The Role of Helium Plasma-Assisted Liposuction in Lipoabdominoplasty After Weight loss.

[BACKGROUND] Weight loss patients present with major deformities, leading to the rapid development of new body contouring techniques to address their specificities. Abdominal skin laxity is often major due to rapid weight loss and inflammation secondary to bariatric surgeries and is often present in both vertical and horizontal axes. Through this article, the authors wish to demonstrate the use of helium plasma radiofrequency technology for supraumbilical skin tightening following lipoabdominoplasty.

[METHODS] A retrospective single-center cohort study was performed, including 100 consecutive patients undergoing HPRF-assisted lipoabdominoplasty. Patient characteristics, intra- and postoperative outcomes and complications were collected. A postoperative Likert scale evaluated patient satisfaction at 6-month follow-up.

[RESULTS] The mean age was 37, and the median preoperative BMI was 25.3. The median follow-up period was 19.7 months. Among the 100 included patients, no major complication occurred. Minor complications included wound dehiscence (1%), subcutaneous emphysema (2%), hyperpigmentation (8%), seroma (6%), and hematoma (2%). Overall satisfaction was high with 88% of 5/5 evaluations on the Likert scale.

[CONCLUSION] HPRF-assisted lipoabdominoplasty stands as a safe and efficient refinement in post-bariatric patients and can be used to avoid vertical scars and decrease scar tension. This technology seems, therefore, valuable to enhance body contouring procedures while minimizing morbidity.

[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 Table of Contents or online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .