Update In Body Contouring Procedures

Abstract

Body contouring is an expression of the surgical capability of the plastic surgeon to modify lines and volumes of the body in all its parts. The artistry of the surgeon consists in his tridimensional vision of the body and in the full understanding of a surgical project of recreating pleasant lines and new proportions among all the body parts. To fulfill this target, the surgeon should utilize the best techniques. The aesthetic outcome of body contouring procedures depends on the good knowledge of clinical anatomy. Such knowledge reduces the incidence of complications and also improves the patient satisfaction. The aesthetic result is determined largely by the preoperative marking and surgical plan, that depends on the patient specific anatomy and deformity.

It is essential that today’s aesthetic surgeons understand the motivations of patients who present with body contour deformities. A request for surgical treatment should be seen as a legitimate desire to achieve a physical form that approximates the individual with his or her ideal self-image. The goal of most body contouring procedures is not only to improve the contour and shape of the abdomen, but to achieve a smooth, flowing, harmonious contour by improving the overall silhouette and appearance of the region. Aesthetic plastic surgery (cosmetic surgery) strives to achieve the highest possible harmony between different parts of the body and the whole body, also between anatomy and psychology, between body and soul. Any surgeon performing aesthetic operations has to possess psychological knowledge, empathy, a high level of ethic integrity.