If you have taken some time to peruse the Face + Body website, you may have come across a procedure called The Mermaid Lift.
Our own Dr. Masri coined the term Mermaid Lift to define a group of procedures that are requested by, and recommended for individuals who have been through
massive weightloss. Often those who have successfully lost weight following surgical procedures or through massive diet and exercise programs are left with saggy, baggy, bulgy skin and underlying tissue due to a loss of elasticity.
Imagine an elastic that has been stretched out for years. When you remove the stress that was stretching it, it never goes back to its original shape. It often stays in a completely stretched out state. The same happens with our skin. Now that we have lost the weight, the saggy, baggy skin is obscuring the amazing fat loss.
Cosmetic surgeons can provide options for reshaping, removing, and resculpting the body to unveil an individual’s new leaner shape.
From the Face + Body website we learn that this procedure is designed to:
1. Accentuate the waistline to create a more feminine flare at the hips.
2. Flatten the abdomen to improve its contour and definition.
3. Lift the pubic area to create a more smooth youthful transition to the lower abdomen.
4. Redefine the belly button to compliment the bottleneck waistline.
5. Lift and restore shape and volume to the buttock and lateral thighs.
6. Cinch and redirect the skin to reduce /or eliminate the appearance of cellulite in these areas
But how do they do all that? And what is the difference between a regular lower body lift and a Mermaid Lift?
First, let’s consider the silhouette of the mythical mermaid. She is the ultimate in long and lean smooth feminine curves. Using the mermaid as a muse, the cosmetic surgeon plans to smooth out wrinkles, lift key areas, and accentuate curves to create the ideal shape for your body.
Surgeons work like master dressmakers and sculptors, using properly placed tension to create a masterpiece. The surgery step by step:
1) Surgeons begin in the middle of the body, lifting the pubic area delicately to create a smooth surface carried right through to a flattened upper abdomen.
2) The horizontal incision is then carried to the sides of the body along a bikini cut, lifting and gracefully curving the thighs.
3) The abdominal midline abdominal muscles are tightened ensuring that the scar is as low as possible and the waist is optimally cinched. This accentuates the natural flare of the thighs emerging from an hour-glass shaped middle.
4) The incision is then carried to the back along an imaginary bikini line and the buttocks are lifted and filled with fat from the lower back. This creates smooth and attractive rear curves.
5) Prior to surgery, each patient is sized for a compression garment customized to her figure. The right size and shape of garment and placement of it on the patient in the operating room immediately following the surgery are key factors in allowing the newly placed tissues to conform to their ideal positions.
6) In these ideally sized and fitted compression garments, patients are encouraged and able to begin walking the same evening after their surgery.
The total effect of this procedure is similar to the silhouette of a Mermaid-cut dress, addressing all the concerns of patients who have undergone massive weight loss.
A Mermaid Lift can be a wonderful culmination of the weight loss experience. Once an individual’s weight has stabilized and she is feeling great, she can complete the transformation by matching the internal changes to her body under the skin with her outer physical appearance. Her newfound happiness and and inner light begin to shine.
Do you know someone who has lost a lot of weight but now feels embarrassed or not quite comfortable with their “after”? Share the Mermaid Lift with them. You could be providing them with the answer. They deserve this “icing on the cake”.