Fleur De Lis Abdominoplasty Surgery Sydney
Significant weight loss or multiple pregnancies often result in loose skin in both the lower and upper abdomen. A Fleur De Lis abdominoplasty, also known as a corset abdominoplasty or vertical abdominoplasty, is designed to remove this excess skin.
While a traditional abdominoplasty can target excess skin, the FDL abdominoplasty generally involves more extensive excess skin removal, skin tightening and fat removal.
What is a Fleur De Lis abdominoplasty?
A Fleur De Lis abdominoplasty is designed for patients who have experienced significant weight loss, or have been left with excess skin around the abdomen due to another cause.
It is designed to remove the excess skin, remove fat pockets and tighten the remaining skin in the area. It is regarded as a more extensive procedure than a traditional abdominoplasty.
How is a Fleur De Lis abdominoplasty different to a traditional abdominoplasty?
A Fleur De Lis abdominoplasty offers more extensive tightening and removal of excess fat and skin compared to a traditional abdominoplasty. The procedure is particularly suited to patients with a significant amount of excess skin, especially on the sides and upper abdomen. While an extended abdominoplasty can address excess tissue on the sides and front of the belly, the Fleur De Lis can be more suitable when tightening is needed in the area both horizontally and vertically.
Both procedures involve a horizontal incision along the bikini line, but the FDL abdominoplasty also includes a vertical incision from the pubis up through the belly button, allowing for more tightening across the waistline. The added vertical incision is why the procedure is also referred to as a vertical abdominoplasty.
The additional incision helps to remove more skin and fat from the sides and upper belly. It also allows the surgeon to address the belly button and tighten abdominal muscles, offering a more extensive result than a traditional abdominoplasty.
The type of procedure that may be better suited to your needs typically needs to be determined during a consultation. Your surgeon can discuss your reasons for choosing the procedure and assess the condition of the area, assessing the amount and location of excess skin and fat deposits.
Your consultation at Aesthetic Edge in Sydney
During your consultation, your surgeon will review your medical history and assess your general health to determine if you’re a suitable candidate for the procedure. Patients will need to be in good health when undergoing a surgical procedure like an FDL abdominoplasty.
You’ll have a detailed discussion about your expectations and the available surgical options, (such as a traditional abdominoplasty), which will help you decide if FDL surgery suits your personal needs and expectations. Your surgeon will also advise you on whether or not a Fleur De Lis abdominoplasty is suitable for you.
Your surgeon will cover the preparation steps to take before your procedure, including any lifestyle changes you may need to consider, such as stopping smoking or adjusting certain medications. You will also receive recovery instructions and discuss what you can expect during healing, potential side effects, and the type of care you’ll need after the procedure.
To schedule a consultation, you will need a referral from your GP. Please feel free to contact our team for more information on how to book your consultation.
Suitable candidates for a Fleur De Lis abdominoplasty
You may be a good candidate for a Fleur De Lis abdominoplasty if you have a significant amount of loose abdominal skin and excess fat, that extends over the middle and sides of your abdomen. An FDL abdominoplasty can also reconstruct or alter the shape and position of the belly button, and address the abdominal muscles and hernias.
The procedure is particularly suited for individuals with excess skin and tissue that cannot be adequately addressed by a traditional abdominoplasty alone. Candidates should be in good health, maintain a stable BMI, and have realistic expectations about the results of the surgery. While FDL surgery removes excess skin and fat, the procedure is not a substitute for weight loss. Instead, it is designed to remove stubborn areas of skin and fat that remain resistant to a healthy diet and regular exercise.
The Fleur De Lis abdominoplasty procedure
A Fleur De Lis abdominoplasty (also known as a vertical abdominoplasty or corset abdominoplasty), is performed under general anaesthesia, meaning you will be fully asleep. Once the anaesthesia has taken effect, your surgeon will begin the procedure, which involves a combination of surgical techniques.
The surgery typically begins with a horizontal incision, similar to that used in a traditional abdominoplasty. The incision runs along the bikini line, stretching from one hip to the other, and allows your surgeon to remove excess skin and fat from the front-mid section of the abdomen. The excess skin is removed from the upper and lower borders of the incision.
Then comes the defining step of the FDL surgery, which is the added vertical incision. The incision begins in the middle of the horizontal incision and extends upwards, passing over the belly button and reaching the ribs. The vertical incision is an important addition for removing excess tissue from the sides of the abdomen, allowing your surgeon to pull the skin sideways, address the hips and the sides of the waist, and remove a much larger amount of skin and fat than is possible with a traditional abdominoplasty.
As well as skin removal, FDL surgery often involves tightening the abdominal muscles, which may include treating conditions such as abdominis diastasis or addressing hernias. The belly button can also be repositioned or reconstructed using a variety of different techniques, depending on your particular needs. Liposuction may also be incorporated into the procedure to remove deposits of excess fat from the abdominal area.
When the surgery is complete, the incisions are then closed in multiple layers, using fine sutures. In some cases, temporary surgical drains may be inserted to prevent fluid build-up during the early stages of healing.
So that you can have a better understanding of the personalised details of your Fleur De Lis abdominoplasty procedure plan, your surgeon can further explain how the surgery will be performed during your consultation.
Recovery after a Fleur De Lis abdominoplasty
As the procedure is considered to be major surgery, the recovery period after a Fleur De Lis abdominoplasty is important. You’ll discuss the details of your recovery during your consultation, and receive recovery instructions that will help you support your body’s healing process while preventing complications.
Typically, you can expect to stay in the hospital for one to three nights, so that medical staff can monitor your progress and check the output from any surgical drains. These drains are usually removed by the third day after surgery once they are no longer needed to prevent fluid buildup.
During the recovery period, it’s normal to experience symptoms such as swelling, bruising, and pain around the surgical area. These symptoms normally peak within the first two to three days after your surgery, but they will gradually subside over the next three to four weeks.
It is usually possible to start walking the day after surgery – in fact, it is normally encouraged to help circulation and prevent complications. However, for the first one to two weeks, you’ll need to recover at home and avoid work, sports, or any other type of strenuous exercise or activities.
During your recovery, you will normally be advised to wear an abdominal compression binder and sleep on your back for four to six weeks. After about six weeks, most patients are able to return to work or their usual daily activities and even resume exercise without restrictions, but this will depend on your surgeon’s instructions, which will be based on your personal needs.
Costs of a Fleur De Lis abdominoplasty at Aesthetic Edge in Sydney
The costs of an FDL abdominoplasty will depend on the complexity of your personalised procedure and the included fees (including the surgeon’s fees, anaesthesia fees, and hospital fees). You will have the chance to discuss the details of your surgery costs during your consultation, as well as receive a quote.
A Fleur De Lis abdominoplasty may sometimes be considered a medically necessary procedure, particularly if the excess skin (normally after significant weight loss) is causing medical concerns. These concerns can include mobility issues, daily discomfort, chafing, and skin conditions (such as frequent rashes and skin infections).
If you will be able to prove that the procedure is performed for medical reasons, you may be eligible for Medicare cover, meaning that Medicare can cover a portion of the total procedure costs. You’ll need to meet the requirements outlined by the specific Medicare Item Number, which your GP or your surgeon can explain.
Patients who are eligible for Fleur De Lis abdominoplasty Medicare cover may also like to contact their private health insurance provider to seek additional cover.
If you need advice regarding the costs of your procedure, you are welcome to contact our team.
Possible risks and complications
Any surgical procedure can be associated with possible risks and complications, which should always be discussed during your consultation with a qualified plastic surgeon. During your consultation, your suitability for FDL surgery will also be assessed, which helps to minimise complications.
Some of the possible complications related to Fleur De Lis surgery include bleeding and adverse reactions to anaesthesia, which can occur with any major operation. Fluid collection, known as seroma, and blood collection, referred to as haematoma, can sometimes develop at the wound site.
Another risk is wound infection, which may present as increasing pain, redness, the presence of pus, and slow healing. Infections are typically managed with antibiotics to prevent further complications. Some patients may experience abnormal wound healing, leading to excessive scarring, keloid formation, or hypertrophic scars, which are uncommon but possible outcomes.
Though extremely rare, there is a slight chance of internal organ injury occurring during the procedure, particularly if liposuction is involved. This may result from accidental punctures during surgery, which can be minimised by only choosing a qualified plastic surgeon to perform the procedure.
Your follow-up appointments will allow your surgeon to monitor the progress of your healing and address any complications early. You should also keep an eye out for any symptoms of complications at home and seek medical advice if you have any concerns.
Fleur De Lis Abdominoplasty Surgery FAQs
An FDL abdominoplasty is generally a more extensive procedure and is often performed to remove significant excess skin that has remained after significant weight loss. Also called a vertical abdominoplasty, the procedure includes an additional vertical incision for further skin removal and tightening.