Abstract: Comparative Evaluation of Smoking in Plastic versus General Surgical Postoperative Complications: A Propensity-Matched Analysis

The undermining should split the muscle at the middle, and the same amount of muscle should be left in front of and behind the implant. The point X is found introducing a finger into the muscle incision 2–3 cm deeper. This is half of the thickness of the muscle and this is our plane of undermining. Point Y is in the iliac crest 5 cm beyond the upper-posterior iliac spine and is our superior limit of undermining. The point Z, the lower limit of the undermining, is reached rotating the underminer from point Y towards the femur trochanter. Usually this pocket is enough to accept relatively large round implants as well as 350 or 400 cc in a medium-sized patient. Once the implants are placed into the pockets the incision is closed from the muscle fascia till the skin, avoiding communication between the intramuscular pocket and the supra-facial subcutaneous one, to avoid seroma formation.