First documented skin and fat removal
The first documented removal of an abdominal apron, then called dermolipectomy, took place in France.[1]
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History
From the first apron removal in 1890 to progressive tension sutures and lipoabdominoplasty: the steps that changed the operation.
Timeline
The first documented removal of an abdominal apron, then called dermolipectomy, took place in France.[1]
Kelly and a team of gynecologists at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore reported the first US cases of cosmetic abdominal contouring.[1]
Thorek performed what is believed to be the first abdominoplasty that kept the navel, with a low transverse incision and navel transposition.[1]
Somalo of Argentina introduced the belt lipectomy, removing skin and fat around the whole lower trunk.[1]
Pitanguy published his abdominal plastic surgery in 1967. Lockwood dates the development of modern abdominoplasty techniques to the 1960s.[1][2]
Regnault drew the incision as a W inside the hairline and removed more tissue at the sides than in the middle to even the pull on the flap.[1]
958 surgeons answered a survey on abdominoplasty complications. The authors reported that nearly all patients were satisfied despite visible scars.[1]
Dellon combined vertical and horizontal skin resection in 16 patients, for massive weight loss and an overhanging panniculus.[1]
Greminger defined the mini-abdominoplasty for deformity limited to the lower abdomen, in a series of 14 patients.[1]
Matarasso sorted abdominal contouring into four types, from liposuction alone to full abdominoplasty with liposuction, with safety rules for combining them, in 75 patients.[1]
After his 1993 lower body lift, Lockwood limited central undermining, moved the tightest closure to the sides and repaired the superficial fascial system, in 50 patients.[1][2]
The Pollocks reported 65 consecutive abdominoplasties with progressive tension sutures and no hematomas, seromas or flap necrosis. By 2012 they had done 597 without drains.[1][2]
Saldanha combined liposuction with abdominoplasty without undermining the flap. The same year Nahas classified the muscle layer into types A to D in 88 patients.[1][2]
Pioneers
Their papers set the methods in use today.
Published on abdominal plastic surgery in 1967, the decade Lockwood names for the start of modern abdominoplasty.[1][2]
With R. M. Goldwyn, surveyed 958 surgeons on abdominoplasty complications.[1]
Described the W abdominoplasty with its incision inside the hairline.[1]
Described reverse abdominoplasty combined with breast reduction.[1]
Described the fleur-de-lis abdominoplasty.[1]
Classified abdominal contouring into four types, from liposuction alone to full abdominoplasty with liposuction.[1]
Described the lower body lift and the high-lateral-tension abdominoplasty with superficial fascial system repair.[1][2]
Introduced progressive tension sutures and reported 597 abdominoplasties without drains.[1][2]
Developed lipoabdominoplasty with selective undermining, 445 patients by 2007.[1][2]
Classified the muscle layer of the abdomen and showed rectus plication holding at 76 to 84 months.[1][2]
Reported the University of Iowa belt lipectomy series of 32 patients.[1]
Ran the randomized trial of Scarpa fascia preservation in 160 abdominoplasties.[1]