Smart Lipo: Stories

there you go folks, this is what I live with, 2 years later, a lot of heartache, headache, my beat up psyche and my completely BOTCHED body that I paid money to do to myself!!! I finally got the gall to put up the photos. PLEASE MAKE YOUR CHOICE WISELY, DO YOUR RESEARCH. THE COST AND EXTENSIVENESS OF ANOTHER FIX IS VERY DIFFFICULT TO MAKE, I CHOSE TO LEAVE IT, I SORTA HOPE IM THE ONLY ONE WHO GAVE UP.JUST PLEASE DO YOUR RESEARCH!

Have you done the repair lipo with the Beverly Hills doctor yet?

Hey - Thank you for the update. I just wish that there was something else out there to make you, heck Us, WHOLE again. You are so correct when you describe all of the things that encompass this surgery. There are so damn many to count. I am glad that Yoga is helping you with the depression. For me, it is the appearance of my body, then the depression, and lastly isolation. Such a sad world anymore for me. Take Care. I still see so much beauty in the rest of you. I know it is like having a beautiful lawn except right in the middle of it ,the lawn has died. You think to yourself that no one can see or care about the beautiful part. No true. I can still see you. I can't help save myself though. Lol. Please if you proceed with surgery and it worked will you let us know? I have the same tummy problem, plus hideous legs and thighs and now weight gain to my upper body, back and lower back and butt and arms.

Hey B.B did u go for lymphatic massages.?? just asking, I just went for one today.. ouchhh

awww Dri,
i know it, its just my psyche that is so bruised...I dont feel like the bumps were being addressed the same as dents because the bumps are more complicated to pin down...I dont have neverending flow of money either. I really wouldt be comfortable with as heavy as i am, that my stomack will look right, and if i dont have the extra weight then they have nothing to work with. its like a catch 22 because my stomach isnt as noticable when im fat, lol

Hey WTH! You arent giving up on us are you? I have been with you since the beginning of this stupid thing. I myself am going for my 5th or maybe 6th (can you believe this?? Ive lost count) surgery on november 2nd, 2012 to fix my stomach and thighs. With every surgery it gets a bit better. I have decided to go to another dr that I know. Even if I get 50% improvement it will be worth it. I completely understand the emotional upheaval you have gone through. Maybe you just need an emotional break for awhile as well as letting your body heal. You definately dont need to give up and go through life feeling embarrassed about your body. The weight will come off. We just have to work harder then we did before (not just for apprearances but for your health as well). Complex B vitamins will also help break down fat and carbs and give you more energy. Also, technology improves everyday along with the skills of doctors. There has to be someone who can fix this. We just havent found the right person yet. Chin up! We will fix this!! Big hugs.

Juliabars, yes, I was made to gain weight to acquire muffins on my sides so they can use that fat to graft to the dents in both my thighs and stomach. I DID get weight distribution, into my ass, my outer hip and absolutely in my abs where the supposed fat cells were supposed to be removed. This surgery wasnt made for someone like me. I just had a little cellulite and now I have been burned and left bumpy and dented. I even believe when the tumescent fluid id injected it causes stretching of skin which contributes to the sag lots of people compain about. I did a consult with Dr Svehlak in BH and IF i decided to do the surgery, he would be my choice, but my psyche cant take anymore. I have accepted what I look like now (and this 15-20 lbs i gained isnt melting off like I had hoped) so now I am chunky and lumpy, but ya know what? My sanity is more important. I advise you do a ton of research on messing with your arms, it is said it is the worst and most painful place with the least results (jagged scars, hanging skin and horrid pain) so look up the cons of getting work done on your arms please . As for me? I give up, im not 20 anymore, I still dont have strech marks, but now I live with the same shame as those who are embarrassed of their body, it just is what it is.

Hey Botched Beauty, out of curiosity, did you notice after your liposuction any fat redistribution to previously skinny areas like the rest of us? I had a body much like your before pic and then had ultrasonic lipo (ugh...) to my flanks (it was a free procedure) and ended up with a thick back, upper stomach, and arms, which were all previously skinny!
So sorry with what you've been through. I will agree with others though that you don't look at all bad in your after photos to the outsider. We have to remember that we are comparing ourselves to what we were or could have been, which can be especially hard for those who were especially more than content with what they already had. I'm considering getting a fat transfer from my arms back to my love handles but am quite concerned about it's survival and any lumps that could occur.

Well your tummy does look better then your thigh area in that no man would ever notice the imperfections in your tummy with such nice breasts. As long as you don't have jelly belly rolls, its all good for guys! You will always notice the imperfections more. Are you supposed to have any more revisions?

I have had traditional wet tumescent lipo 3 times. The first time was done by a bad doctor who just didn't have a clue how to remove fat evenly. I had to have two lipo revisions which included fat transfers to the uneven areas by another more skilled doctor. My first sugery left me looking like someone took an ice cream scoop and scooped out a chunk out of my leg/thigh and weird divets along the bottom part of my back and my tummy had this round thing my second doctor called "lipo donut". Like some of the people who commented here I later found out my first doctor had a totally bad rap for being a terrible suregon but this was back in 2002 and internet forums to discuss these matters were not available! I had to wait a year in between each lipo revision/fat transfer where they harvested fat from one area and placed it into the areas where it looked like chunks were missing from my body. I had plenty of fat for them to harvest trust me:) I weighed 153 lbs at 5 5 before my first procedure and by the time I was done with my 3rd lipo/fat transfer about 4 years later I was 120 lbs. I lost some weight on my own just from feeling better about myself each time a revision showed some improvement. While it is ALWAYS better to get it done right the first time I was grateful I found a doctor who could give me decent improvement. I fretted for a few years about my body. Clothes can hide it but when you are a young single woman in her 30's you are scared nobody will ever find your naked body attractive when it looks "unnatural" and kind of disfigured. I was reading this forum as I was looking for information on SmartLipo. There are some doctors who are for it and some who are not in other online forums. Here is the deal with any laser device any doctor buys for any procedure from lipo to laser hair removal. LASERS ARE EXPENSIVE PERIOD. A new machine can be $100K. A doctor is a business man and if a salesperson tells a doctor 'here buy my laser and you can offer your patients this great new treatment and no other doctor in your area has it' it sounds like a good investment but first the doctor must pay off the cost of the laser before they realize any profit. That would seem to push a patient towards a certain procedure over another procedure. Traditional lipo is under full anesthesia and takes a lot of time to preform. It seems the selling points of SmartLipo is that it is cheaper for the patient (no anesthesiologist) and it takes less of the doctors time so more profitable as the doctor can get more patients in and out on surgery day. Cosmetic procedures are basically tested long term on real live patients. I am so sorry for what happened to you BB and I can feel your pain. I got a skilled suregeon to transfer the fat and it did work for me and its 6 years later and the "scoops" did not return. I can tell its still a little "off" but others cannot so I got used to my new "normal". I am happy the fat thrived in the new loction and it didn't die and since it is your own material your body should not attack it as foreign substance. I was thinking of getting this SmartLipo on my butt to take out a little volume while removing some dimpling but I will NOT now. I have read better things about the ultrasonic lipo but I may end up going traditional lipo again. BB I would like to see your results from your fat transfer. You will see immediate results after the transfer but you will be swollen for quite sometime so full results may not be known for at least 6 months or longer. I realized my full results about 12 months after each of my fat transfers.

I'd prefer not to downgrade the Dr. He has done a lot of good work on others. I was just too skinny. I didn't have any problem areas or my results would have been better. My best advise is to research the negatives on internet because you'll make a better decision. Google things like lipo malpractice or bad smartlipo...things like that. You'll find a lot.

I'd prefer not to downgrade the Dr. He has done a lot of good work on others. I was just too skinny. I didn't have any problem areas or my results would have been better. My best advise is to research the negatives on internet because you'll make a better decision. Google things like lipo malpractice or bad smartlipo...things like that. You'll find a lot.

Where in sacramento did you get this "botched" procedure? I am scheduled to go in for a consult in Sacramento.. . .. and now I am scared!

I didn't see any update.. What did you post?
How are you?

3/20 update... I have consulted with the amazing Dr Svehlak of Beverly Hills. I have gained 15 lbs total so he will be using the flanks I have "acquired" lol, to fill the dents in both my upper and lower abs and the inner thighs. I will post before pictures prior to my surgery date, and then my post ops once I am healed. I am a few months from this, so I will update when the time comes. Bless~