“A tummy tuck was the best thing i ever did!”
Tummy tuck: Worth it
Pain: Severe
After having 3 children I was left with stretched, lose hanging skin on my stomach. I had gained 100 pounds with my 2nd pregnancy because of a medical condition that just made it worse. I worked out at the gym for years and NEVER could get rid of the skin on my stomach.
After careful consideration and research I decided I'd go to the place that had done several of my friends breast augmentations. Yes, even with a "comfort pump" the procedure was painful, but it was very worth it to me. Gone was the stretched, lose skin and the stretchmarks that went almost up to my boobs before, were now all below my belly button.
My swelling lasted several months, but I wore my girdle for that whole time. Even with the swelling, the long incision (that I can easily hide in bathing suits and underwear), and the almost 1 year before I was back to normal recovery was worth every dime and day that I spent under that girdle!
For me, a tummy tuck was easier than putting myself through 3 natural childbirths, tatoos and a broken foot.
Apr 2, 2008Comments and replies (16)
9 posts
2 Apr 2008
Ok, I'm commenting on my own story. The last photo was taken 1 month ago after a surgery to remove a "dog ear" I had developed after my tummy tuck. You can see that almost 3 years later how much my scar has faded comepared to the 6 week follow up one that is posted above. I know I could have used some Lipo on my hips but chose to get surgery on my breasts over lipo about a year later.
unregistered guest
2 Apr 2008
You look great! WOW. question - What skin products did you use to fade the scars? irene
unregistered guest
2 Apr 2008
agree with irene....u look fabulous. congrats on getting your body bck... what diet changes did you make to get rid of scarring?...was it temporarey or are u still on this diet?
9 posts
3 Apr 2008
It was more of a lifestyle change instead of a "diet." I knew that staying healthy and eating a balanced, nutricious diet would be the best choice anyways. But watching a friend have a tummy tuck who continued to just eat alot of junk and fast food,(and didn't wear her girdle!!!) who was a social smoker realy hit home. I don't know if the two issues were in fact related, but her scars looked nasty. Mentally it was enough to make me committed to NOT looking like that. I wasn't going to go through all this pain and money and not do what I could, even if it took over a year from start to finish to have the best scar I could. And it went through alot of different phases from red and raised, to dark brown and flat... it was lumpy. But eventually, it calmed down and faded with time. I know everyone is different and I told myself if I was going to tan my scar then I was going to do everything I could to make sure it looked the best it could. It was lumpy for about a year,and I massaged it every night and I think wearing the girdle around the clock for several months helped to keep the tension off the scar so it didn't widen. Some people made fun of me for wearing my girdle for so long but like other people have said, I had residual swelling for several months.
3 posts
6 Apr 2008
Not sure what you mean by "dog ear"? Can you describe more fully? I wasn't sure what I was seeing in the picture. Thanks!
9 posts
6 Apr 2008
A "dog ear" is a little piece of skin that sticks out at the end of your incision. I didn't have the "before" of my dog ear but I can see if my doctor can give it to me. Mine was small about 3cm that poked out like a little triangle. It grossed my daughters out! Early on there was this piece of flesh that didn't lay flat, so after a few years I decided that I wanted it removed.
9 posts
17 Apr 2008
Well all they had to do to get rid of the "dog ear" was to cut off the little piece of skin that stuck out. I think I had like 4 or 5 stithces and they were in for about a week. They were annoying and burned, but it wasn't painful. I kept the incision covered with gauze but the pressure from pants hurt it, but if I wore loose clothing it felt like a curling iron burn or something... and then it's healed up very nicely. I think my incision is about an inch long, so I traded a 3cm piece of poking out skin for a flat incision.
2 posts
22 May 2008
So congrats on how great you finally feel and look...So I am probably going to skip getting the lipo on the flanks as well and I am thinking about a breast lift.. Well my question is one I haven't read yet.. Do you have any pics of your belly straight on for the afters... I keep seeing altered pics of people leaning in the befores and standing straight up and in the afters and then theres your case only a profile...?
1 post
17 Oct 2008
Hi i have had 3 kids and man its hardest getting rid of this belly on the third.. wa able to get rid of it the first two times... So did they say how many pounds of skin they removed total?
9 posts
18 Oct 2008
Yes, it was a little over 3 pounds, and the tattoo came off in 1 piece! They gave me a picture of that as well.