2 kids and a BBL later...I finally got what I needed all along, a Major TT! 9 Days Post Op: Surgery Date 11/21/17 I'm 5'4, currently 150lbs but weight fluctuates from (125-150), and have an athletic build. After having my last child (now 3yrs old), I decided that I was fed up wit my shape! I had this horrible belly bulge (look like I was 2-3 months preggo, especially because I have a small frame), saggy skin around my belly button, and stretch marks. At first, my belly really didn't bother me because I thought I just a needed a little more butt...Then hey, it would be more proportionate! NOPE, that was a fail!!!Yes the transfer added a little more hump back there but I was not happy with my results. I hated my stomach even more & my butt didn't look that much different...Especially after the swelling went down ;(. That's a whole Nother topic but if you want to know more just ask. Anyhow, since I did not do a diligent enough research when I got my BBL done (Seduction Cosmetic Center, Miami, FL, 5k), I knew it was extremely important this time around. I wanted to be happy! No more wasted money! Here are some before pics... I will post after pics when I dress myself and reposition my shaper. Updated on 1 Dec 2017: ***Prior to BBL And TT
At 40, I changed careers and realized that I had really neglected myself. Years of caring for others and not sleeping well had taken their toll on my eyes. I decided to have juvederm injections in the tear trough. I should've asked more recovery questions because I wasn't prepared for the amount of bruising that I have. I'm going into week 2 still wearing 3 layers of makeup and fake glasses. I'm also noticing some uneven areas and a couple of divots. Hoping my follow up appointment will address and hopefully fix but I'm now terrified of even more bruising. Pics are before, day after, and week after. Updated on 9 Jun 2016: So I went for my follow up on Monday. Bruising has subsided, still a couple uneven spots but some days are better than others. We decided not to dissolve because that day i looked fine. Woke up this morning really puffy again, and the discoloration is more evident. Essentially I feel like I teased bags for dark circles and not really sure what I want to do about it. Sought a second opinion from another PS who told me to wait it out. Problem is, they're only seeing me WITH makeup. I don't want to have to wear makeup all summer...kinda the reason I wanted this procedure in the first place. Updated on 27 Jun 2016: So I went for a third opinion. Too much puffiness, discoloration, and insecurity for me. I LOVED the PA I met with. Because of reviews on here, I was reluctant to use a PA, but given the job that the highly reputable PS did, and the fact that the PA does hundreds of these procedures, I thought why the hell not. I was so comfortable with her. We talked about how some of the shading could actually just be shadows from volume loss in the upper cheek and that one solution might be a little more filler in that area. She suggested that some of the discoloration could actually be sun damage that was brought to the surface once the juvederm was injected and that we could IPL that area only. She also said that we could dissolve a little of the juvederm but if I add more to the cheek, the difference wouldn't be as noticeable. I completely agreed with everything she said. I took this info back to my PS last week and he didn't agree at all and suggested I wait another 6 weeks. No thanks. It's summer at the beach and I'm pretty much over wearing this much makeup. Appt with the PA tomorrow to inject cheeks but not going for IPL just yet. Baby steps. I'm so damn terrified of bruising again but this time I've had no alcohol, no painkillers, lots of arnica and I'm eating pineapple for breakfast! Pice below are what my PS thinks are ok. Updated on 29 Jun 2016: Went in yesterday and had a tiny amount of Radiesse injected into the upper cheek area. What a world of difference that made and guess what....NO BRUISING! I seriously love this woman. There is still discoloration but I'm assuming it's Tyndall and I'll just have to wait it out, but now without the extra divots and unevenness from the juvederm, a couple dabs of color corrector and it's a million times better! Updated on 16 Oct 2016: So it has been a while since I updated. For anyone considering fillers in the year troughs, do NOT use juvederm. Period. It's that simple. The hydrophilic nature of it has completely destroyed my lower eye area. From the daily struggle with water retention and puffiness, I'm now left with saggy skin and going in for a skin pinch blephoroplasty on Thursday. Doc had recommended doing a Fraxel CO2 resurface, but after reading several reviews and 300+ pics, I decided to just go with surgery. Plus it offered the least amount of downtime as I don't have much PTO from work. This has seriously been a daily struggle, and I do mean DAILY, has destroyed my self confidence and increased my already horrible anxiety. I'm terrified but really looking forward to surgery! The Radiesse in my cheeks that I raved about earlier has been ok, but I've found that what I really liked was the initial swelling from the lidocaine. Once that wore off and I ate too much salt causing my eyes to puff up, I was right back in the same boat. Attaching pics showing the under eye sagging. Updated on 30 Mar 2017: I just changed my rating to Not Worth It. After 2 surgeries and a series of complications, I met with an opthamologist who said unfortunately she has ok average 3 patients per week who come to her with issues from juvederm in the tear troughs. She explained that no reputable surgeon should ever make that recommendation due to the unpredictable hydrophilic nature of juvederm. It's too late for me now, but hopefully someone else can read this and stop while they still have a choice! I only wanted to not look tired. I didn't want 2 surgeries, weeks away from work, dry eye complications and numerous doc visits.
I am so glad I did this!! I should have done it 10 years ago. An hour out of my life to look and feel like this was worth every penny! If you read a lot everything will prepare you. It is scary and creepy because you're awake but just be strong. The only thing I wasn't prepared for and didn't find any mention of was the cauterizer. (not sure of spelling) I absolutely did not like the feel of that on my eyelids...awful!! The pressure and the smell was terrible...but other than that and even with that it was bearable. As they say...no pain no gain.
