A pragmatic way to treat abdominal deformities based on skin and subcutaneous excess.

An objective classification for abdominoplasty based on subcutaneous and skin deformities is described. Type 0 patients are those who present excess fat with very little excess skin or without surplus skin, on which liposuction is indicated. Types I, II, and III are patients that demonstrate various degrees of excess skin and three basic patterns of skin resection are described. Type I patients present mild excess skin with a high umbilicus. Type II patients are those with mild excess skin and a well-positioned umbilicus, as well as patients with moderate excess skin. Type III patients present severely excessive skin. One hundred and eleven patients with abdominal deformity were reviewed and the incidence of each deformity was determined on this population. This study presents a practical classification that permits the plastic surgeon to critically evaluate which is the best option to correct abdominal deformities considering specific skin and subcutaneous deformities.