You can do sit-ups, cut back on eating and drinking everything, even JOG for miles each week, but that little spare tire won't go away... and it looks like it's growing!

Because this happens to so many of us, and it's so hard to get rid of, many sensible people who are creeping along in years choose to get a mini tummy tuck.

This is the junior version of the tummy tuck, a surgical operation many are familiar with.

The area we are talking about here is right above your pubic area, and if you are over 30 years of age, you know all too well what we are talking about. It doesn't seem fair! No matter what you do, this little pouch of unneeded fat just won't go away.

In order to get rid of the excess tummy, we have to understand why it is there. Among the possible causes of excess abdominal fat are...

- Weight fluctuations, either up or down. If you lose a lot of weight in the belly area, you may end up with this roll of fat just above your pubic area.

- Pregnancy. This is one of the most common causes of this kind of fat.

- Aging. Your abdomen doesn't age as gracefully as many other parts of your body. This is one of the first areas where you start to see excess fat appearing.

Almost all patients who go to a surgeon for either a tummy tuck, or mini tummy tuck, are women. This is because of the effects of pregnancy on your body, and also partly due to the fact that men generally care less about their protruding bellies as they age than women do.

Full Abdominoplasty Vs. Mini-Abdominoplasty

In the past, plastic surgeons used a procedure called abdominoplasty to get rid of excess abdominal fat. But, recently a new technique called mini-abdominoplasty, and known commonly as the mini tummy tuck, has been used instead.

A little bit of excess fat is no reason for a full-scale operation, and this is why the scaled down version is now commonly used.

Like its older brother, the mini basically involves tightening muscles around the abdomen and getting rid of extra loose skin. By doing this, a plastic surgeon can give you the flat, smooth abdomen you used to have back in the good old days.

The advantages over the full abdominoplasty are that it saves time, cuts down on risk, and is less expensive. If you don't need the full treatment, this option will save you money and trouble.

In some cases, the mini tummy tuck is combined with other procedures such as liposuction to produce more dramatic results.

Am I Eligible?

Hopefully! But, no one can tell you the answer to this question but your doctor. If you are interested in reducing the girth of your middle region, see your doctor for a consultation. Let them know that you would much prefer the mini to the full.

You can usually tell by looking at your belly in the mirror ...

If the extra seems to be below your belly button, you will probably be able to get away with the mini tummy tuck. If you have some up above your belly button, it's hard to say. Let your doctor look, and he can make the final determination.

The mini tummy tuck is a great way to reduce the weight, without having to go in for the full scale operation.