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: one of loose tops, elastic waistbands and jackets worn even in the worst heat of summer.

You don't have to join these 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. more

We've just purchased the superior cutting-edge laser for rejuvenating skin. Called the ProFractional, it uses fractional technology to:

• Improve your skin's texture, tone and pore size
• Erase unwanted brown spots
• Smooth wrinkles around the eyes and reduce the appearance of acne scars
• Rejuvenate your neck, chest and hands
• Tighten skin anywhere on your body -- all with minimal downtime

Beginning this summer, we're going to fire up the ProFractional and start offering state-of-the-art fractional treatments to our patients.

What's Fractional Technology?
Lasers are being updated and refined all the time. Fractional technology is just the most recent improvement to come down the pike for dermal restructuring.

Think of your skin as a family portrait or digital photograph in need of high-quality restoration or touch-up. Just as a damaged painting is delicately restored one small area at a time, or a photographic image altered pixel by pixel, fractional laser treatment improves your skin a fraction at a time with thousands of tiny microscopic laser spots.

How Fractional Laser Treatments Work
Fractional laser treatments produce thousands of tiny but deep columns of infrared light called microthermal treatment zones. These columns penetrate deep into the dermis, stimulating the body's production of collagen and elastin.

Just as important, though, are the areas of skin the fractional laser leaves untouched.

For every microthermal zone the laser targets and treats intensively, it leaves the surrounding tissue unaffected and intact. This "fractional" treatment allows the skin to heal much faster than if the entire area were treated at once. The treated areas stimulate the body's natural healing process to create new, healthy, tighter tissue to replace skin imperfections.

How Is Fractional Technology Different From Other Laser Treatments?
Until the fractional approach was developed, there were two types of available laser treatments.

1. Ablative laser treatment, which literally means to vaporize at very high temperature. This is effective but it has significant side effects. It also requires a lengthy healing period.

2. Non-ablative laser treatment, which has little or no side effects and almost no healing time. However, it may require additional treatments over many months in order to reach your goal.

Fractional treatments offer the effectiveness of ablative treatments with the benefits of the gentler, non-ablative lasers.

What Are the Benefits of Fractional Laser Treatments?
Since FLT has the impact of ablative lasers but is gentler than the non-ablative treatments, healing time is significantly accelerated. Make-up can be worn immediately following the procedure, because the fractional laser penetrates the outer layer of skin, leaving it completely untouched.

Some patients are able to return to routine activities, including work and social obligations, the same day of treatment. Others require a little more time, depending upon their skin condition.

Before                                             After

ProFractional vs. Traditional Fractional Technology
While the ProFractional mechanism is similar to other fractional devices such as Fraxel, it is, simply put, far superior. The difference lies in the delivery of the energy. The ProFractional is able to penetrate deeply into the dermis by ablating narrow, clean channels to a selected depth.

These channels are surrounded by healthy tissue, speeding healing time and reducing downtime. And since heating is limited to a narrow channel, there is no collateral tissue heating to cause discomfort. In addition, because these channels are ablated cleanly, almost all heated tissue is removed, which speeds healing time.

The depth and density of these spots can be customized for each patient. This is a revolutionary advance in fractional technology.

What Are the Risks of Fractional Laser Treatments?
Swelling and redness are the most common side effects from treatment. If swelling does occur, it is minimal and will subside within a day or two. Redness may occur and will fade within a few days.

How Many Treatments Will I Need?
A series of short treatments achieves optimal results. Each treatment takes 15 minutes and may be spaced 2 to 6 weeks apart. Improvement will increase with each treatment - even after just one ProFractional treatment. However, there is no need to commit to a large number of treatment sessions.

How Are Fractional Laser Treatments Performed?
To prepare your skin for treatment, it will be cleansed. Because the ProFractional is so powerful and so selective, there's no need for tints, and topical anesthetics are rarely necessary. We simply apply the handpiece directly to your clean skin.

Is Fractional Laser Treatment Painful?
Most patients describe the treatment as having a "prickling" sensation. The air cooling feature of the handpiece alleviates most discomfort. If desired, a topical anesthetic can be applied.

What Should I Expect After Fractional Laser Treatment?
During the first 24 hours after treatment, your skin may feel as though it is sunburned, and it will appear pink or red. Make-up can be worn to reduce the sunburned appearance.

What Precautions Should I Take After Treatment?
Wearing sunscreen of SPF 30 or higher twice a day is especially important. Avoid direct sun exposure during the healing process and for at least 3 months after treatment. Wearing wide-brimmed hats is highly recommended when out in the sun.

This Is for Everybody
Unlike many harsher lasers, the ProFractional's fractional beams can be used on many complexions. A consultation with Dr. Heil will help determine if ProFractional may be the right treatment for you.

Interested? Send us a quick note and we’ll call you with more information

A newborn baby comes enclosed in an envelope of perfect skin that's beautifully hydrated, plumped to perfection and soft as, well, a baby's bottom.

From there it's all downhill.

Research shows that aging skin is the result of more than just years gone by on the calendar. Every day our skin is exposed to environmental elements like sunlight, smoke and air pollution. All of them wreak havoc on our skin. This not only leads to the formation of lines, wrinkles and pigmentation - it can lead to more serious skin conditions, including skin cancer.

Acqua Blu recommends SkinCeuticals
Acqua Blu Medical Spa is proud to offer our newest products packed with super-antioxidant formulas designed to improve your skin's clarity, tone and texture, leaving it with a firmer, smoother, younger-looking appearance and, at the same time, preventing further sun damage.

SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic

A STAFF FAVORITE!
The first product ever to provide 8X your skin's natural sun protection and 96% reduction of sunburned cells in UV irradiated skin. Neutralizes free radicals, helps build collagen, and provides unmatched antioxidant protection. More protection means more youthful-looking skin and better defense against environmental aging. Culminating more than 10 years of research and testing, SkinCeuticals' latest antioxidant breakthrough doubles the performance of the original formula, C + E. The addition of Ferulic Acid has transformed the already powerful combination into a super anti-aging serum with unmatched results. $128

SkinCeuticals 15 AOX
Formulated with 15% L-ascorbic acid, Serum 15 helps protect against damaging UVA/UVB rays, prevent premature signs of aging and stimulate collagen production. This lightweight, fast-absorbing antioxidant treatment is ideal for all skin types. This powerful antioxidant reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, neutralizes free radicals, provides photo-protection and stimulates collagen synthesis. Once absorbed, Serum 15 can't be washed or rubbed off, remaining protective for up to four days - making it an excellent addition to sunscreens. $85

Schedule your appointment today with Lisa Bostjancic, Acqua Blu's Certified Medical Aesthetician and Paramedical Specialist, to discuss your skin care goals. Together, you can set up a skin care plan that will give you the results you've been longing to see. And don't forget to ask for your complimentary VISIA™ Complexion Analysis ($45 value).

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
• 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

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 2-5 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 three months. Low impact exercise can be resumed within 2-3 weeks. High impact exercise may be resumed within 6-8 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.

Before	After
Dr. Brian V. Heil

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!"