Post-Bariatric Surgery - The Abdomen

The skin of the abdomen as well as the abdominal muscles become loose. Most patients exhibit vertical skin laxity with an "abdominal apron" that partially or completely covers the pubic area. The treatment for this condition is an abdominoplasty, combined if necessary with liposuction. The low horizontal scar is positioned to be hidden under clothing. The navel remains in its original position but will now be surrounded by skin that has been pulled downward. As a result, it will be encircled by a scar.  

In rarer cases, patients also exhibit horizontal laxity requiring an additional technical procedure for optimal correction (fleur-de-lis abdominoplasty: a vertical midline scar in addition to the horizontal one). 

This procedure is performed under general anesthesia with a hospital stay of two to three days. Postoperative pain is moderate. It is more intense if the procedure is accompanied by liposuction. It is very intense if we perform a muscle repair (bringing the rectus abdominis muscles closer together along the midline) during which a morphine pump will be installed by the anesthetist for two days. Work leave ranges from three to six weeks depending on the individual's job. Intimate relations are permitted as soon as the patient is discharged from the hospital.