abdominoplasty is not a great procedure in my opinion. The incision is under the breasts and the tension on the area tends to pull the breast down. I have been practicing plastic surgery for 25 years and have done only one of these. That one time I regretted it. There are many other ways to modify your body in that area which are less potentially deforming.
Talmage J. Raine, MD

Chicago Plastic Surgeon
+1

Reverse Abdominoplasty Places the Incision in The Upper Abdomen

Abdominal scars influence the type of abdominoplasty to perform. In rare cases, an abdominoplasty is performed using an incision underneath the breast and pulling up of the abdominal flap instead of the usual lower incision with pulling down of the abdominal flap and skin. The incision is usually placed underneath the breast in the inframammary fold. The abdominal flap is raised superiorly and the excess skin is removed from the upper abdomen. Be cautious of the reverse abdominoplasty in... more
Raffy Karamanoukian, MD

Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon
+1

This is an operation to tighten the abdomen but takes...

This is an operation to tighten the abdomen but takes the extra skin out under the breasts rather than in the bikini line area as in a traditional tummy tuck. This results in a "Golden Gate Bridge" scar across the upper abdomen and is quite unsightly. Consequently and appropriately, this operation is rarely done.
Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS

Seattle Plastic Surgeon
+1

A reverse abdominoplasty is performed to treat laxity of...

A reverse abdominoplasty is performed to treat laxity of tissues in the upper abdomen. The incisions are usually placed in the breast folds so that they are pretty well hidden. This is sometimes performed on patients that have had a previous abdominoplasty but still have upper abdominal laxity.
Steven Wallach, MD

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon
+1

Abdominoplasty Scars

To answer this question, it helps to first know what a “Traditional” abdominoplasty entails. All traditional operations result in a scar that is somewhere at the level of the bikini line: Mini Abdominoplasty – a c-section length scar that allows for tightening of the abdominal muscles, but does not significantly tighten the abdominal skin. Standard Abdominoplasty – Hipbone to Hipbone length scar. This allows for tightening of the muscles and all of the skin on... more
Michael A. Bogdan, MD

Dallas Plastic Surgeon

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