The best candidate for this plastic surgery has naturally athletic-looking underlying muscles that can be accentuated with abdominal etching. People who are liposuction candidates, with very localized, exercise-resistant fat deposits, can obtain additional improvements through abdominal etching. Likewise, patients who undergo an abdominoplasty to reduce loosened and excessive muscles may achieve a more athletic-looking appearance with abdominal etching. The strength of the results depends on personal anatomy. The ideal candidate also follows a proper diet and exercise program, which are necessary to maintain the benefits. The abdominal etching technique can be performed at the same time as liposuction. The procedure may be performed at the same time as other procedures as well, depending on the combination treatment plan you have developed in consultation with your surgeon.

Abdominal etching is performed in the doctor's office or in an outpatient surgery center. Time in surgery is about one hour. The procedure is often performed under local "twilight" anesthesia, while you are sleepy, sedated, and awake; or general anesthesia, while you are asleep. You can discuss anesthesia options with your doctor and the anesthesia provider. Several small incisions (1-2 millimeters in length) are made in the belly button or in natural creases of the abdomen so that the incisions are not highly visible. The surgeon uses a cannula (a hollow tube-like instrument) to remove excess fat and skin. It is a delicate procedure that includes sculpting grooves in the fat layers to emphasize a muscular appearance. A different cannula may be used to perform liposuction and to perform the muscle-definition sculpting. Most patients return home within hours after surgery. Results can vary among patients due to personal anatomy factors such as the unchangeable appearance of the underlying muscles.

The doctor will supply a complete post-operative instruction list to reduce the risk of complications. The doctor will fit the patient with a medical compression garment to wear at all times other than bathing for three to six weeks, or as directed by the doctor. Patients often can shower within forty-eight hours after surgery. Pain, swelling, and bruising may occur, all of which can be managed with medications and proper care. Restrictions include no exercise or lifting of ten pounds or more. There cannot be any pressure placed on the abdominal area. Normal activities typically can be resumed in one to three weeks. The full results of abdominal etching appear within six months of the procedure. But patients often see results such as better-fitting clothes and a firmer abdominal appearance much sooner.