“Still unsure about the smart lipo”
Smart Lipo: NOT worth it
Cost: $7,300
Pain: Uncomfortable
Pain: Uncomfortable
Smart Lipo satisfaction: Fair
I had Smart Lipo surgery on May 1. I had my upper and lower ab area and my love handles done. So far I am not very happy with the results on my upper and lower abs. Can anyone tell me why I have hard lumpy areas around the lower ab area? I went in for my one week post op appt and they told me that everything looked great and I was still swollen.
I have another appt next week. I understand about the swelling but I don't understand about the hard areas. Can anyone give me any help with this? Also how long will it take before the lower part of my stomach gets flatter? The upper part is pretty flat but the lower part is not at all. How long does it actually take to start seeing more results?
May 13, 2008Comments and replies (52)
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
This review is the subjective opinion of a RealSelf member and not of RealSelf, Inc.
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8 posts
14 May 2008
Hi Kat30-- Sounds like I have the same situation as you; I had my upper and lower abs down on April 30, and while at first the results were great--my stomach was flat, smoother, and smaller, my stomach has been turning hard and lumpy since maybe day 7, getting worse up till now. Like you I've also been looking for answers on this website and others, and will let you know if I read anything good (it'd be great if you could do the same!) I can say that I'm generally still optimistic for my situation (and yours), because I think the lumps are uneven swelling vs. anything permanent. My reasoning is that I stopped wearing my compression garments about 4 days ago, and now when I wear clothes with waistbands that kind of dig in, the lumpy areas getting pressed on by the waistband, while not necessarily getting reshaped, they get pushed back and stay that way for a while after I change clothes, and I think this means that it's fluid or some other kind of mushy deposits that haven't settled in yet. So my fingers are crossed and I think things will get better. Take a look at this thread, and search for comments from "happytummy" on it. It sounds like she may have had something similar and it turned out better over some time. Out of curiosity, I'm wondering if our bodies are similar in some way that made us experience this hard lumpiness more than others. On my side, I am overall athletic and didn't get much sucked out--and my pooch (which extended up to my ribcage) wasn't the really soft or big kind but just kind of excessive and uneven. My skin is also quite elastic. I didn't bruise or swell much (I took arnica and bromelin before and after) and while I'm overall smaller than I was before surgery, I know even not considering the lumps that I'm still swollen, esp in the lower abs, like you. There is also still some tenderness to the touch, but I can massage lightly at this point. (but it's hard to grip the lumps!) Was your experience similar? here's hoping for the best!
20 posts
14 May 2008
I had the procedure done on the 21st of April. I am pleased with my results overall but also have some hard lumpiness too. From everything I've read on this site it seems like it is pretty normal and will get better with time. I have been trying to massage the area and it does seem to help. For me I had alot of loose skin in my lower ab and now it's tight instead of hanging to maybe that's why I'm still happy with my result.
16 posts
16 May 2008
Hello, I too had smartlipo on my lower & upper ab's. I am happy with the results. It will be three weeks for me on Monday. However, I too have the hardness, with the lower abs being the worst. I asked my dr. about this & he said not to worry it will go away & it's my body doing it's thing after smartlipo. I also have more swelling on the lower abs w/ most of it being gone on the upper ab's. I'm schedule for my flanks & touchup on the lower abs first week in June. However, am worried to do more if this is the result w/ hardness. I try to massage as well.
8 posts
16 May 2008
Good news! I just called my doctor, who by the way was great, very attentive, nice, and seemed completely competent and honest (before/during/after surgery). For some reason I had decided to wait it out a little bit before calling, because I suspected the lumpiness was somewhat normal, but now I wanted to hear reassurance from the doctor himself. He said that it is certainly normal to have hard lumpiness after surgery. This he said was fibrosis, a particular kind of internal scarring that is actually a desired effect of the SmartLipo laser. I'm post surgery at 2.5 weeks, and he said by week 4-6 it should go away--it will convert to soft tissue. He said perhaps 1 out of 3 patients get this, and that it's much more common on the abdomen (I had my upper and lower done) because it's a large flat surface. For those reasons, he didn't include it on the general post-op guidelines. As it is a kind of scarring and healing, he said massage and hot baths (or towels) would be good---anything to increase blood circulation will help the healing along a little more quickly. I trust him overall and he definitely expressed that this is fine; I really think things will get better for us!
7 posts
17 May 2008
I had Smartlipo with suction 2 weeks and 2 days ago on the upper and lower abdomen and I have a hard lump an inch or two under my ribs that extends across my stomach. I call it my "speed bump :)". My Dr says that this is completely normal and to begin massaging my entire abdomen using my three middle fingers, lying down, starting in the middle top portion of my belly and pushing firmly, slowly dragging across the width of my stomach in a spreading motion (sorry for run on sentence). My upper abdomen was chubby, but my skin was/ is elastic above the navel. My lower stomach was a saggy, wrinkly, "kangaroo pouch" and looked flat and cured after surgery while still wearing compression garment. Now that I've been garment free for 3 days the loose skin is making an appearance once again. My lower abdomen is "tighter" in that I can feel "abs" underneath and my "kangaroo pouch" doesn't hang below my pantie line. But... what used to be filled-out, drooped wrinkles is now a small, square pouch under my belly button that looks like I got mauled by a tiger!. My belly button is also very odd shaped. Has anyone else had belly button shape problems? Will it go away?!?
5 posts
17 May 2008
My belly button is a lot smaller and it seems to keep getting that way. Under my belly button looks very similar to what you are describing, except I have those hard lumps there also. I have another post-op appt with my doctor this week so I'm going to try and get all my questions answered. Everyone keeps telling me to be realistic because it's only been a little over 2 weeks, but I can't help it.
20 posts
17 May 2008
Before I had any surgery I also had a consult on traditional lipo and that doctor told me that he recommended a mini tummy tuck for me for my post baby belly. When I went for the smart lipo consult he told me that he thought the smart lipo would significantly help my belly but he couldn't guarantee I would have a smooth belly since I had some stretch marks and loose skin there. I decided at that time to go with the smart lipo and see how everything looked from that before I would decide on any cutting and stitches. My stomach has those hard lumps, which I massage, and it really helps. It's really hard to be patient but I think that the results are going to keep getting better. It does help reading everyone's comments to reassure myself that everything is normal. I'm at almost 4 weeks since my surgery. I have also started doing some light ab work too. I'm not sure how much I should be doing, I've been just going with how much I think I can do without hurting myself. Is anyone else doing ab exercises at this point?
3 posts
19 May 2008
Has anyone who is 50ish had smart lip done with good results on lots of sagging skin like I have? I don't have that nice elastic skin like I used to have and since losing 100 lbs. I need to do something about this sagging skin and fat I still can't lose. I would like to try smart lipo because of the tightening effect it claims to have. I have lots of fat left on my legs plus sagging skin there and also on my stomach and under arms.
12 posts
19 May 2008
The hardness is an inflammatory response. I had it too and have had two lymphatic drainage treatments (my doctor does for free after your smartlipo) which have helped a lot. The doctor did say it would go away on its own in time, but the lymphatic massages are getting everything moving faster. My surgery was one month ago, for reference. The results take time, and I wonder about the unhappy "not worth it" reviews being posted just days after surgery.
12 posts
19 May 2008
I should be more specific, because if you're like me you don't know what lymphatic massage until after you get smartlipo - they go over the hard areas with an ultrasound that creates warmth under the skin (you cannot feel the warmth) and then use this big subdermal massager thing on the areas that are hard. It is not a pleasant feeling while it's happening because my hard areas are swollen and painful to the touch, but the end result has been a major decrease in the size of the hard areas. They're mostly gone and I was told they will go away on their own unless I just want to keep doing the massages. Also, if you're unsure about your results, look back at your pre-surgery photos. My back is not perfect, but when I looked at the old pics I was shocked. It didn't take long to get used to the new me, lol. Can't wait to see the results three months down the road.