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“Finally Feeling Booty-ful! - Sacramento, CA”
Spent: $4,800 in San Leandro, CA
Hi everyone,
So, I've been wanting a BBL for about 1-2 years now. I always had a squarish back, and flat booty. I love my front (love my waist, hips, etc.) but I hate how I look from behind.
I tried working out and I lost quite a bit of weight. And while my problem areas (love handles, hips, etc). did diminish, eventually so did my booty, and then my boobs :(. I was a D and now I'm a small C. Losing my chest is what thrust me into researching BBL, pros + cons, etc. Because I simply do not want a boob job.
Reading everyone's posts/reviews really gave me the courage to step forward and have a consultation. I can't believe I'm doing this! Eeeek! :)
I'm extremely excited! My surgery is Nov. 18...and yes..I'm certainly scared! But almost everyone who's had this done is glad they went through this procedure. So I'm hoping with all my heart that I will be one of them!
I know a lot of discomfort and pain awaits me! But it's about 1-2 weeks of it and if others can do it, I can do it!
I chose Dr. H due to his location, before/after photos, years of experience, aaaand** a review posted here on RealSelf. Her results were amazing. Her hips/booty are a very similar shape to mine, so I hope I can achieve something close to her results.
My only trepidation is that when I first met with Dr. H he told me that because of my size I wouldn't be able to achieve a huge butt. He said to expect something more conservative (since I have a smaller frame). But when I went in for my pre-surgery appointment to take pictures, he asked if I was ok with going bigger? I told him I'm more about shape than projection...Plus I want it to look more natural. I'll be sure to re-emphasize that on the day of surgery!
Will post a few pics up soon.
Current weight: 121
Lipo areas: inner thighs, full back, full front...and of course...MUFFIN TOP :)
Updated on 19 Nov 2011:
Day 1-2: Pain has been less than expected. The only severe pain Ive experience thus far is gettin off and the bed/couch.
I have really had the need to take my pain pills. People are right your lipo areas feel like you've gone to the gym but thats it! Ive experienced worse pain at the gym actualu!!
The doc said he put 800 cvs per cheek. Originally he said it was gonna b 1200 and I think the look on face said it all!!
To me 800 is still a lot :( and right now I look lik I have beyonces booty! Which is NOT what I wanted. :( I hope the size goes. Cuz it's huuuuge now.
Also., the doc said to sleep on my consultation with him (on Tuesday). :/. I dnt get it. Most ppl with BBLs are recommended to sleep on their belly! Isn't that weird!?
I have pretty dark bruises which scared my BFF and I think at one point my bf almost fainted :(.
I hope day 3 Is not bad. With my luck u never know! They say that's wen the swelling is it's worst.
Also..I don't want jinx myself but I've had little to no drainage. N I think mines open drainages. Idk :/. But since I haven't leaked does that mean I was sewn up?
Will post some pictuers soon. I took some before the surgery and a few after my sugery am with the garment on :).
I did it guys! After 2 years of considering this procedure, I hav finaly mustered up the courage to so it!!
Updated on 19 Nov 2011:
** sorry for typos. I'm on my posting the review.
I meant that I haven't had the need to get on the pain pils much
Updated on 19 Nov 2011:
** I'm on MY PHONE posting the message.
** He put 800ccs in each cheek (not 800 CVS) lol
** Doc said to sleep on my back! To avoide uneven swelling in the butt.
Is this normal? I'd call his office to ask but it's Saturday and they close :(
Updated on 28 Nov 2011:
Hello Everyone,
Sorry it's taken me so long to update!
Basically I had no real pain. I was just incredibly sore--it was hard to bend over, hard to stretch. I felt tender. But pain wise--I essentially had no pain. I could have stopped taking pain pills on Day 2, but took them anyway in case I was numb from Day 1's anesthesia. I didn't take any pills on Day 3--no even tyelonl.
People say Day 1-3 are the worst, but honestly Day 2-5 were the worst for me. And not because I was in pain, but because I was incredibly swollen! It was so aggravating to me. It literally wore down my patience and tolerance. Day 1 I was pretty out of it so it was OK. But Day 2-5 were so annoying because I swelled so much. Each day was worse than the day before. I walked incredibly slow, and I walked like a penguin! NO joke. Some days I'd wake up and my hands were incredibly swollen and even my face was swollen! Everything would just be so puffy. But that would eventually go down a little bit by mid-day. If you're wondering, "Oh how swollen could you get?" Let me put it this way...I was sure I was going to get stretch marks from all the swelling. I probably looked like I gained 40 pounds. I'm normally a size 5, I went up to a size 11.
To me, the absolute worst. THE WORST (and I can't believe no one has really mentioned it) is that my gentials swelled up too. The doctor had said that swelling travels down so to expect my vagina to swell up too. But man. No one said it was going to be THAT bad! It was so painful. I wanted to take pain pills just for that. It got extremely dry and sensitive and it was plain hell. I finally got the genius idea to put hydrocortisone cream on it, wrap it with a baby wipe (so when I walked the lips wouldn't rub together as much), and I iced it whenever it got intolerable. It took a huge toll on my self esteem. I kept complaining about it. Felt like I had the Elephant Man's nose down there. Oh and I should probably mention that both lips weren't huge. One was swollen (relatively normal) and the other was ginormous. I felt like grabbing a needle and poking it--that's how crazy it was making me. The doctor said that the garment was slightly off and so maybe that accounted for the disporportioned swelling (I was shifting the garment's hole a lot so maybe I'm to blame for this? I don't know...).
By the end of Day 5, my swelling went down a tiiiiny bit and THANK GOD the swelling down there went down enough for it be bareable. By the end of Day 6 I stopped wearing the wipes and by the end of Day 7 everything was back to relative normlacy. What was also a huuuuge help was to put a big pillow under my thighs while sleeping on my back. This would elevate my feet and reduce some of the swelling "down there."
Once the swelling goes down, you really start to see the light at the end of the tunnel. You can get up faster, you can walk faster and more normal looking, and your shape really comes into view.
Day 1-6 I felt like I was dressed in a fat suit. My butt looked ENORMOUS. I was so incredibly worried that my doc put in too much and I honestly felt deformed. I knew that my stomach and back were really swollen so that part didn't discourage me. I was paranoid and freaking out at the thought that my butt was going to be as huge as I was seeing it.
When I saw the doc on Day 5 he said that my butt wasn't going to go down much and I started freaking out. He calmed me down and said not to worry that it was going to go down and that most people complain about it not being big enough and that I just needed to wait it out. And he said worst case senario he'd go back in and take fat out and that it'd be a way easier process. So that made me feel better.
I didn't take off my garment to shower until Day 5. I didn't feel light-headed like so many people report. My skin just felt funny. Lotion feels weird against my skin. Like it's too think. And my skin (in the lipo areas) just feels tender, etc. So I rub Almond oil and the oily consistency reduces the unpleasant "funny" feeling. Each day this feeling goes away little by little and every day the skin feels a bit more normal. Showers are slowly becoming more enjoyable.
I've had only 2 bowel movements in what? 10 Days? Took some milk of magnesia on day 8 and that helped. Looks like I'll need to take some again today! I thought it would be hard to wipe, but nope! Baby wipes come in handy though I will say that!
I really do love the shape of my bum. The doc did an amazing, phenomal job! To me size wasn't the issue...just the shape. And Dr. Hegg outdid himself, he really did. It's round and it's exactly what I wanted! I said, "I want an upside down heart bottom" and that's what I got! I'll post pics up tomorrow. I forgot my camera's usb connector thing at my friend's house.
I've yet to really know how good of a lipo job he did because I'm still swollen and I have bruises everywhere, but I can definately tell I have less fat on my abs/back and my booty shape is great. Each day the swelling goes down in the butt a tiny bit. I don't feel deformed anymore. Just feel like a girl with a huge booty. Which is good for me :). I still want it to go down, though. I don't want that huge of a butt...but if it stays this way I won't be upset :).
Since I was so paranoid about the booty staying huge, I made it a point to sit on my butt and basically do all the things people say not to do! I figured the more it goes down the better :). On day 5 when I went to the doc, he said that I could sit on my bum but just to avoid friction (like rubbing my bum against things with pressue). So sometimes I tentaively sit on my bum. I've laid on my back too (with pillows under my thighs and back--this position felt really good to me).
I had originally planned to have someone help me post-surgery for like 2-3 days...yeah no. Thank God my boyfriend was there because I honestly needed help for like 5-6 days. You need someone to pick up things for you, help you get up and lie down and find comfy positions. You will constantly drop things and you need someone to help you pick things up. Honestly this is the major thing. HAVE SOMEONE BE THERE ALL DAY TO HELP YOU. Plan for at least 5 days. No but's!
Overall -- my recovery is going great! The worst is behind me and now I'm finally feeling like myself! I can't wait to try on outfits to check out my new me! I've gone shopping a little bit here and there for the holidays and when I see girls with big shapely rears I no longer get jealous! I think "yeaaaah I got it too, girl!" Already I feel great about my booty so I can only imagine how I'll feel a month from now!
Today is Day 10 and I'm back at work! Honestly it feels great to be back to work! I absolutely could not withstand being home all day for another day. No way. I work in an office so I'll be mainly sitting, but since I want my booty to go down a little bit more this is a-ok by me! (I'm still mainly sitting on my thighs and I do have a pillow--so no worries, ladies!)
I'm wearing a loose dress so the people around me won't notice I have a huge booty, and I wear my coat when I leave my cubicle. I don't know how much longer I'll be able to disguise it, but wish me luck !
I've yet to tell anyone in my family--including my mom! I'll see how that goes when I meet up with them--I can't avoid them forever! But I'll be sure to dress more discreetly.
Updated on 5 Jan 2012:
**Updated pictures**
This review is the subjective opinion of a RealSelf member and not of RealSelf, Inc.
Helpful review?
My Doctor: Stanley Hegg, MD
My rating:



As for family, I agree girl2! Some criticize and instead of being happy for you they get all jealous and that's what they'll focus on and use to put you down. F that. I'll probably only tell my mother AFTER the surgery and that's because I believe it's better to ask for forgivness than to ask for permission :D. Besides that, I'm not telling anyone else from my family.
Ahhhh! Ladies my surgery is in 4 days and I'm incredibly scared. I even considered pushing the date of the surgery into 2012. :(. I'm no chicken by any means, and actually I have a pretty high pain tolerance but the recovery phase scares me. I'm afraid I'm going to swell like a giant ballon and that I'll be in horrible pain. I'm afraid the surgery is going to go bad...Idk! Just so much fear right now! I tell myself it's jitters.
I've yet to prepare for the surgery (buy supplies, get the prescriptions) bc I'm so nervous.
My to do list for today and tomorrow:
- Tell boyfriend
- Buying supplies
- Get my pain medication
- Take lots of Before photos
:( ... I just hope I can go through with this.
Girl2 in the posts above yours had 500ccs put in, so maybe looking at her photos will give you an idea of how big you want to go?
BBLange had 800ccs put in: http://www.realself.com/review/sacramento-brazilian-butt-lift-weeks-love
Hope this helps!
I'm 5'1 and I also fluctuate between 120-125. I was told I was tiny, but have enough fat "to work with." What Dr. Hegg said was that he was going to have to use alll the fat he could get. I guess he offers a procedure where he'll lipo the fat, insert the max # of ccs and then whatever fat is left over, he'll freeze it and reinject it to the butt a few months later. I don't have enough fat for storage :(.
Basically everything he told me is what I've read through the message boards here. The whole lipo process, etc. You're not knocked out for surgery, you're put in a very relaxed sleep. It'll be done in his clinic. He said you won't feel a thing, but just as when you're sleeping, if they need to rouse you from sleep they'll be able to. You won't feel pain, but for example, when they turn you around to lipo your tummy they'll tell you to turn over and you'll drowsly be aware that they're turning you over.
He provides pain medication. He gave me codeine and some anxiety medication for the night before surgery and the morning of surgery lol. Which is FANTASTIC. Because when I went in for my second appointment, my heart was pumping fast and it wasn't even the day of my surgery !
I wasn't prescribed antibiotics though...I think I'll call his office...maybe they're not needed?
So, what's included with your total cost? Garment? Massages? I heard that I would have to take tests before my surgery? I really wish I could have my consultation earlier so that I could prepare myself asap! (:
Wait, so Dr. H can freeze the extra fat? That sounds great.. That's if I can gain more weight though. It's really hard to do! :( Did he say that he would charge extra for doing that also? Ahhhh, sorry for asking so many questions.
I will say that that this process has come up in FAQs on the boards here, and a lot of physicians don't feel all that certain about performing it, becuase the reabsorption rate is higher for this the freezing procedure.
Idk..its definately something to research :).
Good luck tomorrow, Sara!
My bf took it great and he was incredibly supportive! Said I was beautiful as I was but that what mattered is that I found myself beautiful so that he'd be with me 100%.
I'm so glad I got it done!
Dr. H was actually able to put 1200 ccs in each cheek! Holy cow! But he said that it was really more like 800 ccs of purified fat (since he doesn't purify the fat).