I had my first treatment of lipodissolve done exactly 1 week ago. I am still a bit swollen and tender, so I am unsure if it made any difference yet. I read thousands of reviews, articles, etc. before deciding on the procedure. It was a local ad on the radio that convinced me to have it done.
I am 41, not overweight at all, but have a couple of small problem areas due to having 5 children. I developed a small pooch around my belly button (called a doughnut) and the skin on my abdomen started sagging a bit. This is the area I had treated, with plans to go back for my love handles and possibly the back of my thighs(cellulite).
The procedure itself is not painful or even uncomfortable. My doctor pinched my skin while inserting the needle and all I felt was the pinch.You don`t really feel the needle or the fluid being injected. My doctor did explain to me in advance as to what I should expect after the injections... and everything she said that would happen, how it would feel, etc. was right on target. I guess my experience wasn`t nearly half as bad as others because I knew what to expect.
After the injections, my skin became warm and red and swollen. A few hours after the injections, I had to take some Tylenol and lie down on my back for the rest of the night. My abdomen felt like I did a billion crunches, got repeatedly kicked in the stomach and my skin felt very tight. I was unable to walk or even move for 2 days. I also became slightly light-headed and nauseous the night of the procedure.
The following day, the swelling became so great that I looked as though I was 8 months pregnant. I took Tylenol every 4 hours to keep the pain at a minimum. Pain might be the wrong word.... extreme soreness, probably comparable to having a c-section. The following day, some of swelling subsided and most of the soreness went away, but it still felt as though I was badly bruised.
My skin was VERY sensitive... the thought of someone or anything touching me made me cringe. Also, the swelling migrated to my pubic area and genitals. If I hadn`t have been warned about this in advance, I would have freaked out! I found it to be slightly uncomfortable and very itchy, but humorous. Since then, the swelling has leveled out and remains slightly puffy, which I was told will last for about a month or so. The soreness is gone, but my skin is somewhat sensitive. I was also told that this would last for a while and it`s best to constantly massage the area. This has worked significantly in regards to reducing the sensitivity.
I have no bruising, even though I`m usually prone to bruises. I was told that drinking lots of water and keeping hydrated helps eliminate the bruising problem. I also have a few hard lumps deep under the skin. This too, I was warned about and was told that there really isn`t a need to massage them... they will eventually dissipate over time. As of right now, I can`t visibly see the lumps... only feel them when I press into my skin, so they don`t concern me.
From what I know and have learned.... this procedure isn`t meant as a weight loss miracle, it doesn`t remove large areas or pockets of fat and it doesn`t help much for the appearance of cellulite on the legs. There`s a seperate treatment for cellulite removal which involves snapping the large bands of fat with a needle and then injecting the lipodissolve. I believe( if I remember correctly) the ideal candidate for lipodissolve is one who`s body/mass index is less than 30. Also, the only time anyone should be lying down for the lipodissolve injections is if their abdomen is being done. Fat and cellulite disappear when you`re laying down, so it becomes very difficult for a doctor to evenly inject those areas.
Before i had my injections, my doctor had me stand up and then outlined my problem area with a marker. Once laying down, the doctor pinched up small sections of skin, injected the solution and moved to the next section... a couple of centimeters over. She stayed within the outlined area, moved very quickly in a circle pattern and didn`t stop until the last injection. I had 6 syringes of solutions injected in approx. 5 minutes!
As I said before, I plan on going back for more injections even though the recovery was very uncomfortable. I guess that at $250 per area, it`s worth it if it works and the soreness is just something that you have to deal with. There`s no such thing as pain free surgery! Child birth isn`t fun either, but women keep going through it and the end results are worth and pain or discomfort. If it doesn`t work, oh well. It`s not like I wasted thousands of dollars.
Hope all of this info helps! P.S.Regarding the hard lumps, my doctor did say that the lumps were really common on the outer thigh area, especially if the person was lying down during the injections. Her assistant told me it`s helpful if you use a heating pad on the area starting 2 days after the procedure and then deeply massage the lumps. I haven`t tried it, so I can`t say if it works.
