34 Yo, No Kids, Love-handles, Bra-line, Lower-abs Lipo. Tampa, FL

Yesterday I had my lipo done. I was anxious so I took a pain pill as soon as I got there. I changed into the surgery garments and had pictures taken immediately before the surgery. The nurses made sure that I was sterilized from my head to toes by washing me over my surgical garments prior to laying me on the heated bed. Then the doctor spoke to me about his plan and where he would contour my fat. He numbed areas of my stomach, sides and back with a needle and it stung a little. More so in some areas than others. Then he placed small incisions where he numbed me. I had a towel over my eyes so I wouldn't have to see anything. I could not feel any of the incisions. Next, he placed the cannula into each incision and sprayed numbing solution under my skin which is an eerie feeling because it does not hurt but you can feel it under your skin. It definitely gives me a weird mental image but I did not look. Then he allowed me some time to get numb. During this time I felt very cold and shaky and my teeth were chattering but the nurse said this is normal. She placed a sterile blanket over my torso, legs and feet to warm me. She also brought me apple juice, water and a granola bar. Then the doctor came back and began to perform lipo suction on my lower abdomen and around my belly button. There were moments of a stinging feeling but all I had to say was ouch and he stopped and administered more numbing solution to that particular area and began again to work. The lipo is quite a bit uncomfortable at times but at other times, it did not hurt at all. The love handles were a little tender and the hips and back didn't hurt at all. The entire procedure took about 4 hours due to the degree of a perfectionist my doctor is. There were three occasions during surgery when he asked me to get off of the bed and look into the full size wall mirror to see what he had done and also to listen to my feedback about what I saw. He took the fat out to the point where when I touched the areas he worked on, all I felt was skin and my muscle beneath. I was scared because I thought that I looked "jiggly" but he assured me this was just the tumescent fluid inside of me which will drain that was causing that look. Also, the nurse said that my skin will tighten up during the healing stage and not to worry. But when I looked in the mirror the final time, I was blown away! It looked great. I have pics that I will include of me minutes before and minutes after surgery. The "afters" look swollen, but I'm confident that the swelling will completely subside and I'll look great. By the way, he took the fat all of the way out to the point where my stomach feels tight because of the underlying muscles. I have an asymmetrical spine, obliques and asymmetrical butt cheeks. So this has nothing to do with the work of my doctor. Please see my pics and I will update as soon as the swelling has gone down a little more.

I had a consultation with Dr. Thomas Su last week. It has been just over one year since I had my arms done by him and they are still gorgeous even though I haven't been exercising like I should. I hope that after having this lipo procedure on my love handles, bra line and lower abs, I will be more inclined to workout more to increase the visibility of my core muscles. Dr. Su explained to me that the procedure would take approximately 3-4 hours to complete. It really makes me happy that he takes his time to be a perfectionist as he did a year ago with my arms. i can't wait for my new waistline.