Vaser Liposuction: Stories

I'm having Vaser hi def lipo sculpture today. I have always liked and admired a tight tummy however have never really been able to fully achieve one. Any time I have dieted enough to start to lose weight on my stomach, by that time my face has hollowed out and I look ill. Any time I have fully thrown myself into a vigorous workout routine I have ended up with an injury, and even managed to sprain my back with the help of a personal trainer. After careful consideration I have decided to undergo this procedure as it seems the perfect way to focus in on my problem areas and finally achieve the look I have been trying to get.

I did a lot of research and have decided to go to Doctor Daniel Lanzer in Melbourne as he has a good reputation and has performed over 10,000 liposuction procedures. He seems to think I will get a good result so I'm trusting his judgement and going in today at 11:30am. I should be leaving the clinic at about 6pm. I am having the procedure done under local anesthetic, so will be awake throughout. I have started my course of antibiotics, have done all my blood tests, have got all my paperwork in order and have showered using the antiseptic wash. The last thing I have to do is have a quick conversation with the psychologist that Dr. Lanzer recommends his patients to, then I'm ready to go!

Apparently after the procedure, a dietician speaks with you and then I have to purchase my compression garment. I have also put plastic sheeting down over my mattress to protect it as I have heard you can leak a lot of fluid in the first couple of days and I didn't want to stain it. I've also put clean bedding over it, and cleaned the inside of the car that's going to pic me up. I'm also going to have clean towels to sit on during my journey home in the car - just in case! So... I'll update later once my procedure is done and let you know how I'm going with it and what the recovery is like. How this will be useful to anyone thinking of undergoing a similar procedure.

I am now 3 days post surgery. Let me tell you about the procedure itself. I opted to be awake and under 'twilight' local anesthetic, as considering the extra cost financially and also health risks of a general anesthetic - it didn't seem worth it. I had also read many reviews and seen procedures on YouTube where the patient was awake so thought I'd be fine. It was not a good experience. I have a reletavely high pain tolerance, however parts of this procedure were unbearable. I had 2 injections into my arse cheek and one tablet to dissolve in my mouth. The nurses then started to inject the stomach area with local anesthetic and this really stings as it goes in. Feels like it's burning. Once that's taken hold she then starts to fill the area with fluid. She told me it was going to feel like a "separating" sensation. It really hurt. This was probably the worst part of the whole procedure. At this point I knew I'd rather be asleep and under general. I hadn't expected such pain. As she moved from one area to the next, the previous was going numb which felt good, I was so pleased when she finished. I looked down and was surprised to see how bloated and bumpy my stomach was. She then explained I had to wait for a little while before Dr. Lanzer could do the hi def lipo. I listened to my music for what seemed to be about half an hour when he walked in the room and told me I was ready to go. Thankfully most of this part was painless, you can feel the motion of the cannula going back and forth however don't feel any pain. There was one spot in the middle quite high up near my chest that when he hit it, was extremely painful. It was almost as if the anesthetic hasn't reached that area or it hasn't been given enough time to work, I'm not sure. When I told him it was hurting he moved onto another area but then had to come back to it later. It was still very painful and I started to wriggle up the operating table trying to get away from it. Dr Lanzer asked me to shuffle back down and to try to stay still. I realised that I'd have to just grit my teeth and let him do it as I wanted him to finish it properly. I honestly thought I was going to be in twilight sedation, drifting in and out like others have described on here. Instead, I was wide awake and aware of what was going on and at times in acute pain. Once he was done the nurses stitched up most of the holes at the front but left the others open. They then bandaged me up and put me into my compression garments. I had to buy two, one tight black best type thing and another big foam band that you velcro at the back nice and tight. They came to AUS $370 which made the coat of the procedure very nearly AUS $7,000. My friend picked me up and took me home. I felt pretty good, didn't vomit, was able to shuffle around at home however couldn't get comfortable at all in bed and was in considerable pain once all the anesthetic wore off. I took the pain medication however couldn't sleep that night. The fluid was draining out and had saturated the pads that they had wrapped me in. It was very uncomfortable and heavy.

Day 2 post op.

I returned to the clinic so they could take the dressings off and check how things were going. I have to say that Dr Lanzers team of nurses are all lovely and made me feel very comfortable. I couldn't wait to see what it looked like, especially as I had been warned that there could be lumps, swelling, bruising, waviness or skin folds. It looked AMAZING. I was sooooo pleased. Dr Lanzer has magic hands. My stomach was completely flat and toned, there was swelling and beuising around my love handles but I was told that would go down soon. The nurses at the clinic said I was healing really quickly and they didn't need to re apply any dressings. Everyone said what a great result I've got and I agree, it's fantastic! I can't wait to see what it looks like once all the swelling has gone down in about 6 weeks or so. It is such a huge difference, I'm amazed and so thrilled with the results. Finally I've got the stomach I've always wanted!

Day 3 post op.

I still can't sleep well although I am much more comfortable now all those dressings have been removed. It feels very tender and bruised, although actual bruising is minimal. In fact, I can't believe how good it looks so soon after. I've seen lots of images of other people's recovery of them looking extremely bruised and swollen. I only had just over 1.5 liters of fat removed, maybe that helps a speedy recovery. I think a skilled hand performing the procedure certainly helps too, I'm so pleased I went to him. Although he seems distracted during the consultations, often on his phone and coming in and out of the room, he obviously knows what he is doing and is a pleasant chap with a smile on his face. My results speak for themselves.

Day 4 post op.

Slept a little better last night and even managed to roll over onto my side. I'm still taking pain medication as I get extremely uncomfortable when it starts to wear off. The swelling has gone down considerably and I am amazed at how good it is looking. Dr Lanzer has done a grand job. There is no lumps, no bumps, no waviness or akin folds. Hardly even any bruising. I have to go into work tomorrow for a day so I'm resting up now as much as I can, and feel I should be okay for tomorrow. At the moment I feel okay when I'm still, just moving is difficult. Getting up or down, rolling from side to side. When I took off the compression garments to shower this morning and looked in the mirror, I realized the pain and discomfort has been worth it.

I am going to have my stitches taken out in 3 days, I will let you know how I'm going then. If anyone has any questions then I'm more than happy to answer them.

7 days post op.

Went in to have my stitches removed today, am healing nicely. I look more bloated and swollen and less defined than I did straight after the procedure however I'm told this is normal and the swelling will go down in due course. Dr Lanzer recommended a natural homeopathic healing cream which I purchased for $55. I'm supposed to massage it in 3 times a day. They've booked me back in for another check up next Monday so I'll let you know how that goes. It's getting much easier to sit in comfort now, even getting in and out of the car isn't too much trouble. I'm really watching what I eat, sticking to low fat everything.

Seven weeks post surgery. I am not wearing my compression garment at all anymore, occasionally put the foam Velcro thing on at night to see what I look like without swelling in the morning and it does make a difference. Most of the swelling seems to be around the sides - and interestingly although I look very different and more narrow, I'm still wearing the same trousers I was before I had it done. How does that work? It looks like I've lost a couple of inches but my clothes are telling me otherwise! I highly recommend 'Spectra gel' for your insicion sites. It is annoyingly sticky and does take about 10 minutes to dry before you can put clothes on however since I've been using it have noticed a big difference in the scars. They are not as red, have smoothed out and seem to be blending in much better now. It's also inexpensive, I think the large tube was only about $25. I am still watching what I eat, and start an exercise program next week which will be eight weeks post surgery. I'll let you know how I go. If you check my pics out you can see the shape is good, it's flat and even with no nasty lumps or waves or skin folds. Dr. Lanzer warned me that this could happen but I guess he has to say that to everyone. Still very happy that I went through with it and looking forward to further improvement!

9 weeks post surgery.
I am no longer in any pain, even stretching, bending or doing exercise. I am doing Pilates twice a week on the reformer machine which is concentrating on my core muscles and am managing to do that without discomfort from the procedure. I have uploaded two new pics so you can see what I look like at this point, it's strange how you get used to it and start to feel like it hasn't changed that much. I am glad I have these pictures to look back on, because that's when I realize how much my body shape has changed, the before pictures look like they belong to somebody else! I'm determined to maintain my new shape with healthy eating, regular exercise and core strengthening. It has been a great motivational tool for me to eat clean and keep fit, I'd recommend this procedure as a jump start to anyone with a problem area of fat around the mid section. I'm especially liking being able to go to my wardrobe and pick anything out to wear... No more love handles to try and hide, it has given me a lot more confidence.