Solomon Plastic Surgery | Dallas Triple Board-certified Plastic Surgeon Dr. Matthias Solomon
Can you spot Dr. Solomon's patient among these models?
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Solomon 3D tummy tuck technique
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Solomon 3D tummy tuck technique
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Solomon 3D tummy tuck technique
Solomon 3D tummy tuck technique
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Backgrounds have been homogenized, and visible moles removed for comparison purposes, but surgical results are unaltered. All of Dr. Solomon’s patients above are also featured untouched on our before and after gallery.
What Should A Good Tummy Tuck Look Like?
To answer that one needs to know the features of an attractive abdomen. As a plastic surgeon my goal is to create natural contours that highlight your beauty.
Features of an attractive abdomen:
- Â A youthful and attractive abdomen has a flat contour when viewed from the sides because the rectus muscles have a good tone.
- There are individual variations, but typically the outline of the rectus muscle is visible.
- There is a vertical central depression between the inner edges of the rectus muscles starting just above the belly button and going up to the lower portion of the sternum. This vertical strip depression does NOT exist below the level of the belly button.
- A mild fullness around the bellow button as there is slightly more fat in this area.
- There is no excess skin around the belly button; it is well defined, vertical and centered.
- There is a slight depression just below the rib cage as it transitions from chest to abdomen.
- The fat pad in the pubic area blends into the lower abdomen without being too prominent.
In other words, an attractive abdomen is a three-dimensional structure with highlights and valleys.
Every woman is different, and all these features may not be present in any given person. But these are general guidelines I look to achieve when performing a tummy tuck.
Traditional Tummy Tuck and its Limitations
Typically, a low incision is made from hip to hip and the entire skin and fat is lifted off the abdominal muscles all the way to the lower ribs. This significantly decreases the blood flow to the skin but is still adequate to keep it alive. There are two systems of blood flowing to the skin – the Deep and the Superficial. The Deep system has multiple vertical blood vessels coming out from the abdominal wall muscle into the skin and fat. The Superficial system consists of blood vessels under the skin surface.
With a traditional tummy tuck, the skin and fat are lifted off the muscle from the incision in the pubic area to the rib margin in the upper belly. This completely cuts off all the blood flow through the deep system, because it is impossible to lift the skin and fat off the muscle without cutting and cauterizing these blood vessels. Although the blood flow is compromised, the superficial system is typically enough to keep the skin alive. However, if Liposuction is added there is a good chance that the superficial system is also compromised resulting in dead skin and major complications. This is why many surgeons do not perform extensive liposuction of the abdominal wall when performing a tummy tuck.
With the traditional tummy tuck, although the after result looks better than before, it does not look natural as it is one dimensional and flat without any contours.
The only way to get the three-dimensional contours that I described earlier in an ideal abdomen is to liposuction first before proceeding with a tummy tuck. Liposuction sculpts the abdomen to give a three-dimensional contour, and the tummy tuck tightens the muscle and removes excess skin.
Solomon 3D Tummy Tuck Technique
I have perfected a modified tummy tuck technique that preserves most of the deep blood flow to the skin. This allows me to liposuction freely without any limitation and create the three-dimensional contours that are present in a natural and attractive abdomen.
A low incision is made to hide the scar even under very low-cut bikini briefs. Then the skin and fat are lifted only about 1 inch on either side of the midline. This allows for muscle tightening but preserves all the deep blood flow channels. The additional advantage of Solomon 3D Tummy Tuck Technique is elimination of post operative fluid collection – a common complication that occurs in 10-15% of patients undergoing a traditional tummy tuck.
The other telltale sign of a tummy tuck is a prominent circular scar around the belly button. Once a tummy tuck is performed this way it is very hard to revise it. Part of the Solomon 3D Tummy Tuck Technique involves a modification that first anchors the belly button to the underlying rectus muscle, and second, places the circular scar along the inner edge of the belly button so that it is not visible. This creates a very natural umbilicus.
