Circumferential Lipobrachioplasty Is a Safe Procedure

The Use of Postoperative Compression Garments in Plastic Surgery-Necessary or Not? A Practical Review

This practical review critically evaluates the evidence behind the widespread use of postoperative compression therapy intended to improve surgical outcomes, such as reduced edema, ecchymosis, pain, and seroma formation. A literature search of PubMed was conducted to identify relevant studies concerning the use of compression garments after aesthetic surgery, including rhinoplasty, facelift, neck lift, mammoplasty, abdominoplasty, limb contouring, and others. Additionally, reconstructive and therapeutic procedures closely related in anatomy or technique to these cosmetic operations, such as breast reconstruction, mastectomy, and hernia repair, were also considered to provide further perspective. After study extraction, the volume, quality, and agreement of the evidence found was highly heterogenous depending on the context of specific operations and outcomes evaluated. The most well-supported indications for the use of postoperative compression garments are to mitigate edema and ecchymosis after rhinoplasty and to reduce postoperative pain after breast and abdominal procedures, although no effect on seroma rate was demonstrated. Any potential benefit must be balanced against the associated costs and possible complications of compression, including patient discomfort, increased venous stasis, and skin defects. Thus, we encourage surgeons to critically reassess their use of compression garments. In many settings, such as brachioplasty, there is limited high-quality evidence to inform best practice, and we urge the community to continue researching this important topic so that more definitive and comprehensive guidelines may be established.

Ultrasound-Assisted Liposuction (UAL) Arm Contouring in Non-Post-Bariatric Patients: No Rush for Brachioplasty

BACKGROUND

A witnessed rise in patients' requests for arm contouring reflects the parallel public's pursuit of slimmed bodies and rapid advancement in weight reduction methods. Brachioplasty with its known complications is still the traditional method of management, but nearly all patients feel worried about the length and appearance of the scar and seek other non-excisional alternatives. The authors wanted to share their experience in arm contouring in non-post-bariatric patients using ultrasound-assisted liposuction (UAL).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Over 16 month period, 28 female patients complaining of arm lipodystrophy (classes IIA, IIB, III) underwent UAL contouring under general anesthesia. Preoperative and postoperative mid-arm circumferences were measured and recorded. Outcome evaluation was done by the complication incidence, patient satisfaction survey, and independent surgeon evaluation of patients' photographs.

RESULTS

There were no complications in the study group. The outcome evaluation survey has shown high patient satisfaction. The outcome survey demonstrated that 85.71% of the patients were very satisfied, while 14.29 % were satisfied with the procedure and all of them recommend the procedure to others. On the other hand, the independent surgeon evaluation showed that 92.86% of the results were excellent and 7.14 % were very good.

CONCLUSION

Our work has shown how versatile is the UAL in contouring a wide spectrum of arm lipodystrophy stages in non-post-bariatric patients and presents a non-excisional alternative for arm aesthetic refinements without a rush for brachioplasty with its unpleasant complications.

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 .