Many women have the goal of achieving a toned stomach. Different factors such as age, childbirth, or weight changes can cause you to lose this muscle tone and definition. Fortunately, there are solutions to your concerns. Dr. Philip Richardson offers an abdominal lipectomy for women who suffer from excess skin or weak muscles in the Brisbane area.

What is an abdominal lipectomy?

Normally your abdominal muscles and skin are very tight and firm. Both your muscles and skin are closely connected and both have an impact on the way your abdomen looks and feels. Natural events such as weight loss or pregnancy can cause these normally well-defined muscles to weaken. Your skin may appear loose or your muscles less defined. If you are concerned about the appearance of this abdominal laxity, you might have tried exercise and diets but found that they don’t make a difference. In such cases (for good candidates), Dr. Richardson can perform a simple procedure known as an abdominal lipectomy to help you achieve your goals by surgically removing the excess tissue.

How does Dr. Richardson perform his abdominal lipectomy?

An abdominal lipectomy is a procedure also known as a tummy tuck or abdominoplasty, which is designed to reduce excess skin and tighten weak abdominal muscles. Before your abdominal lipectomy, Dr. Richardson will analyse your body and determine areas where he can tighten the skin and muscles. After you and Dr. Richardson discuss treatment goals, his team will assist you in scheduling your procedure.

Dr. Richardson performs his abdominal lipectomy under general anaesthetic so that you are asleep during the entire procedure and do not feel any pain. On the day of your procedure, the Anaesthetist will administer the general anaesthetic. Afterwards, Dr. Richardson will remove any loose fat and restore any weak muscles. He will make a small incision using careful technique and remove any fat around your abdomen. If he determines that any muscles are damaged or very weak, he may also perform minor procedures to tighten the abdominal muscles. If he finds any extra skin, he will carefully remove it. Afterwards, he will close the area with small internal stitches.

What is the recovery process like?

After your procedure, you will be provided with an abdominal binder to wear for six weeks. This will help to ensure that your body recovers well and will support the scar line. Since his surgical technique is very detailed and careful, you might be able to leave the same day that you have your procedure or stay overnight. Dr. Richardson does not recommend that you perform any strenuous activity for at least two weeks. During this time, you should do only mild activities that do not require any lifting or stress. He will schedule a couple of follow up appointments to monitor your healing and avoid any complications. Should you feel any discomfort, he can also provide pain relief.

To schedule your first appointment with Dr. Richardson, you can call the office at (07) 3268-3774 or contact us online.