Enhancing Masculine Features After Massive Weight Loss

BACKGROUND: Whereas body contouring surgery after massive weight loss in women emphasizes sculptured adipose and broader lower torso, little attention has been devoted to accentuating the male physique. OBJECTIVE: To determine if boomerang excision pattern correction of gynecomastia with J torsoplasty combined with an abdominoplasty with oblique excisions directly over bulging flanks provide effective and safe optimizing of muscle visibility and upper torso dominance. METHODS: A description of comprehensive body contouring through an abdominoplasty and a series of obliquely oriented ellipses of the male torso is followed by review of 19 consecutive patients. RESULTS: Seventeen patients were performed in a single stage. Nine of the last ten cases included J torsoplasty and oblique excision extensions over the flanks. Of the 17 patients responding to a ten-question survey, 15 were satisfied with chest improvement. One of the first eight patients with a transverse lower body lift was satisfied with the flank bulges. All of the last eight cases with direct oblique flank excisions were satisfied with their lower body. Five patients (26 %), having a total of 74 operative procedures, had significant complications of chest hematoma, persistent hip and buttock seromas, superior NAC edge necrosis, and distal necrosis of the fleur de lis abdominoplasty. One boomerang correction underwent minor revisions. One transverse lower body lift underwent major revision. No complications occurred in the last ten patients, having oblique flank excisions instead of transverse lower body lifts. CONCLUSION: Comprehensive excisional body contouring surgery of a central high tension abdominoplasty with a series of obliquely oriented ellipses throughout the torso appears to provide low risk improved body contour for the muscular male. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE IV: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266.