Considering Elastic Waistbands? Don't Let It Happen!

It happens to all mothers at some point -- even athletes who train constantly. The lower abdomen, where the rectus muscles separate and stretch during late pregnancy, loses its ability to return to its youthful state. The day arrives when snug-fitting clothes reveal a belly "pouch."

It can't be sucked in, hidden or girdled. In profile, and especially sitting down, it announces "middle-aged" and "matron" like a billboard.

A New Era
For many women, this is the beginning of a dreaded new era: an era of loose tops, elastic waistbands and jackets worn even in the worst heat of summer.

You don't have to join their ranks. The mini-tummy tuck is available to you at our office. It was developed precisely for pouch problems -- not severe enough to require a full abdominoplasty, yet too extensive for liposuction alone to handle.

What It Involves
The mini-tuck (or limited abdominoplasty surgery) is for contouring excessive skin and fat below the belly button. This operation consists of:

• A short bicycle handle shaped incision just above the pubis
• Removal of excess skin and fat
• Tightening of the fascia below the belly button
• Liposuction contouring

Mini-tucks work best on patients who:

• Are not planning to become pregnant in the future
• Are not planning to lose a lot of weight - their weight is stabilized
• Have excess or loose, sagging abdominal skin
• Have weakened abdominal muscles that don't respond to exercise
• Are in good health
• Have realistic expectations
• Are not candidates for abdominal liposuction alone

Do these conditions apply to you?

How It's Done
The vertical muscles in your abdomen will be pulled together and stitched in a new position close to where they were in your youth. Excess skin will be removed along the incision.

Liposuction will take care of excess fat in the area.

How Long Does It Take?
From 1-2 hours.

Recovery
You will wear a support garment for two weeks after surgery. You should be able to return to work or school after that.

You'll have to avoid exercises that work the abdominal muscles for 6 weeks. Low impact exercise can be resumed within 4 weeks. High impact exercise may be resumed within 6 weeks.

Your Results
This procedure produces long-lasting results, as long as you can maintain your weight and do not become pregnant. As with all cosmetic procedures, the final result will be apparent after about one year.

Keep in mind, the bicycle-handle-shaped scar just above the pubic area is permanent (although it will eventually fade to a barely discernible white line). If you can live with this, and you prefer it to your "pouch" belly, then you're a good candidate for mini-tummy tuck.

Bonus
Stretch marks on the lower abdomen can often be removed during the procedure. However, it may not be possible to remove all of the stretch marks.

You May Be Ready
If you've had it with "Abs" classes that exhaust you without giving you results, clothing that develops midriff bumps, or a spare tire that ruins your profile, you may be ready for a mini-tummy tuck. We've done it on dozens of satisfied patients who tell us it's restored their confidence. As one of our patients said, "I can wear sexy clothes again. This is great!"

www.lawlercentre.com