Post-bariatric abdominoplasty: skin sensation evaluation.

[BACKGROUND] The number of bariatric surgeries is progressively increasing in the USA and in Brazil. The number of post-bariatric plastic surgeries also increases as a response to this phenomenon. Abdominoplasties performed in former morbidly obese patients present a larger number of postoperative complications. Studies show that abdominoplasty caused postoperative skin hypesthesia. This study aims at evaluating skin sensibility/sensation in post-bariatric patients submitted to anchor-line abdominoplasty with clinical, qualitative, reliable and reproductive methods.

[METHODS] Thirty-nine former morbidly obese women after open Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass were evaluated for skin tactile pain, touch in movement, noxious and innocuous thermal sensibility and vibration. Fifteen patients composed the Control group (which did not undergo abdominoplasty) and 24 patients composed the Study group (which was submitted to anchor-line abdominoplasty without flap undermining). The sensations were evaluated before and after the abdominoplasty.

[RESULTS] The Control group which did not undergo abdominoplasty showed nearly 100% of positivity to all sensory modalities exception made to vibration which was 56.4-62.2-64.9%. Surprisingly, the Study group showed the same sensation maintenance after the abdominoplasty for nearly all modalities, vibration showed improvement (56.7-71.1-78.3%) without statistical value (p = 0.67).

[CONCLUSION] There was skin sensation maintenance after anchor-line post-bariatric abdominoplasty. Non-undermining of xipho-pubic flap is a possible reason for this discovery.