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Oh, how you hate it when your eyes automatically move to that protruding ‘bump’ whenever you look at yourself in the mirror! It is not even as if you are pregnant! It is just that a few layers of fat have decided that the best places to settle down are your stomach and abdominal regions. Additionally, no amount of rigorous dieting or vigorous exercising has helped. Therefore, what should you do next? We advise Abdominal Etching, a cosmetic procedure that will grant you a washboard stomach.
What exactly is Abdominal Etching?
You will be happy to know that it is a non-invasive procedure with an artistic name, ‘Liposculpture’! Yes, indeed the aim is to sculpt your stomach in such a way that it appears marvelously muscular, firm and tight! Furthermore, it is applicable to either sex.
- Please note that Abdominal Etching is not the same as abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) or traditional Liposuction.
- Abdominoplasty serves to tighten the stomach by getting rid of excess fat, as well as excess skin. In other words, it tends to straighten the wrinkles visible on the tummy!
- Traditional Liposuction could not take care how your stomach/abdomen looks like! All it does is to dig out the diverse pockets of fat settled in the wrong places!
Abdominal Etching focuses on providing a chiseled look to your lower torso, similar to what a sculptor does with stone. The surgeon will remove the excess fat from certain areas and leave the rest as it is in other areas. As a result, the underlying muscles and abs appear well defined in nature. It is no wonder then that people have seen fit to award this surgery names like High-Definition Liposuction, Six-Pack Liposculpture and Lipoetching.
Will this Procedure Suit You?
Although the thought of having a sculpted abdomen sounds exciting, please note that you may not exactly be the ideal candidate to undergo such a procedure. You will have to fulfill certain conditions before the cosmetic surgeon agrees to work on your body.
- Do you have an essentially fit physique or well-toned body, without any kind of skin damage? If the answer is yes, you will do!
- Even though you are here to remove excess fat from your abdominal area, the fat pockets must be relatively small in nature. This means that each pocket should contain just about one to two inches of pinchable fat.
- Your total body fat must not exceed 18%.
Do consult Dr. Cat Beverly Hills, a board-certified plastic surgeon, to find out if you will be able to fulfill your aesthetic goal or not. The board is the American Board of Plastic Surgery.
It would be good if this professional is vastly experienced in performing all manner of plastic surgeries related to the stomach and abdomen. If you are still worried, request photographs of people, who have already undergone abdominal etching. Their ‘before’ and ‘after’ pictures should suffice to grant you greater confidence.
Image credit: Dr. Cat Begovic
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What Happens During the Procedure?
Generally, the surgeon completes the process within an hour or so. In rare cases, it may go on from anywhere between one-and-a-half hours to four hours, depending upon the patient’s condition or other complications.
Once the surgeon decides that you may go in for abdominal etching, he/she provides some pre-operative instructions that you need to follow.
- You must reach the outpatient surgery department at the appointed time on the day of the surgery.
- It is up to the doctor to decide if you need general anesthesia or twilight anesthesia. The latter helps you stay awake, but not completely aware. The area demarked for surgery becomes numb, such that you will feel nothing during the operation.
- You will also need a dose of antibiotics to keep you infection-free.
- Next, the surgeon may request you to contract your abdominal muscles. This is for helping him/her to outline the areas, which will undergo incisions or indentations.
- These areas are in/near the belly button or the natural creases of the abdomen/pelvis.
- When everything is marked to satisfaction, the surgeon will make incisions in the marked-out areas, each one measuring 1-2 mm in size.
- The surgeon then takes a metal, tube-like instrument in his/her hands. This very small and flexible Cannula possesses blunt tips.
- The Cannula travels into the skin easily through the incisions, while the doctor is inserting it.
- The doctor attaches a suction device at the other end of this Cannula.
- As he/she twists and turns the Cannula along with all the marked areas, the excess fat deposits begin to detach themselves from the abdominal muscles.
- It is easy to suck them out through the suction tube.
- The same Cannula creates grooves in the remaining fat, thereby highlighting the natural musculature.
However, the surgeon does take care not to touch the natural muscle tissues during the contouring. The procedure moves from the lower abdomen towards the sides, and finally, the middle region.
Please note that the gaps left behind after the surgery must fill with retracting skin, before you manage to see any results. This may take three months, or it may take as long as six months. Therefore, be patient about witnessing permanent results from this once-in-a-lifetime procedure.
What is the Cost of Abdominal Etching?
The surgeon will demand fees for operating on you, while the anesthetist will expect fees for helping you stay pain free. The facility will want fees for providing space and equipment. Generally, abdominal etching follows traditional liposuction. Therefore, in total, you may have to shell out anywhere between $3,000 to $10,000 for both, the traditional liposuction and abdominal etching. The variation in pricing relates to the kind of liposuction that you opt for, such as laser liposuction, tumescent liposuction, etc.
Post-Operative Stage
You are bound to feel some pain as the anesthesia begins to wear off. There will be some amount of bruising and swelling too. Overall, however, your recovery will be painless in nature, especially as the surgeon will prescribe certain medications to take care of everything.
- This individual will also instruct you regarding post-operative care too.
- One of them is to don a medical compression garment.
- You will have to wear it for anywhere between three to six weeks, depending upon the condition of your tummy.
- The garment will keep the swelling under control.
- Note that you may not shower until 48 hours after your surgery.
- Do not lift anything beyond 10 pounds, at least for a month.
- As for normal activities, you may resume them within 1-3 weeks.
- Swimming and light exercises are possible after 5-6 days.
- Ensure that you adhere to a nutritious diet during the recovery period.
Just make sure that you follow all instructions carefully in order to avoid complications.
Side Effects or Risks of Abdominal Etching
Abdominal etching is a low-risk procedure. You may experience pain and discomfort, bruising, swelling, etc, for a couple of weeks or so. However, they will go away.
At the same time, if you have a sensitive constitution, do discuss with the surgeon in detail prior to the procedure. For instance, general anesthesia may not work for you. Sometimes, there may be bleeding, infection or enhanced scarring. Whatever is the case, discuss risks and side effects during the initial consultation itself.
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Thus, you may go in for abdominal etching as the final resort after having tried all kinds of cosmetic procedures and weight loss operations. Alternatively, this may be the only procedure that will award you a ‘sculpted’ figure, which becomes the envy of all!
