Rib removal in body contouring surgery and its influence on the waist

Abstract

Objective: While modern cosmetic surgery allows patients to be offered less invasive and bloody procedures than before, there are cases where these are not sufficient to give the results that meet patients’ expectations, especially in the case of the upper region of the abdomen. The purpose of this study is to describe the 11th and 12th rib removal technique as body contouring surgery in patients for whom traditional surgery would not have reached the desired results. Materials and methods: A case series study is presented, describing the surgical records of patients who underwent 11th and 12th rib removal for aesthetic purposes, with or without other elective cosmetic surgeries. Results: A total of 104 women who underwent costal resection surgeries during a period of 8 years were identified. Only 10 of these patients underwent rib removal exclusively, being the most common combination of procedures liposuction and rib removal. The average age was 29, 39 at the time of surgery, and two pneumothorax were the only transoperative complications presented. Conclusions: The 11th and 12th rib removal is a not-gory technique with a low complication rate.