At your consultation, Dr. Hanz will examine your body to decide whether you’re a good candidate for abdominoplasty. To be a good candidate for ab sculpting surgery, you should be in a healthy weight range with the most stubborn areas of fat covering your abdominal muscles. You should have a low body fat percentage (ideally below 20%) and have tried to improve your core using a high-protein diet, regular exercise, and stomach muscle training. Due to hormones, genetics, or pregnancy, you might naturally be unable to get washboard abs and this could be a good solution.

Dr. Hanz performs ab etching as an outpatient surgery in a licensed surgical facility while you are under anesthesia. Throughout the 1 – 2-hour procedure, Dr. Hanz will make one or more small incisions so he can insert a thin, hollow tube (cannula) to remove fat. He will etch the midline linea alba (middle of the abdomen) and the outline of the rectus muscle (where the abs are formed).

To reveal a six-pack, Dr. Hanz will define the horizontal lines and transverse inscriptions. Once the fat is removed and the abdominal muscles are fully defined, Dr. Hanz will close the incisions with sutures.

Following your abdominoplasty treatment, you will need to wear a compression garment to reduce swelling and bruising, which should diminish a couple of weeks after surgery. You may experience mild discomfort following the surgery, but you should be back to work within 5 – 7 days and back to working out about three weeks after surgery.

Dr. Hanz does his best to make very small incisions in your stomach’s natural creases so the scars should be minimal and hard to see when fully healed. Dr. Hanz or a member of his team will explain how to properly care for your scars so they can heal cleanly and properly.

After your abdominoplasty procedure, you can expect to see the full results in about 3 – 6 months. These results, however, are only permanent if you maintain your weight through regular exercise and a healthy diet. Significant weight gain can affect the results of your abdominoplasty procedure.

Ab sculpting, also known as ab etching, is a plastic surgery liposuction procedure to accentuate the abdominal muscles. Dr. Hanz will carefully remove fat at specific points in your abdominal area to “bring out” your abdominal muscles. This careful removal of fat highlights the lines of your abdominal muscles, giving a more defined look.

Abdominoplasty takes about 1 – 2 hours to complete the entire procedure.

Dr. Hanz performs abdominoplasty as an outpatient procedure under anesthesia, meaning you are asleep during the procedure.

After your procedure, you can expect some level of bruising and swelling during your recovery, but in general, most people will experience little pain or discomfort.