A few months ago I saw a woman who had lost over 100 pounds through diet and exercise. She was, without a doubt ready to get rid of all the loose skin hanging from her lower belly. She had seen another doctor who recommended liposuction and a standard tummy tuck, but because of her significant laxity I asked her if she had considered a fleur de lis tummy tuck. She looked at me as though I were crazy, not because she didn’t want the tummy tuck, but because she had never even heard of this procedure.
So what’s a fleur de lis abdominoplastly?
The average tummy tuck patient, often a postpartum mother or someone who has lost 30-40 pounds, has a vertical laxity of the tummy skin. Sit in a chair, grab your lower belly and if you’re like me you may feel a roll of skin and fat there that you’d prefer not to have. If you remove that roll from hip to hip the upper tummy skin can be pulled down like a window shade, tight and flat. That’s a standard tummy tuck, which tightens vertical laxity.
In patients with dramatic weight loss, they not only have the lower roll – the vertical laxity – but they are also loose from side to side. If you think you may be one of those people, put your hands on your flanks and push toward the middle. If there is a big roll of skin in the middle where you pushed in, this is horizontal laxity, and a fleur de lis tummy tuck might be recommended. The name of this tummy tuck comes from the pattern drawn on the abdomen before surgery, which is similar to a French decorative symbol. It means flower of the lily. When the skin and fat are removed the scar looks like an upside down “T.”
This kind of tummy tuck is mainly for massive weight loss patients. Even people who could benefit from the procedure may not want the midline scar, but I at least want my patients to know it’s an option.
So what happened to the patient who thought I was crazy? She did extensive research, as most of my patients do, she had her fleur de lis tummy tuck with me and was thrilled to know about this option, which turned out to be the best option for her. If you’re wondering if this tummy tuck it right for you come in and I’ll give you my opinion. Contact my office for a consultation at one of my three practices in Rockville or Annapolis, Maryland or McLean, Virginia.
