I realised today how much the operation had completely wiped me out this week. It would have been a struggle to go back to work - I found myself tired all the time, sleeping in the afternoons, which is unlike me. It is also quite depressing to have paid all this money for a procedure and not see any results at all yet because of the swelling. On the bright side, slightly less painful to move around though it still hurts to bend down and the area is very tender to touch.
I started doing a very light massage on the area (literally just fingertip touch) as this is said to help reduce swelling and break down any scar tissue that has formed. Will be doing this on a daily basis.
Have my post op check up in 2 days, they will remove the paper stitches so will take some more photos then.
Saturday, 29 May 2010
Thursday, 27 May 2010
Day 3 After Laser Liposuction
Woke up today feeling pleasantly less swollen and painful but still hurts to sit up without using my arms. Looked in mirror and was pleasantly surprised the swelling had decreased remarkably (though still not anywhere near my normal size) but at least now I don't look like the elephant man.
Decided to brave the shower and it definitely made me feel better. Got my first proper look at the area. It is still very tender to touch but the bruising is not too bad. There are weird lumps and bumps which I'm praying will disappear when this heals up properly. Its hard to see what the end result will be like as my belly is all out of shape. It occasionally makes weird gurgling noises which are just under the skin and I can feel fluid moving around. Have put on some normal clothes after being in a tracksuit for 2 days and I look relatively normal.
Have taken some pictures - note this is the third day and the swelling has reduced considerably. But I normally don't have any of these weird curves or bumps.
Wednesday, 26 May 2010
Post Plastic Surgery Vitamins for Healing
I used to be a nutritionist and prior to this operation read up on which nutrients and in what doses would help you to heal fastest, lowering the chance of infection and minimising scars. I will post here what supplements I am taking and why, although I place a disclaimer on this saying please check with your health professional first, as these may not be suitable for everybody.
One month Pre-surgery and Post surgery Supplements
(IMPORTANT: STOP all supplements except Arnica 1 week before your operation)
Arnica 30C 1 tablet 3x daily - to promote bruise healing and reduce swelling. This is homeopathic and though I am sceptical about homeopathy I am willing to try anything which is safe and will speed up the healing process. By the way the doctor's surgery also recommended I take Arnica.
Vitamin E 500-800iu per day - anti inflammatory, promotes wound healing and tissue formation. If you have never taken vitamin E start with 100iu only and increase by 100 iu every 2 days until the maximum of 800iu is reached. Do NOT take with any blood thinning medications.
Vitamin A up to 1000iu per day - important for cell regeneration and healing, increasing immunity, and binding of cells to each other after surgery. This is a fat soluble vitamin which builds up in your system so it is important not to exceed this maximum dose.
Zinc 80mg per day - good to take a supplement which combines zinc with copper as these work together. Needed for immunity, proper cell division and wound healing, reducing scar tissue.
Bromelain 1000mg per day - this has been shown to reduce inflammation and swelling post surgery.
Vitamin C - up to 10g per day, yes that's 10,000 mg, after surgery. Before surgery only 3g/3000mg per day. This will greatly reduce your chances of infection and reduce bruising, while speeding up healing and is an anti inflammatory. If you can find a supplement which also contains Bioflavonoids that is great as these work well together and the bioflavonoids are anti-inflammatory. Please note each person's bowel tolerance of vitamin C is different, and you may find this gives you the runs.
Vitamin K 100 micrograms daily- is used in the body to promote normal blood clotting. This is important to make sure that you heal properly after the operation as your body will have undergone quite a bit of trauma. Do not combine with any blood thinning medications.
Flaxseed oil 3 Tablespoons daily - this is an essential fatty acid which is essential to proper healing of any kind, and is a powerful anti-inflammatory. Take it straight, from a refrigerated bottle. This type of oil does not make you put on weight as it is involved in all of your metabolic processes so your body uses it up.
Calcium 1500mg Magnesium 750mg - these are minerals essential for tissue regeneration and ideally taken in a 2:1 ratio.
B Complex supplement - this is essential for proper cell and tissue division and all of your metabolic processes, a good thing to take at any time. A brand I like (though am not endorsing this) is BioCare One a Day Plus, as I think it has high levels of all the necessary B vitamins as well as much more. You have to be careful though with a multivitamin that you don't exceed your doses of other vitamins, especially A, E and K, as the multi will contain some of these also. So if necessary, lower your doses of the other vitamins.
A UK website I used to order all of these supplements, which I found reasonably priced and had a great range is www.nutrisun.co.uk (again I am NOT endorsing the site, just informing you that I found everything I needed on it.)
Lastly I ordered some Arnica gel to rub on the surgery area (not on the wounds though) to reduce bruising and swelling. The brand I bought is Dr Vogel.
One month Pre-surgery and Post surgery Supplements
(IMPORTANT: STOP all supplements except Arnica 1 week before your operation)
Arnica 30C 1 tablet 3x daily - to promote bruise healing and reduce swelling. This is homeopathic and though I am sceptical about homeopathy I am willing to try anything which is safe and will speed up the healing process. By the way the doctor's surgery also recommended I take Arnica.
Vitamin E 500-800iu per day - anti inflammatory, promotes wound healing and tissue formation. If you have never taken vitamin E start with 100iu only and increase by 100 iu every 2 days until the maximum of 800iu is reached. Do NOT take with any blood thinning medications.
Vitamin A up to 1000iu per day - important for cell regeneration and healing, increasing immunity, and binding of cells to each other after surgery. This is a fat soluble vitamin which builds up in your system so it is important not to exceed this maximum dose.
Zinc 80mg per day - good to take a supplement which combines zinc with copper as these work together. Needed for immunity, proper cell division and wound healing, reducing scar tissue.
Bromelain 1000mg per day - this has been shown to reduce inflammation and swelling post surgery.
Vitamin C - up to 10g per day, yes that's 10,000 mg, after surgery. Before surgery only 3g/3000mg per day. This will greatly reduce your chances of infection and reduce bruising, while speeding up healing and is an anti inflammatory. If you can find a supplement which also contains Bioflavonoids that is great as these work well together and the bioflavonoids are anti-inflammatory. Please note each person's bowel tolerance of vitamin C is different, and you may find this gives you the runs.
Vitamin K 100 micrograms daily- is used in the body to promote normal blood clotting. This is important to make sure that you heal properly after the operation as your body will have undergone quite a bit of trauma. Do not combine with any blood thinning medications.
Flaxseed oil 3 Tablespoons daily - this is an essential fatty acid which is essential to proper healing of any kind, and is a powerful anti-inflammatory. Take it straight, from a refrigerated bottle. This type of oil does not make you put on weight as it is involved in all of your metabolic processes so your body uses it up.
Calcium 1500mg Magnesium 750mg - these are minerals essential for tissue regeneration and ideally taken in a 2:1 ratio.
B Complex supplement - this is essential for proper cell and tissue division and all of your metabolic processes, a good thing to take at any time. A brand I like (though am not endorsing this) is BioCare One a Day Plus, as I think it has high levels of all the necessary B vitamins as well as much more. You have to be careful though with a multivitamin that you don't exceed your doses of other vitamins, especially A, E and K, as the multi will contain some of these also. So if necessary, lower your doses of the other vitamins.
A UK website I used to order all of these supplements, which I found reasonably priced and had a great range is www.nutrisun.co.uk (again I am NOT endorsing the site, just informing you that I found everything I needed on it.)
Lastly I ordered some Arnica gel to rub on the surgery area (not on the wounds though) to reduce bruising and swelling. The brand I bought is Dr Vogel.
Day 2 Post Laser Liposuction
Feeling marginally better this morning. Still have to hoist myself out of bed using my arms as my stomach muscles are sore. The swelling is still pretty bad though it has gone down marginally. At this stage I realise I'm going to need to plan my whole wardrobe the next couple of weeks around this swelling as I won't be able to get into my normal jeans or any fitted clothes without people noticing. Felt quite tired today and needed a nap. The nurse had said the medications (Diazepam was one of them) would take 48-72 hours to wear off.
No problems with bathroom today but touching the area still hurts quite a bit. I removed the gauze pads over the wounds, now there are just the paper stitches (kind of like paper sticky tape) covering the wounds. They said I can shower with these on but I didn't feel like showering yet, still felt very fragile. I did undo the compression garment to have a look at the area and I can't tell at all what the finished result will look like as the swelling makes me look like I have a giant pot belly. One area of my tummy looks a bit lumpy (I recall this was an area where I was screeching with pain during the op - hope they didn't skip some of the fat there because of this?)
I called the clinic and spoke to a nurse to tell her about the bleeding and to ask for a new compression garment because my one was soaked with blood. She told me although the liquid looked like blood, it would have mostly been the surgical liquid as this is a reddish brown colour. I'm not sure if I quite buy this explanation as the liquid that seeped out of my wound was bright red and thick. Either way glad it has stopped! I'm going in to pick up a new compression garment tomorrow. Couldn't wash and dry this one as you're not supposed to take it off for more than a few minutes in the first couple of weeks.
Will try and post some photos this week while its still fresh.
No problems with bathroom today but touching the area still hurts quite a bit. I removed the gauze pads over the wounds, now there are just the paper stitches (kind of like paper sticky tape) covering the wounds. They said I can shower with these on but I didn't feel like showering yet, still felt very fragile. I did undo the compression garment to have a look at the area and I can't tell at all what the finished result will look like as the swelling makes me look like I have a giant pot belly. One area of my tummy looks a bit lumpy (I recall this was an area where I was screeching with pain during the op - hope they didn't skip some of the fat there because of this?)
I called the clinic and spoke to a nurse to tell her about the bleeding and to ask for a new compression garment because my one was soaked with blood. She told me although the liquid looked like blood, it would have mostly been the surgical liquid as this is a reddish brown colour. I'm not sure if I quite buy this explanation as the liquid that seeped out of my wound was bright red and thick. Either way glad it has stopped! I'm going in to pick up a new compression garment tomorrow. Couldn't wash and dry this one as you're not supposed to take it off for more than a few minutes in the first couple of weeks.
Will try and post some photos this week while its still fresh.
Morning After Laser Liposuction Surgery
Run a marathon? Like hell. I could barely lift myself out of bed. Based on their recommendations I should have been able to return to work today. Luckily I had the week off, as I felt woozy, tender and had I had to return to work they definitely would have noticed me moving slowly and gingerly.
Went to bathroom scared of more blood but luckily the bleeding had stopped, thank goodness. My abdomen was distended to about 5 times its usual size despite still wearing the pressure garment. I was too scared to look inside the garment in case my belly looked horrific so I didn't undo it all day. Still needed painkillers so took the maximum allowable dose of Paracetamol that day. Not in major pain but enough to make it uncomfortable to get up from a sitting position.
Spent a day on the sofa reading magazines. Every time I saw a model I blamed them and their perfect bodies for making me want to do something like this. Feeling pretty sorry for myself at this stage. Can't believe I paid someone to make me feel so crap! And feeling a bit mad they never told me how swollen and achy I would be. Hoping that the results will make it worth it in the end.
Went to bathroom scared of more blood but luckily the bleeding had stopped, thank goodness. My abdomen was distended to about 5 times its usual size despite still wearing the pressure garment. I was too scared to look inside the garment in case my belly looked horrific so I didn't undo it all day. Still needed painkillers so took the maximum allowable dose of Paracetamol that day. Not in major pain but enough to make it uncomfortable to get up from a sitting position.
Spent a day on the sofa reading magazines. Every time I saw a model I blamed them and their perfect bodies for making me want to do something like this. Feeling pretty sorry for myself at this stage. Can't believe I paid someone to make me feel so crap! And feeling a bit mad they never told me how swollen and achy I would be. Hoping that the results will make it worth it in the end.
That Night After Laser Liposuction
I took a cab home but realising I didn't have any food prepared got him to drop me at the local supermarket to pick up a ready-meal, and I went to the pharmacy to get some Paracetamol for the pain. The nurse had said it was unlikely I would need any painkillers but I was definitely in pain so took two straight away. I was alert enough to quickly go to the shops then walk the 5 blocks home.
I stayed awake for a little while, feeling woozy and traumatised, had some dinner and took Arnica tablets for the swelling (I will write a separate post about post-surgery vitamins and supplements). I went to bed early. It was painful to go to the toilet as I had to undo the compression garment and sitting down (and getting back up) was hard. The nurse had told me to drink about 4 litres of water that night to help flush out the surgical liquids and that I could expect some 'oozing'. I had no idea what that meant but assumed that the surgical openings would leak some clear liquid or something. So all that water meant I had to go to the bathroom a LOT.
I woke up to go to the toilet a couple of hours after going to bed, in a hot sweat. When I went to the bathroom I noticed there was a circle of blood on the compression garment, which had leaked through the gauze pad they had placed over the lower wound. When I undid the garment and sat down on the toilet, to my horror I realised blood was seeping out of the wound and dripping down in quite a large quantity into the bowl. I grabbed a large wad of toilet paper and placed it on the wound, putting pressure on the area for about 10 minutes. Then I went back to bed feeling quite shaken and scared and took more painkillers. Got up a few hours later to go to the bathroom again and felt quite scared about more blood. Again when I sat down blood poured out of the wound and when I went back to bed I felt like I would pass out. I live alone so wasn't sure what to do. I hadn't told anyone I was having surgery. Should I call my neighbour? An ambulance? My plastic surgeon on his in case of emergency number? (It was 3am). In my hazy state I decided to go back to sleep and if it was still bleeding in the morning then I would call him.
I stayed awake for a little while, feeling woozy and traumatised, had some dinner and took Arnica tablets for the swelling (I will write a separate post about post-surgery vitamins and supplements). I went to bed early. It was painful to go to the toilet as I had to undo the compression garment and sitting down (and getting back up) was hard. The nurse had told me to drink about 4 litres of water that night to help flush out the surgical liquids and that I could expect some 'oozing'. I had no idea what that meant but assumed that the surgical openings would leak some clear liquid or something. So all that water meant I had to go to the bathroom a LOT.
I woke up to go to the toilet a couple of hours after going to bed, in a hot sweat. When I went to the bathroom I noticed there was a circle of blood on the compression garment, which had leaked through the gauze pad they had placed over the lower wound. When I undid the garment and sat down on the toilet, to my horror I realised blood was seeping out of the wound and dripping down in quite a large quantity into the bowl. I grabbed a large wad of toilet paper and placed it on the wound, putting pressure on the area for about 10 minutes. Then I went back to bed feeling quite shaken and scared and took more painkillers. Got up a few hours later to go to the bathroom again and felt quite scared about more blood. Again when I sat down blood poured out of the wound and when I went back to bed I felt like I would pass out. I live alone so wasn't sure what to do. I hadn't told anyone I was having surgery. Should I call my neighbour? An ambulance? My plastic surgeon on his in case of emergency number? (It was 3am). In my hazy state I decided to go back to sleep and if it was still bleeding in the morning then I would call him.
Day of Surgery & Laser Lipo Operation
I arrived at the surgery a bundle of nerves. I have never had any sort of operation before let alone a voluntary one. I told the nurse I was really nervous and scared. She said she would give me a 'cocktail' of medications to calm me down. I had been told in my pre-op checkup that I would be under light sedation during the operation but as it is done under local anaesthetic I would be awake during the procedure. I told them that is all ok as long as I don't feel any pain at all. They said I wouldn't, but I would feel them working on the area, like when you go to the dentist and they numb the area but you can tell they are pulling your tooth out.
The doctor came in and they gave me the 'cocktail' (3 tablets) and I signed a consent form. He drew with a marker on my lower abdomen and showed me where exactly he would take the fat from and where the scars would be. One in my belly button and one about where the top of your panties normally sit (if you wear low rise knickers). I was on the operating table before the tablets kicked in, still nervous. I lay down on the table and they placed a paper surgical sheet on me and cut out a hole in the paper over my stomach area to expose it. Then they rubbed this dark brown surgical liquid all over my belly and this is when it kicked in this was really happening.
They gave me an anaesthetic injection in about 5-6 areas on my stomach (I hate needles but this was done very superficially, only just under the skin so it just felt like light pinpricks). Then the surgeon made the 2 snips they would be doing the liposuction through, and I felt those cuts. (It feels a bit like getting a piercing done, if you have ever done that.) He then proceeded to insert the 'canula' (a long thin 3mm diameter metal tube) into my fatty area and I definitely felt that. I screamed out "I can feel that OW OW give me more anaesthetic!" And they said ok it would just take a few seconds for the anaesthetic to kick in, and that the tube was injecting a liquid into the area which would numb it. By now I was tense and could feel the tube pushing through the fat on my stomach, and it was painful.
I complained several times during the procedure that I could feel pain and they kept saying ok it was normal to feel some pain and they did give me some more anaesthetic but overall the procedure was still painful. Why they did not give me even more anaesthetic when at one point I started crying and was regularly crying out with pain during the surgery I don't know. Had I not started to get a bit woozy with the drugs I probably would have insisted harder or protested more but I think if your patient is writhing around and crying that should be enough to make you give them more painkillers in the area. You're probably wondering what my personal pain threshold is and I don't know how to describe that. I have never broken a bone or had a tattoo so I can't compare it to any of those experiences. The point I want to make is that you expect that this would be a painless procedure and it certainly f***ing wasn't!
The actual feeling is weird (aside from the pain bit). You can feel this tube going through your stomach fat and it reminded me of when you place stuffing under a chicken skin and you have to separate the layer of skin and fat from the meat. They move it quite briskly back and forth (your eyes are covered because of the laser) and though the central area started to numb when they got to the corners there were little stabs of pain as they touched un-anaesthetised areas. There are a few videos on YouTube of regular liposuction, watch these if you want an idea of what the actual movement looks like. Then after they have pushed through all the fatty areas with the laser they turn on this suction thing and put the tube back in to suck out all the fat they broke down. It's quite loud and you can hear the fat globules being sucked out.
The procedure was over in one very uncomfortable half hour. The tablets started to kick in at the end so after it was over I felt very relaxed. The nurse was lovely and wiped my tears, and helped me to stand up. I was too scared to look down at my belly- it felt like the area had been completely traumatised. It looked swollen and blueish yellow but no bruises had formed yet.
The nurse gave me a compression garment, which looked like old fashioned control underpants (like Spanx) that came up to my ribs. I was told I needed to wear this 24 hours a day for 2 weeks and then only daytimes after that for 6 weeks. She said I could shower tomorrow. I called a cab and went on my woozy way home wondering what I had done to myself.
I can safely say that the experience was so horrible that if I ever have any kind of plastic surgery again I will make sure I am under general anaesthetic so I sleep through it! Maybe not all women share the experience I had but as I was not told anything beforehand about how it feels I felt I needed to share this.
The doctor came in and they gave me the 'cocktail' (3 tablets) and I signed a consent form. He drew with a marker on my lower abdomen and showed me where exactly he would take the fat from and where the scars would be. One in my belly button and one about where the top of your panties normally sit (if you wear low rise knickers). I was on the operating table before the tablets kicked in, still nervous. I lay down on the table and they placed a paper surgical sheet on me and cut out a hole in the paper over my stomach area to expose it. Then they rubbed this dark brown surgical liquid all over my belly and this is when it kicked in this was really happening.
They gave me an anaesthetic injection in about 5-6 areas on my stomach (I hate needles but this was done very superficially, only just under the skin so it just felt like light pinpricks). Then the surgeon made the 2 snips they would be doing the liposuction through, and I felt those cuts. (It feels a bit like getting a piercing done, if you have ever done that.) He then proceeded to insert the 'canula' (a long thin 3mm diameter metal tube) into my fatty area and I definitely felt that. I screamed out "I can feel that OW OW give me more anaesthetic!" And they said ok it would just take a few seconds for the anaesthetic to kick in, and that the tube was injecting a liquid into the area which would numb it. By now I was tense and could feel the tube pushing through the fat on my stomach, and it was painful.
I complained several times during the procedure that I could feel pain and they kept saying ok it was normal to feel some pain and they did give me some more anaesthetic but overall the procedure was still painful. Why they did not give me even more anaesthetic when at one point I started crying and was regularly crying out with pain during the surgery I don't know. Had I not started to get a bit woozy with the drugs I probably would have insisted harder or protested more but I think if your patient is writhing around and crying that should be enough to make you give them more painkillers in the area. You're probably wondering what my personal pain threshold is and I don't know how to describe that. I have never broken a bone or had a tattoo so I can't compare it to any of those experiences. The point I want to make is that you expect that this would be a painless procedure and it certainly f***ing wasn't!
The actual feeling is weird (aside from the pain bit). You can feel this tube going through your stomach fat and it reminded me of when you place stuffing under a chicken skin and you have to separate the layer of skin and fat from the meat. They move it quite briskly back and forth (your eyes are covered because of the laser) and though the central area started to numb when they got to the corners there were little stabs of pain as they touched un-anaesthetised areas. There are a few videos on YouTube of regular liposuction, watch these if you want an idea of what the actual movement looks like. Then after they have pushed through all the fatty areas with the laser they turn on this suction thing and put the tube back in to suck out all the fat they broke down. It's quite loud and you can hear the fat globules being sucked out.
The procedure was over in one very uncomfortable half hour. The tablets started to kick in at the end so after it was over I felt very relaxed. The nurse was lovely and wiped my tears, and helped me to stand up. I was too scared to look down at my belly- it felt like the area had been completely traumatised. It looked swollen and blueish yellow but no bruises had formed yet.
The nurse gave me a compression garment, which looked like old fashioned control underpants (like Spanx) that came up to my ribs. I was told I needed to wear this 24 hours a day for 2 weeks and then only daytimes after that for 6 weeks. She said I could shower tomorrow. I called a cab and went on my woozy way home wondering what I had done to myself.
I can safely say that the experience was so horrible that if I ever have any kind of plastic surgery again I will make sure I am under general anaesthetic so I sleep through it! Maybe not all women share the experience I had but as I was not told anything beforehand about how it feels I felt I needed to share this.
Pre Op Diary
I have decided to create this blog to give information to people wanting to undergo laser liposuction surgery. I didn't have anyone to ask about their experience before I underwent my surgery and so had no idea what to expect - I found that the doctors give you very little information as to what the actual procedure and aftermath will be like, and had I had this information, maybe I would have chosen other options.
So why did I decide to undergo surgery? I'm a 31 year old woman and have always been fit and healthy, and a UK size 10 (US size 6), many people would probably call me thin. However I found no matter how much exercise and how many situps I did, and whatever I ate, there was a pad of fat on my lower abdomen which would never shift. It had bothered me ever since I was 14. I always felt this bit of fat was out of proportion with the rest of my body and it bothered me as I felt it showed a lot in my clothing and definitely on the beach. Whenever I put on weight it went straight to this area and I hated it. Call it vanity or whatever, I just decided finally that it had to go.
So after researching many options I decided to have laser liposuction surgery. Promoted as the easier, faster, minimum downtime option and costing almost half the price of traditional liposuction, I decided to go for it.
So I phoned around and made several trips down London's Harley street to choose a doctor, finally settling on someone I found personable and trustworthy, and very experienced as he was always away speaking at plastic surgery conferences as a leader in his field.
Here is what a typical doctor's appointment is like (I had 3 different ones): They ask you what you would like done and then to show them the area. They pinch it to see how much fat is there and then show you the exact area they will remove (that's if you choose to have 1 area treated.) If you like they will take out a marker and draw on you the area they will treat. None of the doctors I saw told me about any risks or disadvantages or what undergoing the procedure is like - each of them asked if I had any questions, which I didn't have many of as I didn't know what to ask. Here are some I did ask:
What is the advantage of laser liposuction over traditional liposuction?
Laser Lipo (also called Vaser, Smart Lipo) is the "new generation" of liposuction. Instead of the traditional method of physically breaking down the fat with a canula (that's a long metal tube) then sucking it out, they use a laser to do the same thing, then suck it out. The down time (that's how long you need to recover before going back to work) is minimal, 1-2 days. One doctor told me that a client of his ran a marathon the day after her inner thigh laser lipo, that's how minimal the pain/aftereffect is.
What are the risks?
All three doctors told me there were minimal risks. One of them said there is a risk of haematoma (which is like a bloodclot) whereas the others said nothing specific.
What are the scars like?
There will be 2 scars of 3 mm each for each area you have treated. Even if treating only 1 area they need to make 2 incisions to take the fat from two different angles to have the best results.
Price?
The three different surgeons quoted me each £1500, £2000, and £2400. Although I am not in the least bit wealthy and definitely not one of those rich women you see prancing down Harley street with their designer handbags, I decided to go with the surgeon who charged £2400 because I trusted him the most - he gave me the most information, answered my questions the most honestly of the three and seemed the most experienced, and not like he was pushing through as many patients as possible.
So I booked in, paid my deposit and made an appointment for my medical checkup with their nurse. This was relatively straightforward, you answer a lot of questions and they take your blood pressure. You need to stop taking all vitamins especially Vitamin E 1 week before surgery to decrease risk of complications like bleeding, as some supplements thin your blood.
Warning: This is only slightly related but I think important. One of the doctors tried to sell me a procedure called Stem Cell Augmentation as I mentioned I had also thought of having my breasts enhanced at some point. This is a very new procedure where they basically use laser liposuction to take out fat from every possible area of your body, then filter it, mix it with stem cells, and inject it into your breasts to enlarge your breasts by 1-2 cup sizes. This doctor said there were no risks whatsoever and claimed to be experienced although he only had 1 set of a patient's before and after photos to show me after I asked to see what the results are like. Funnily enough this procedure costs 4 times as much as he charged for the lipo alone -£8500 - but he touted it as a great way to save money by getting all over body liposuction and a boob job at the same time.
I asked the next surgeon if he did stem cell augmentation also. He said no he didn't and when I asked why he said it is because there is not enough research done yet to prove its safety, AND it is thought to DOUBLE your risk of breast cancer. This surgeon also told me that I actually wouldn't have enough body fat for them to take out to give me one extra cup size! Funny that the first doctor never mentioned any of this when trying to sell me this expensive procedure. Needless to say I didn't end up using that doctor.
So why did I decide to undergo surgery? I'm a 31 year old woman and have always been fit and healthy, and a UK size 10 (US size 6), many people would probably call me thin. However I found no matter how much exercise and how many situps I did, and whatever I ate, there was a pad of fat on my lower abdomen which would never shift. It had bothered me ever since I was 14. I always felt this bit of fat was out of proportion with the rest of my body and it bothered me as I felt it showed a lot in my clothing and definitely on the beach. Whenever I put on weight it went straight to this area and I hated it. Call it vanity or whatever, I just decided finally that it had to go.
So after researching many options I decided to have laser liposuction surgery. Promoted as the easier, faster, minimum downtime option and costing almost half the price of traditional liposuction, I decided to go for it.
So I phoned around and made several trips down London's Harley street to choose a doctor, finally settling on someone I found personable and trustworthy, and very experienced as he was always away speaking at plastic surgery conferences as a leader in his field.
Here is what a typical doctor's appointment is like (I had 3 different ones): They ask you what you would like done and then to show them the area. They pinch it to see how much fat is there and then show you the exact area they will remove (that's if you choose to have 1 area treated.) If you like they will take out a marker and draw on you the area they will treat. None of the doctors I saw told me about any risks or disadvantages or what undergoing the procedure is like - each of them asked if I had any questions, which I didn't have many of as I didn't know what to ask. Here are some I did ask:
What is the advantage of laser liposuction over traditional liposuction?
Laser Lipo (also called Vaser, Smart Lipo) is the "new generation" of liposuction. Instead of the traditional method of physically breaking down the fat with a canula (that's a long metal tube) then sucking it out, they use a laser to do the same thing, then suck it out. The down time (that's how long you need to recover before going back to work) is minimal, 1-2 days. One doctor told me that a client of his ran a marathon the day after her inner thigh laser lipo, that's how minimal the pain/aftereffect is.
What are the risks?
All three doctors told me there were minimal risks. One of them said there is a risk of haematoma (which is like a bloodclot) whereas the others said nothing specific.
What are the scars like?
There will be 2 scars of 3 mm each for each area you have treated. Even if treating only 1 area they need to make 2 incisions to take the fat from two different angles to have the best results.
Price?
The three different surgeons quoted me each £1500, £2000, and £2400. Although I am not in the least bit wealthy and definitely not one of those rich women you see prancing down Harley street with their designer handbags, I decided to go with the surgeon who charged £2400 because I trusted him the most - he gave me the most information, answered my questions the most honestly of the three and seemed the most experienced, and not like he was pushing through as many patients as possible.
So I booked in, paid my deposit and made an appointment for my medical checkup with their nurse. This was relatively straightforward, you answer a lot of questions and they take your blood pressure. You need to stop taking all vitamins especially Vitamin E 1 week before surgery to decrease risk of complications like bleeding, as some supplements thin your blood.
Warning: This is only slightly related but I think important. One of the doctors tried to sell me a procedure called Stem Cell Augmentation as I mentioned I had also thought of having my breasts enhanced at some point. This is a very new procedure where they basically use laser liposuction to take out fat from every possible area of your body, then filter it, mix it with stem cells, and inject it into your breasts to enlarge your breasts by 1-2 cup sizes. This doctor said there were no risks whatsoever and claimed to be experienced although he only had 1 set of a patient's before and after photos to show me after I asked to see what the results are like. Funnily enough this procedure costs 4 times as much as he charged for the lipo alone -£8500 - but he touted it as a great way to save money by getting all over body liposuction and a boob job at the same time.
I asked the next surgeon if he did stem cell augmentation also. He said no he didn't and when I asked why he said it is because there is not enough research done yet to prove its safety, AND it is thought to DOUBLE your risk of breast cancer. This surgeon also told me that I actually wouldn't have enough body fat for them to take out to give me one extra cup size! Funny that the first doctor never mentioned any of this when trying to sell me this expensive procedure. Needless to say I didn't end up using that doctor.
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