“1400 CC in each side... WOW!!!! - Dr. Salama”

I'm doing this procedure because I am overall unhappy with my shape. I would love to have a smaller waist with a rounder, fuller butt. I believe this surgery will greatly boost my self-esteem, allowing me to live my life to the fullest.

My surgery has been scheduled for May 21, 2012 and I am anxiously looking forward to it!

I began my research on Butt Augmentation by Fat Transfer (Brazilian Butt Lift) in November 2011.  Initially, I was very interested in working with Dr. Campos in Tijuana because he had great reviews and photographs of his work proved his skills.  I contacted his office in order to get more information regarding the procedure as well as a virtual consultation and price quote from him.  About a week later, I received a response from Dr. Campos.  His quote was vague in that it didn’t include all the areas of liposuction that I had requested, however, it did have an additional, unrequested procedure on it. 

He explained that after looking at my photos, he strongly recommended an extended tummy tuck.  I understood his recommendation to be just that, a recommendation, and promptly replied explaining that I wasn’t interested in the tummy tuck at this time, only the areas of liposuction that I had already described and as much fat-transfer as my butt could take in order to achieve a rounder, fuller appearance.  Within a couple of days I heard back from Dr. Campos.  His email strongly stated that he was unwilling to move ahead with the procedure unless I agreed to doing the tummy tuck and that he wished me luck in finding a different surgeon. 

Reading his email honestly broke my heart.  I have never had a baby, so to hear that my body looked as if I had, was devastating to say the least.  I was immediately comforted by my boyfriend who was just as confused as I was.  He still to this day can’t understand it.  We have looked at hundreds of reviews with photographs of some of Dr. Campos’ patients and have seen girls who were much bigger than I am with beautiful results, so his response not only hurt my feelings, but left my boyfriend and me puzzled.

A couple of days later, after I had picked myself back up and convinced myself that I wasn’t going to let that one consultation stop me, I decided to get a second opinion.  Since I was living in Maryland at the time, I gave Dr. Markmann’s office a call and scheduled a consultation.  We were in the process of moving during that time, so I was very limited as to how long I could wait for a consultation appointment.  Luckily, Dr. Markmann’s staff worked with me and squeezed me in as soon as they received a cancellation.  During my consultation, Dr. Markmann made me feel very comfortable and explained the procedure in detail.  I told him about my experience with Dr. Campos and his recommendation for an extended tummy tuck.  He explained that sometimes when you lose weight, or when you have a baby, the skin on your tummy stretches and becomes loose, creating a horizontal belly button as opposed to a round one.  He personally examined my body and skin elasticity and assured me that he could give me results very similar to my wish pic (which is an ex patient of his) without the need for a tummy tuck.  I was so relieved and so happy! In my opinion Dr. Markmann is the best of the best when it comes to BBLs so I value his opinion and would have loved to work with him, however, his prices are very steep.  The procedures that I requested were Buttock Augmentation by fat transfer with liposuction to the abdomen, waist, flanks, inner and outer thighs, back dorsal roll (bra strap area), and upper arms.  For these procedures, including ‘Above Knee Girdle Kit x3 w/ sus’ ($270) and ‘Vest w/Sleeves ($88), Dr. Markmann’s fees came to $16, 902.00.  Due to the fact that Dr. Markmann performs all procedures in a hospital, additional hospital fees of $5,191.00 were added to his fees bringing the total cost of surgery to $22,093.00.   Dr. Markmann made me feel so comfortable and he was so caring that walking away from the opportunity of allowing him to work on me was something that I really struggled with.  At the end of the day, the price was too high.  It was more than I wanted to spend and far more than what I could comfortably afford.

It was then that my boyfriend and I went back to the internet to continue researching.  We began seeing many new reviews from very happy patients of Dr. Salama in Miami.  Photographs of his results were beautiful and his prices seemed very affordable so I decided to contact him.  I sent him an email describing my requests along with photographs and patiently waited for his reply.  I didn’t have to wait long because in a few days’ time, I had my answer.  This is part of the message I received, “Based on doctor's opinion, he can get you the results you are looking for. The total pricing of the surgery will be based on the various liposuction areas and BBL package. The BBL special is $5,899 plus $400 for each additional area of liposuction, and there are three areas to add on: arms, inner thighs, and outer thighs - $1,200 - for a total of $7,099.”  Needless to say, I was ecstatic! 

I immediately contacted Dr. Salama’s office and inquired about available surgery dates.  After deciding on a date, I paid a 10% deposit and a hold has now been placed on my surgery date-- May 21, 2012!!!  Even though my journey has been a long one, filled with ups and downs, I’m so happy to be here now!  I’m excited about my new, future body and my new, future life!

P.S.  I just wanted to add one last detail- I could not have been able to achieve such in-depth research on my own without the help of my loving boyfriend.  He sorted through many reviews and pictures, helping me narrow down my options and ultimately deciding on Dr. Salama.  He’s the best boyfriend in the world!!

Updated on 6 Feb 2012:
Last week I received my introductory package from Dr. Salama's office. It included his resume, business card, Pre & Post Operative Instructions, Preoperative Clearance RX, Prescriptions (stool softener, antibiotics, and pain medications to be filled prior to surgery), information on lymphatic massages, and a breakdown of all surgery fees. Having received this package, I feel well-informed and cared for. It's a good feeling to have when you're putting your body and your life in somebody else's hands.

Updated on 6 Mar 2012:
I finally booked my hotel today. I will be staying at the Best Western Hollywood/Aventura from May 20th-28th. My total came to $614.28 ($69/night average) and the place looks decent. The Marbay was the most affordable, but the rooms looked really dated. Also, somebody mentioned that pets were allowed in that hotel and they weren't sure it would be very sanitary for somebody with open wounds. So that's the reason I decided on the Best Western.

Also, because my boyfriend will be with me during the entire stay, we decided we're getting a rental car. That way when I'm in the room passed out, he can still go out and get food or whatever he wants to do. For this reason, I called the doctor's office today and asked if I could have the transportation fee waived. It wasn't a problem at all, so that additional $225 has been taken off from my total.

Updated on 4 Apr 2012:
Time is flying by and I know that my surgery date will be here before I know it! I have recently purchased a gym membership and have been working out every day in order to lose some weight before surgery. I think 10-15 pounds of weight-loss will positively affect my overall post-surgery appearance so that's my goal for now.

Today I finally booked my flight so I'm excited about that. I ended up adding another night to my stay because I wasn't able to find a suitable return flight for my original departure day. So my new dates are May 20th- May 29th.

Updated on 4 Apr 2012:
I forgot to share the updated price for my hotel stay at the Best Western. With the added night, my total came to $700 for 9 nights (Avg. $78/night).

Updated on 5 May 2012:
I made my last payment toward my surgery today!!! I am officially 2 days away from my 2 week window (16 more days to go).

With that said, costs sure have added up. I like to keep my updates as informational as possible so I'd like to break down the costs and maybe this information can be helpful to those still deciding on whether or not to proceed with this surgery.

Dr. Salama's Fees- $7,099
Bloodwork- $83
EKG- $95
Hotel- $706 (Best Western/ 9 nights)
Flight- $1,000 (Round-trip from Hawaii)
Pre & Post-Op Vitamins- $66 (Make Me Heal)
Sin-Ecch Arnica Montana- $29 (Make Me Heal/ For bruising and swelling)
Iron and Vitamin C Supplements- $16 for both (100mg Iron daily/ 1000mg Vitamin C (500 mg morning/500 mg night))
***This comes to a total of $9,094*** That's almost $2,000 over the cost of the surgery itself!
Additionally, I still need to buy a few more misc items such as anti-bacterial soap, baby wipes, compression socks, suction hook for hanging drains in shower, and funnel.

Lastly, I was advised to discontinue the use of my birth control pills 2 weeks prior to surgery due to their blood clotting properties. Please remember to use a back up method of protection such as condoms during this time. I'm just saying, you don't want to end up pregnant after paying thousands for a procedure such as this one.

Ok, I think that is all for now. I'll update again soon.

Updated on 5 May 2012:
I forgot a few other very important things that are still on my list: My prescription medications (stool softener, antibiotics, and pain meds). So yeah, there are a lot of added costs to consider. Just FYI.

Updated on 13 May 2012:
Today I spoke with Larry and he sounds like such a sweetheart!! I'm surprised that I'm not anxious or nervous yet at all. I keep thinking it'll hit me soon but at this point, maybe it won't until the night before.

On another note, can anybody who has had lipo to their arms tell me how their results have turned out? Most people fous on the silhouette and booty (rightfully so) however since I'm also having lipo to my arms and thighs I'd like to hear from those who have also had that done in the past. Thanks!

Updated on 20 May 2012:
Today I had a face-to-face consultation with Dr. Salama and to tell the truth I wasn't at all nervous until after my consultation. Dr. Salama has a very serious character and was to the point. He explained how he performs surgery, the risks associated with lipo and bbl. During our meeting I expressed concern about an additional area that I'd like lipo'd. It's for the part of the arm near the armpit where if you wear a strapless top, it hangs over. For this area he charged me an additional $200. I asked him if he thought we would reach the legal limit for lipo and he said that more than likely we would, yet he still agreed to do the additional area I requested. This confused me a little bit because if he already feels we may reach our limit, why would he agree to add another area of lipo?? Dr. Salama didn't ask me what I wanted or what my expectations were as far as the results are concerned, so that worried me a little (specially since other girls have commented on the fact that we should be very specific about what we want). He did mention that we shouldn't become too infatuated with wish pics because we all have different body types and all results are unique. I do however still want to voice my expectations about this procedure, so tomorrow before surgery I will make sure to explain exactly what it is I'm looking for. After my brief meeting with Dr. Salama, I reviewed all my paperwork with Ruben and signed my receipt. During this process we realized that I still owed $199 which I thought had already been charged. The issue, as it turns out, is that they forgot to process my payment the day I called to authorize it. This happened twice to me so it's very important to make sure that your payments are actually coming out of your account. This way you're not thinking you've paid in full only to realize you owe another $199. Aside from that, I'm ready to do this. Surgery is scheduled for Monday, May 21 at 3pm.

Pre-surgery weight: 165
Pre-surgery measurements: 41.5/32.5/42.5

After my consultation, I went grocery shopping ($100) and filled my Percocet prescription ($15 at Walgreens). As per Dr. Salama's suggestions, I bought chicken, fish, beans, spinach, gatorade, water, broccoli, and pasta. I also bought some fruit in order to get some fresh produce into my diet and a couple jugs of fruit juice (pineapple juice and cranberry juice).

After putting our groceries away and settling into the Best Western, my boyfriend and I had a nice Italian dinner because we knew that it would be a long time before I'm able to sit in a nice restaurant again. It was really nice and I enjoyed it very much.... I love my baby!!

Since I mentioned the Best Western, let me just say that I'm impressed with how much we're getting for our money. For an average nightly rate of $78, I'm in a room with double beds, a microwave, and a mini fridge. The hotel offers complimentary breakfast every morning as well as a gym, a pool, and a guest laundry room. Oh yeah, free Wi-Fi too. We're very happy with our room and with our hotel choice.

P.S. Dr. Salama addressed my concern about yeast infections as a result of the high doses of antibiotics, saying that if it were to occur, he can prescribe medication. Has anybody had to deal with this? I imagine it would be super annoying having a yeast infection on top of everything else and itching like crazy underneath a tight garment. (Sorry if I'm being a little too up-front about this topic, but I felt it was a legitimate concern.)

Updated on 21 May 2012:
The boyfriend - (It's amazing my girlfriend is in the most pain that she has ever been in her life but, the first thing she wants me to do for her fresh out of surgery is... Update RealSelf! LOL) Ok, my baby (MzNewBooty) had her surgery scheduled for 3pm this afternoon. Larry (the driver) got there with not a second to spare, which didn't matter in the big scheme of things because my baby wasn't called back until 4:20pm, and she didn't make back out to me until 10:40pm. So fellas, bring something to do. Dr. Salama told me that everything went fine and that she should have a great shape (I'm going to take his word for it because even though it looks ginormous, I can't really tell if her overall shape is going to be what she is looking for with garment and all the swelling and bruising.) He also said that he took a lot of fat and that she is going to need to eat and drink a lot of fluids (Poor babe). Right now she is taking a nap for a couple hours until I wake her up for another round of drugs.

I hope this was somewhat informative. I have no idea what I'm supposed to be saying or not saying but I hope it helped none-the-less.

Updated on 22 May 2012:
Hi girls! I'm back!!! The first night was definitely the worse. I got really dizzy every time I stood up to walk and I didn't really want to eat or drink anything... I just wanted to lie down. I did however eat, and drink because I had to. This part of the recovery is very important. Dr. Salama said that usually when there are complications after surgery its because girls aren't eating or drinking. So I eat and drink every four hours right before taking my pain meds. This morning has been so much better. I can walk by myself now and the dizziness has completely gone away. I've pretty much had to go pee every 2-4 hours and that is so challenging. I've managed to get pee on my garment every time :-( ... Ugghhh!!! But what can I do about it... it's hard not to. I'm mostly not in pain anymore only majorly sore. My abs and the crease in my butt are the worse... oh yeah, and my vajayjay...very sore.... lol. Oh, let me tell you guys about my drains. I have two of them, one in the front and one in the back. Last night the one coming from the back was draining something serious, and then this morning it's been the one in the front... its so weird... lol. I have my first post-op appointment with Dr. Salama at 11, so i'm looking forward to talking to him and getting some details about the surgery. Oh, I almost forgot to mention, my hands look like little meatballs... they are so swollen!!! That was random I know.... I'm just trying to put as much info as I can. Alright, I guess this is all for now.

Updated on 22 May 2012:
I went into the office today to change my garment. It was quite an experience. As soon as my garment started coming off the dizziness immediately set in. It was horrible! She gave me alcohol pads to smell and even brought me a sugary drink. (I think it was orange soda) This made me feel a little better, but the dizziness was extreme. Nomie helped me to lay down and after a few minutes I was feeling better again. She helped me back up and squeezed me into the fresh garment and the vest with sleeves. When my garment was off, we could see all the bruising but I also got a glimpse of my tiny little waist!!! I'm so excited about that! It was hard to see it in the other garment because there was so much padding stuffed all around it. I was told that the massage therapist will be coming to see me tomorrow, so I'm bracing for that as I know how painful it will be. Its gotta be done though, part of getting better. Then later in the afternoon, I have an appointment to speak with the doctor. Hopefully he will tell me how much he put in my bootay. As always, I'll keep you girls posted.

Updated on 23 May 2012:
Ok, so I had my first massage this morning at 9am. It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. Apparently exercising regularly helps alot with recovery. The only areas that really hurt (felt like burning) was the left side of my tummy and near my front drain incision. There was no dizziness either when I took the garment off. I was supposed to have an appointment at 4pm with Dr. Salama, but because Larry was busy driving somebody else around, they decided to change my appointment for tomorrow at 11am. I have been feeling alot better, but I can tell that I get tired very easily. I think i'm gonna lay it back down again. Talk to you girls later.

Updated on 24 May 2012:
Today was another disappointment as far as Larry is concerned. I understand that he's busy as he's the only driver for out-of-town patients however he has caused me to not be able to see Dr. Salama for a post-op consultation twice now. First it was yesterday. I had an appointment at 4 pm and because he was running late, they decided to postpone it for today at 11am. Larry didn't even show up to get me until 11:15, so that means that I didn't get to the surgical center (where I was supposed to meet with Dr. Salama in between surgeries) until 11:30ish. By this time he was already in surgery and I ended up speaking with one of his assistants instead. My advice for girls using Larry, is to give him an earlier time for appointments. For example, if you have an appointment at 11am, tell him your appointment is at 10:30. This way you have a better chance of getting to your appointments on time. The worse that can happen playing it that way is that you'll be a little early, but I'd rather be early than have my appointment rescheduled. If you are having somebody with you the entire time, I would almost recommend renting a vehicle and having your companion drive you to your appointments. Larry drives an older model Lincoln Towncar, so the backseat is roomy enough for you to lay on your stomach and kick your feet up in order for the door to close. In my opinion, you can rent something similar in size to that for the same amount of money or less than what you will pay Larry. If you are considering renting a car, the only thing you have to remember is to bring proof of car insurance because sometimes the car rental places have issues and want to charge you additional insurance fees. Everything I've said about Larry and his services are strictly my opinions. I want to make that very clear.

On another note, I got my stomach board and foam pads for my garment today!! Just when I was starting to feel a little more comfortable in my garment, it suddenly gets tighter again... lol. That's the name of the game though, the waist should always feel tight and be well supported in order to prevent the accumulation of liquid and swelling.

I have one more thing to add to this update however let me warn you now, it may be TMI for some people. It concerns bowel movements. I've had some uncomfortable pressure in my stomach and I know its because I haven't had a bowel movement in about 3-4 days. The pain medicine makes everything in your bowels hard and therefore today I bought something to help move that along. Its called Swiss Kriss and its an all natural laxative from Whole Foods. The price was about $16 and the relief will be priceless I'm sure... lol. It comes in a tea form or a tablet form. I opted for the tablet form because I think it will be easier to deal with that way.

That's all for today, just continuing my healing process. Massage #2 tomorrow morning.

Updated on 26 May 2012:
So today I have an appointment with Dr. Salama and he will be removing my drains. I feel like its a little too soon but since Monday is Labor Day and I leave early Tuesday morning, I guess today it is. I'm hoping he will say it's too soon and have me come back but he may already have Labor Day plans and this is the reason for the early drain removal. Anyway, hopefully I will be able to find out more details about my surgery today including how many cc's i got. I will keep you gals posted as soon as I find out.

Updated on 26 May 2012:
Removal of the drains went well, but I still think it was too soon. After pulling the front drain out, he covered it with gauze and taped it down. It was easy and painless. The back drain was a little different. As he was pulling the back drain out, it squirted fluid all over himself and the floor. He said it must have broke connection..lol. Anyway, after that small incident happened, I completely forgot to ask him about the amount of cc's injected into my butt.

By the time I got home, the gauze he had used to cover the incisions were soaked. So I immediately removed them, applied antibiotic ointment on the incisions and reapplied fresh gauze. It has held up ok until now. At some point later tonight I will reapply the ointment and once again change the gauze. The only thing I'm worried about is the development of fluid sacs underneath my skin. If this happen, I will have to find a doctor back home to withdraw the fluid.

Other than that, it's been an uneventful day. I do have to say it was GREAT meeting some of the BBL sisters at the doctor's office today! It truly was a pleasure!

Updated on 27 May 2012:
Ok, so 6 days post op and up until now I thought I was gonna be one of the lucky girls who wouldn't really have to deal with a huge, swollen, and painful vajayjay.... Oh was I wrong!!!! Today, I woke up with so much soreness and pain in my front pubic region. I'm not sure if that has something to do with the drains being taken out, or if it's just a normal part of the healing procedure. Anyway, wow!! It is so swollen and so sensitive to the touch. I'm really hoping the swelling and the soreness will diminish soon... this sucks!! On a better note: Massage #3 tomorrow morning!

Updated on 28 May 2012:
Recovery is going well... I woke up with a lot less pain and soreness today. I've been up since 7am and I plan on being up most of the day. Immediately after surgery, all I wanted to do was sleep, but as the days went by, I am up a lot more, usually only taking a short nap in the middle of the day. I have massage #3 today and I'm a little bit nervous because It'll be my first massage WITHOUT my drains. I'm worried about draining all over the place after she starts, or not draining at all and developing fluid sacs underneath my skin. Either way, I don't think it'll be painful, only inconvenient if I have to find another doctor back home to extract these fluids. I've also been warned, that sometimes Doctors don't like to mess with somebody else's procedure. For example, it may be possible that when I go back home, no one will want to do it, because it wasn't them who did the LIPO/BBL procedure. Hopefully I won't have to deal with any of this, but If I do, I'll keep you updated.

Today, my focus is to continue to recover, get this 3rd massage, and prepare for my departure back home tomorrow!

Updated on 28 May 2012:
Massage 3 was a success!!! Eilyn, the therapist said I had no fluid build-up and in fact felt very dry underneath my skin. That's exactly what I wanted to hear, so I was very pleased. She also commented on the fact that all of my incisions had healed up already, even the drain incisions which were recently taken out on Saturday. At the end of the massage, she asked me how my size Large garment was fitting. Now let me remind you, I recently changed into a Large garment the last time she visited me for a massage on Friday. Since the garment was starting to fit loosly, we tried the medium.... and it fit!!!! So I went from being in an XL after surgery on Monday (21st) to a Large on Friday (25th) to a Medium on Monday (28th). The next size down is a small but I honestly don't think my butt and hips will fit into a small, so I may have to start buying waist cinchers to wear underneath my garment. I don't know yet.

Anyway, all that's left now is packing and preparing for tomorrow's long 15.5 hour flight (including layovers). It's been quite an experience and I'm so glad to have met so many wonderful women along the way. I'm also very thankful for Dr. Salama and his team... they truly are the BEST!

Updated on 29 May 2012:
I'm all packed up and going home today, but before I do, I have a couple of pics to share. My booty has dropped some and is starting to feel a little bit softer. I'm sorry about the pic quality, but it's the best I can do with my phone. I'll have better quality pics in the future.

Updated on 30 May 2012:
My trip home was a NIGHTMARE!! My flight out of Ft. Lauderdale was supposed to depart at 9:50am. The plane was full, we pulled away from the gate, we were half way to the runway, and the captain comes on over the PA: "We've been called back to the gate due to a maintenance alert message. We'll be on our way shortly after the maintenance has been completed." Thirty minutes after pulling back into the gate, we're told that we need a repair part from Miami and that since that order needs to be brought to Ft. Lauderdale we should deplane until the maintenance is completed. Long story short, the part doesn't arrive from Miami (which is like 45 min. away) and get installed until around 6pm!!!!! During this entire time, I'm at the Ft. Lauderdale airport, walking around, standing, shifting weight from one leg to the other, kneeling, I even laid on the floor for like 15 minutes because I just couldn't stand anymore... it was so sad! Anyway, we end up leaving Ft. Lauderdale at some point between 6 and 7 pm... I don't even know. So at this point, I know I've lost my other connection flights and have no idea where I will end up by the end of the night. I end up making it to Dallas by around 9 pm, and then to Los Angeles by around midnight. At this point, that's about as far I could go, so they gave me a hotel voucher and I spent the night at the Holiday Inn LAX. I slept maybe 3 hours and was back at the airport trying to catch my final flight home. Luckly that flight was ontime and I'm FINALLY home! So now, to the sitting/standing details. On all 3 of my flights, the ONLY time I sat was when the "fasten your seat belt" light was on... even on the longest flight of them, which was five hours long!! Due to this, I got home with ankles the size of grapefruits and legs the size of my thighs! It was HORRIBLE... TRULY A NIGHTMARE!! I got home, took a shower and put on a clean "outfit" aka tank top, garment, vest with sleeves, and compression socks... lol... I'm sure my babes was happy to see me look so sexy for him on my first night back home... HAHAHA!!!

Updated on 30 May 2012:
Oh yeah, I forgot something else of importance to share with you gals.... my biggest fear post drain bags came true... I developed a small sac of fluid build-up at some point from the time I left Ft. Lauderdale to the time I got home. It's in the lower, left side of my tummy. I'm not sure what I'm going to do about it at this point but I'm so upset about it. I think my first option is trying to have it massaged out... and if that doesn't work, I'll have to try to find somebody who is willing to put hands on Dr. Salama's work. From what other girls have posted, and even Dr. Salama told me himself, often times other doctors don't want to step in when the work is not their own. So I guess, I'll try to figure out what I'm gonna do about this and I'll keep you posted on the results.

Updated on 31 May 2012:
I inquired about the amount of CC transferred into my buttocks today and the answer....... 1400 CC into each side!!!!.... WOW! That's way more than I ever expected! I was thinking 1,100-1,200. Anyway, hopefully after absorption it won't look too cartoony if you know what I mean...lol. Ok, well, that's that!