“Can't Wait to See the Final Results! - Palo Alto, CA”

I have always been athletic and somewhat slim but I had pockets of fat on my torso that prevented me from having a "figure 8" shape, so I decided to do something about it! My surgeon marked me up during my pre-op, and I took my "before" pics right afterward. I had Vaser lipo done on my lower abdomen, upper abdomen, flanks (love handles), upper back, and the bra bulge area under my arms (forgot what it is called...). I also had my inner thighs done, but I don't have any "before" pics for those. My inner thighs were done using tumescent and traditional lipo per my surgeon's recommendation.

I felt like a truck hit me when I came out from under general anesthesia, and moving around was very difficult and uncomfortable for the first 24 hours. I felt very sore - as if I'd done a 2-hour personal training session at the gym then, perhaps, fallen over and bruised myself as well.

It has now been 3 1/2 days since my surgery and I'm still quite bruised, slightly swollen, and only in very minor pain. Most of my pain at this point is due to my compression garment digging in slightly when I shift in my sleep.

I took my first set of "after" pics right after my first post-op appointment, which was 48 hours after my surgery. As I'm still a little swollen in the first set of after pics, it's harder to tell just how dramatically different my silhouette has become, but I saw amazing results instantly. As the swelling subsides, I'll take more pics and post them.

I'm also taking oral doses of Arnica Montana pellets 3x per day to help with the bruising, and 2 500mg Bromelain tablets 2x per day to help with the swelling. I just started rubbing on topical Arnica gel on my thighs today, so I'll let you know how that works!

I'm an impatient person, so it's difficult to sit around and wait for my body to heal, but that is probably the most difficult part about this for me. I'm very excited to see how my body settles into its new shape over the next several weeks!!

Updated on 9 May 2011:
Also - FYI, my surgeon informed me that she removed 3 LITERS of fat... more than she anticipated. I hid it well before (at least I think so) but now you can see how much more of a waist I have. And a flat tummy... I LOVE it!

Updated on 11 May 2011:
So, it's been a week and a day since my surgery, and my skin is still numb in certain areas on my abdomen, but the feeling is starting to come back in many areas. It makes it hard to scratch itches when you can't feel your hand, but other than that things are going well.

I went back to work this week and it has been tough sitting upright all day as my compression garment bunches at the smallest part of my waist and digs into my skin. Also, when I stand up after lying down for an extended period of time, there is one spot on my mid-back that experiences sharp pain once the blood starts flowing. I find that if I sit up for a moment then slowly stand this is greatly reduced, but it is still hard to get up and turn my alarm clock off.

I'm still thrilled with the results so far and I'll be getting my sutures removes tomorrow. I will take a few more pics once my bruising gets a little better.

I have found that topical arnica works loads better than the oral pellets, too. Hope this helps someone!!

Updated on 18 May 2011:
It's been 2 weeks and 1 day since my surgery and I'm doing great. I've been rubbing my bruised areas (mostly my lower thighs by my knees at this point) with Arnica creme a few times a day - making sure to massage toward the body) and it was helping my bruising, but I found that Dry Skin Brushing helped my swelling and bruising disappear almost completely within 4 days!! The swelling will come back if you are too active before your body is ready, but I've been doing it every morning (and sometimes when I get home from work) before I shower and it has made such a huge difference. Plus it is just good for you and makes your skin baby soft...

Dry skin brushing is a great way to stimulate lymphatic drainage, so it's important to drink lots of water in order to flush the toxins out of your system. Here is a link if you want to learn more about it: http://www.naturalhealthtechniques.com/healingtechniques/dry_brushing_technique.htm

I'm not a doctor, so please make sure you discuss this with your doctor first - I was comfortable doing this to myself because of where I was in the healing process, but your doc may recommend waiting a certain amount of time after surgery to start this!

Otherwise I'm a little frustrated with the hardness I feel in my flanks and waist, but I've been massaging it daily and am hoping it will go away within the next few weeks. I'll keep you posted! And I'll post some more after pics very soon!!