The New Tummy Tuck

Unfortunately, not everyone is blessed with a flat stomach. For most women who feel that their tummy is best covered up, it is usually the result of pregnancy or weight gain/loss. The problem with having excess skin on your stomach after pregnancy/weight loss, is that it can be very difficult, sometimes impossible, to tone it up again. This is because the stomach muscles have been stretched and have therefore lost their elasticity and firmness. For some, the sight of their tummy causes a lot of upset and lack of confidence. Sometimes, the only way to rectify this problem is through surgery. All too often, dieting and exercise just won't work. The traditional "tummy tuck" is often thought to be an extremely painful procedure, with so many horror stories of surgeons pulling the skin too tight, patients contracting all sorts of horrible infections and huge scarring. More often than not, the people who experienced any of this would be left feeling much worse than they did before they had the operation. Those days should be in the past, thanks to a new procedure called the "Laser Tuck".

Traditional tummy tucks involve a two-hour operation under general anaesthetic, with two nights in hospital, two weeks off work, a hip-to-hip scar and a huge bill. The new SmartLipo MPX tummy tuck costs much less and leaves a scar smaller than a centimeter. The SmartLipo MPX originated in Beverly Hills, where it is already replacing full tummy tucks for average-weight women who have either had children and want to get rid of their "mummy tummy" or who are up to a stone overweight, with most of that sitting around their lower stomachs. This procedure is not for you if you have several stone to lose. It is, however, ideal for women with a bit of a tummy who want minimal scarring and can't afford to spend two weeks resting in bed. Think of it as an equivalent to liposuction, only better, faster and more effective.

The procedure goes like this... After a local anaesthetic, a 1mm cannula (thin tube) is inserted into the fat. The fat is then melted by a laser beam and sucked out gently. With a traditional tummy tuck, muscle as well as fat is sliced and removed, which causes a lot of pain, bruising and recovery time. With this procedure, only fat is removed. Patients are able to walk out of the clinic and are back at work a day or so later with nothing more than a bit of soreness.