Plastic Surgery Trends: What is abdominal etching?

Plastic surgery isn’t just for women! There are a range of popular options for men, most of which are becoming more so. The image above contains the pre-operative appearance and immediately post-operative result, while the patient is still on the operating table, of a recent ‘Abdominal Etching’ procedure I performed. The popularity of this surgery is on the rise, possibly in concert with the continued popularity and advancement in liposuction techniques or because the stigma of men undergoing plastic surgeon is declining. The majority of patients who seek this operation are men, but women can benefit as well. When performing this surgery on a female patient, I would seek to create a slightly different result as most women do not want a fully articulated six pack in the same way a man does.

In this operation, I perform targeted small volume liposuction at each of several sites in the abdomen to enhance the appearance and contour of the abdominal muscles. The procedure takes 1-2 hours and recovery time is around 2 days before return to work. The patient should wait approximately a month before vigorous abdominal exercise. This patient of mine looked great on the table after the surgery, and he is going to be very satisfied with his ultimate result.

Abdominal etching exemplifies the fact that liposuction is not a weight loss tool. While a pound of two may be “lost” while undergoing liposuction, it is actually dangerous for patients over a certain weight to have the procedure. Liposuction is appropriately used as a contouring and sculpting tool, not a tool for weight loss.

Abdominal etching is a great procedure for those with stubborn abdominal fat who wish to improve the appearance of their abdominal contours. Great for the beach!