Surgical Procedure

The operation will be performed in an outpatient facility under general anesthesia.

The incisions will be made as discussed with you preoperatively, and the excess skin and fat will be trimmed. Sometimes, your surgeon may be required to extend the incisions or place them in a different location than discussed preoperatively. This may become desirable if, in the surgeon’s opinion, such diversions from the operative plan will improve the final result. On occasion, it may be appropriate to suction some of the excess fat that can not be resected, but there is a limit to how much can be removed without jeopardizing the viability of the skin flaps. Rubber drains are frequently inserted prior to suturing the wound closed; these drains will be removed later in the office after the drainage has decreased to less than 30 cc. (one ounce) of fluid per day. This usually takes about a week to ten days but can take up to a month or even longer. In addition, small catheters which infuse local anesthesia into the surgical field may be inserted – these are usually removed 2-4 days after surgery. The pain pump catheters will reduce the discomfort normally associated with such procedures.