Champagne Groove Lipectomy: A Safe Technique to Contour the Upper Abdomen in Abdominoplasty

Objective: Combined liposuction and abdominoplasty, or lipoabdominoplasty, is particularly helpful in sculpting a more aesthetically pleasing abdominal contour, particularly in the supraumbilical midline groove. This groove, coined the "champagne groove" by one of our patients, is a frequently sought-after attribute by patients. However, liposuction adds time and cost to an already costly abdominoplasty. We sought to create this groove without the addition of liposuction, utilizing what we call a champagne groove lipectomy. This study reports on our champagne groove lipectomy technique and compares our complication rates with those reported in the literature for standard abdominoplasty techniques. Methods: This is a retrospective review of a single surgeon's experience at our institution over a 6-year period (2007-2012). A total of 74 patients undergoing consecutive abdominoplasty were studied, all female nonsmokers. Two groups were recognized: 64 of 74 patients underwent abdominoplasty, partial belt lipectomy, and champagne groove lipectomy, while 10 of 74 patients underwent fleur-de-lis abdominoplasty without champagne groove lipectomy. Results: Overall, 10 of 74 patients (13.5%) suffered some type of complication, which compares favorably with reported rates in the literature. The majority of complications were related to delayed wound healing or superficial wound dehiscence. Among those patients who underwent champagne groove lipectomy, complications occurred in 6 of 64 patients (9.3%), versus 4 of 10 (40%) patients undergoing fleur-de-lis abdominoplasty. Conclusions: Champagne groove lipectomy is a cost-effective alternative to lipoabdominoplasty for achieving an aesthetically pleasing upper midline abdominal contour, with complication rates comparing favorably with those reported in the literature.