A fleur de lis tummy tuck is something you may never have heard of. In fact it may be something you will never need, but for a large percentage of my patients, particularly patients who have lost a great deal of weight it is at least something that they should be made aware of.
A standard Tummy tuck gives a downward pull to lax abdominal skin. This is fine for the average postpartum mom who has gone up and down in weight with pregnancy. We are lucky that this works for most patients because it’s really not how weight loss goes. When weight goes up and down it is a 360 degree event not just top to bottom. For patients with significant weight loss, they are loose side to side as well.
When to consider a fleur de lis Tummy tuck
When most of these patients come to my office and demonstrate their loose skin as they pull it in from the sides and create a big lump of skin in the middle to show me what they want tightened. What they are demonstrating is horizontal laxity, not vertical. I then demonstrate, by grabbing the lower abdomen and pulling it tight that a standard tummy tuck pulls down and does not address this horizontal laxity.
For most of my weight loss patients a light bulb goes off as the concepts of horizontal and vertical laxity makes sense. A fleur de lis tummy tuck, whose preoperative markings look like the French flower, leaves scar right down the middle of the abdomen pulling not only top to bottom, but side to side as well. Some patients will look at me as though I’ve lost my mind if they have never heard of this kind of tummy tuck before.
Fortunately, most will go home, search the web and discover I speak the truth and understand why it was part of our discussion. Even if that weight loss patient does not want a fleur de lis tummy tuck it is important to me that they know about it. With a standard tummy tuck they will still have horizontal laxity,which is ok. as long as they understand why. The consult is always easier when the patient has at least heard of it ahead of time.
If they have horizontal laxity, but don’t want fleur de lis they must also understand that this may limit the amount of muscle tightening I do. Muscle tightening, for most, flattens the abdominal wall, but it also pulls excess skin into the middle of the abdomen. In a patient who already has severe horizontal excess I may have to limit the degree of tightening or in some cases avoid it so that we don’t wind up with a bulky wad of skin in the midline. That issue goes away with fleur de lis because I can literally throw away that excess.
All Surgeons Don’t Offer The Fleur De Lis Tummy Tuck Procedure
Many surgeons don’t offer this kind of tummy tuck and because of that many will not even discuss it with weight loss patients. I find that disappointing. They should at least know about it as an option. In many ways, I find it easier than a standard tummy tuck because I am not working inside a tunnel. The exposure for muscle tightening is unparalleled. While there is an additional incision to close the surgery is not much longer in duration than a standard tummy tuck.
You may not need a fleur de lis tummy tuck – fortunately most don’t. Even if you are a candidate for it, you still may not want it. But if you have lost a lot of weight, have horizontal laxity, it is my hope as you read this that at least you know about it as an option to consider.
Call Dr. Adam Tattelbaum Today!
Dr. Tattelbaum is a double board-certified plastic surgeon. He enjoys the process of teaching his patients as much as the surgeries he performs. If you are considering one of these procedures and would like to know more about the difference between breast lift and breast implants Call Dr.Tattelbaum’s office at (301)-656-6398 or contact us online through his web site WWW.atcosmetics.com He offers in-person consultations at his offices in Mclean, Virginia and Rockville, Maryland. Virtual consultations are also available.