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Your Body, Custom-Fit

I do consider myself a tailor. I once heard a plastic surgeon refer to themselves as “a tailor for your birthday suit.” While I tend to keep things a bit more formal and medical with my terminology, I thought it was a perfect description for the way I think about loose skin, muscle, and fat for women who want to achieve better contours through a tummy tuck.

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What Is a Flankplasty or Body Lift?

A flankplasty extends your tummy tuck scar that curves around the love handle area. The scar stops where your thumbs would be if your hands were on your hips. This extended scar allows me to remove the necessary amount of skin to avoid “dog ears” and achieve the best contours. A body lift scar is a further extension that connects all the way around the body, and the scar from each side meets in the midline right at the top of the buttock cleft.

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A Tailor’s Approach to Waistline Contouring

When there’s a dress with extra fabric, the tailor will use a few techniques to remove it: things like pleats, ruching, or inseams are several ways in which that fabric can be removed or redraped to have a more flattering fit.

When it comes to the body, I really just have one “tailoring” trick: a scar. That’s the bad news. Any surgery requires a scar, and we haven’t quite figured out how to eliminate them yet. Yes, we have special silicone tapes, ointments, and laser treatments (all of which are available to you and included in your #postOPP care!), but scars are the tradeoff. You can get rid of loose skin, but there needs to be a scar.

The flankplasty and body lift concept comes in when we talk about how long that scar will be. While I always try to keep scarring at a minimum, I don’t want to leave you with extra skin that could cause a pleat or ruching along your waistline. In plastic surgery, some people call these skin pleats “dog ears,” but in medical terminology, they are called standing cutaneous deformities (let’s stick with “dog ears”)! Not only do they leave an unsightly pointed appearance to the very end of your scar (hence the name), but they actually worsen the contour of the waistline. Because these scars often end just above the hips, they lead to a bigger waistline at the very point that we are trying to create a smaller one.

So what to do? Short answer: make the scar longer. By curving the scar around your waist—exactly along the waistband of a bikini or lingerie—we can totally eliminate the dog ears by trading up for a longer “seam.” Yes, I fully realize that most women just want a mini tummy tuck, and here I am, promising longer scars. Well, the way I conceptualize this is the following: a tummy tuck—even a mini one—involves a scar that’s about a foot long. When the outcome is way better by extending that scar by a few inches, it’s totally worth it.

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Tummy Tuck Before & After

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Top 3 Reasons You Might Need a Flankplasty

  1. You’ve had multiple pregnancies or twin/triplet pregnancies.
  2. You’ve gained and lost a fair amount of weight.
  3. You have loose skin and stretch marks on the love handles.
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The Pleat Test Revisited

One tailoring trick that I like to use in the clinic is the pleat test. You might not find information about this elsewhere (because I made it up).

Sit in a chair and totally relax your tummy muscles (just let it all go!) Then, without twisting too much to either side, look down at your lower tummy skin fold. Where does the deepest crease extend to on your body? If the fold or “pleat” ends on the front side of your body, we can avoid the flankplasty and go with a tummy tuck scar that will end on your hips. 

If, however, the pleat travels further around and you notice the folds extend into stretch marks or loose skin that curves around to the back of your body, the scar will extend further behind the waist. It looks like you will do best with a flankplasty in Orlando. In some patients, that loose skin continues all the way around to the buttock. The pleat may be harder to see in these cases – even for me! So it’s quite possible that we won’t know for sure if you will have a flankplasty or a full-body lift scar that goes all the way around. Thanks for trusting me to make these expert tailoring decisions for you. I truly want this to be perfect for you.

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The Best Tailoring Work Possible

So, when the mission is to give you the best possible shape based on your bone structure, we should be as aggressive as possible with the skin removal portion of the tummy tuck. So that means we may be talking about a flankplasty or body lift to go along with your abdominoplasty. A longer scar – a longer seam – but a better overall shape that helps you radiate the confidence you deserve.

The mission is a two-piece bikini! And I'm not just referring to the garment; I'm talking about the confidence, the comfort, and the joy that comes with it. Imagine slipping into that bikini, feeling absolutely fantastic, and confidently embracing your tummy and the beautiful contours we've crafted together. It's not just about the outer appearance – it's about how you feel in your own skin, radiating self-assurance and pride in your transformation.

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Belly Button Gallery

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Why Choose Me?

At Oppenheimer Plastic Surgery in Orlando, FL, my commitment to your care goes beyond just surgery. Before your procedure, I'm reviewing the plan and visualizing the journey we're about to embark on. On the big day, my goal is nothing short of delivering results that'll make your heart sing.

At our clinic, it's not just about surgeries; we're all about uplifting and celebrating you. As a third-generation plastic surgeon with a heart that's been compared to a pediatrician, I bring expert hands and a whole lot of care to the table.

We're not just doing procedures; we're inspiring with kindness, empowering you with knowledge, and being your rock through every step. Your journey is personal, and we provide a safe space for you to openly share your dreams and insecurities. Your courage doesn't go unnoticed; we celebrate it.

Our team isn't just here for the surgery; we're here for you. In-house care, including overnight stays, means you're in good hands from start to finish. Our consistent, premium care comes from a fully internal team that's as invested in your well-being as you are. Contact me and my team today to learn more as we join you on your journey.

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