Went in for consultation and decided on liposuction in 3 areas upper abs, lower and waist. I lift weights and work out 5 times a week but at 52 the belly just isn’t goi g any where. I’ve been on this site for about a year so I know what it should cost here in Houston. I been working out hard and plan on a late July surgery. Updated on 25 Jul 2019: Been preparing for the past 3 days drinking water and taking Arnicare supplements from the doctor to control the bruising. I’m going to eat something light as directed and my procedure is at 11 am . Very excited to get going, I have been in contact with other members of the site and they have been wonderful giving advice and I’m thankful. I’m going in at 10 to get prepared where I’ll take the meds before the procedure. Updated on 26 Jul 2019: Everything went well as far as I can tell. I'm all wrapped up and taking my pain meds walking every hour. Here's how it went 1. Came in an hour early and brought to a prep room 2. Was given a IV and meds for procedure I was wide awake and just relaxed. 3. Brought into surgery room where I was washed off in all areas to be affected. 4. Given a shot to numb my belly and both sides. Waiting 8 min the small incisions were made in my abdominal area. The shot was painful but didn't last long 5. And we began! Liposuction began. If felt like a hard message with some painful times up by the ribs. 6. After all The liposuction next was the laser wand and this was not painful at all. 7. After about 30 minutes I dressed myself and was sent home where I'm in bed. 8. Pain meds have wore off and it was extremely painful like a deep burning. I took 2 of the hydrocodone. 9. Changed the pads on the small incision under my wrap and it was really flowing fluids. 10. I'm going to sleep drinking plenty of water and pain meds. I will update with pics after my shower tomorrow Updated on 26 Jul 2019: Last night was painful and I had trouble sleeping doubles up on pain meds but I mad it through. I leaked tremendously but I had my pads on the bed and didn’t make a mess. It’s been 24 hrs and i just took off the compression wrap and I didn’t have very much bruising at all but on the edges. See before and after. Still a lot of swelling. Updated on 27 Jul 2019: So the compression wrap they gave me at the surgery did cause a crease in my abdominal and that all I’m worried about, my drainage has all but stoped and I’m feeling better. Before I had the procedure I had a sweat wrap I wore on my belly when I worked out every day. It has zippers in different sections to fit larger and smaller sizes. Well I am able to move it to the smallest size. I know I was extremely fat and I will need to keep loosing weight but so far I think I’m going to be very happy. I would like to know more about how to massage my abdominal, so if anyone has any information when I can start and what it does. This is something the dr hasn’t talked to me about. Updated on 28 Jul 2019: I slept so good last night without pain. It’s now itchy and healing. Going for coffee this morning, I can’t wait any longer for coffee. No more pain meds just antibiotics meds. Going to get plenty of exercise today but I’ve been given extremely good advice by a new friend to take it easy so I will. I’ll next post after my 7day post dr visit. Updated on 1 Aug 2019: 1 week post op still swollen, a little bruised, but I’m 6 lbs lighter , inches smaller and only the swollen lower is not firm. See before and after pics. I walked around today a lot and yes I got light headed a little . But today they released me to do light exercise, it’s so nice to actually feel the abs I’ve been working on for months now. I can’t wait for more swelling to go down Updated on 4 Aug 2019: As I get active my swelling will go down and then swell up the next depending on activity. All of the bruises are not yet gone completely. My lower abdominal is a light green yellow and fading. No pain anymore just small pinching feeling randomly in different places on my abdominal. Tingling healing feeling all over. Drinking a gallon of water a day to flush this out of my system. Yesterday I mowed the yard with out issues except swelling a little more. Still 5 lbs down from pre procedure. Drinking Coffee again thank god. Updated on 4 Aug 2019: Just did some light exercise picking up trash along side the road to my neighborhood! Not much swelling today Updated on 5 Aug 2019: Feeling better and will try to do some light working out and cardio after work. Have been told to let your body tell you when it’s enough Updated on 10 Aug 2019: It’s been a little over two weeks and swelling is going down and I’m 8lbs down. Can’t believe how I look and feel. Still some soreness and localized heavy tingling and pinching. I can put my socks on with out pain and that’s an accomplishment. Adding a pic Updated on 24 Aug 2019: I’m real happy with results. I’m working out daily during the week and relaxing during the weekend just doing lawn work for exercise. Still have the tingling and burning where my nerves are coming back on my abdominal area. Updated on 26 Aug 2019: Updated on 28 Aug 2019: Working out on my abs and trying to get that 6 pack that has to be under there somewhere Updated on 13 Sep 2019: Ok I have nene had a1,2,3 or much less a 6 pac but it’s starting Updated on 5 Oct 2019: Some burning feeling still on my abdominal area still loosing weight down to 229 Updated on 22 Dec 2019: I still have some bumming in my belly and hard spots around my not so deep belly button. I have an incredible body type now that I have always wanted, I work out every week night and some weekend when I’m in town at planet fitness in Beaumont! Updated on 30 Jan 2020: Working out every week day now ! Some days are harder than others but building my body daily and loving it . Looking better in clothes Updated on 14 Feb 2020: You know there are still places that are tingling and I do have a little loose skin but all and all this has been one of the best decisions I’ve made Updated on 2 Mar 2020: Working out almost every day and wouldn’t change a thing it’s a great feeling Updated on 18 Jul 2020: It’s been a year and I’m still loving my body No pain no problems all great
...so is is secretary. ...i did not feel any pain at all following the procedure ...the only discomfort is my throat...which came from me having breathing tube down my throat to help my breathe..i would definitely recommend him to any one...i was very comfortable with him....he showed much concerns. ...thanks dr.stapenhorst. ...
I am fortunate enough that i never got stretch marks with my (now 32 yrold) son back in the day. I have however started to get a hanging belly on one side of my abdomen. It wasn't too bad, but it made clothes, pants especially fit awkward. I looked into a tummy tuck, but did not want the scar. I made a consulatation at SonoBello in Bellaire Texas on Monday the 25th and was very pleased with what I heard, I scheduled the surgery for that Thursday. I had waist, upper, lower abs, and hips done.
I'm 30 years old. I work out very often, but my eating habits weren't that great. I started working out two hours a day, but my stomach didn't move. I went to Sonobello Houston for a consultation and decided to schedule. I've been wanting it for years so I said I might as well. I'm sooo happy I did!
Because I always make a furrowed brow expression, I began to develop deep lines between my eyes, making me look mad all the time. After one treatment of Botox, the muscle contraction settled and the deep lines have softened. I no longer have an "angry" look. I look very refreshed! Dr. Stapenhorst is an expert in his field. Several of my friends have had surgery by him and look amazing.
After years of thinking about it, finally pulled the trigger on breast augmentation. Found a great doctor, got 350 cc silicone after much research on the options. It's two weeks out, I am so thrilled. Recovery was easy. I don't plan to have the FDA recommended MRIs to check for breakage until 10 or more years out unless I have or hear of a great reason. My doctor used the "pastry bag" device to insert the implants which is supposed to be the best way currently. So happy!
I have had 3 consultations in the past 3 weeks & I have finally made a decision. The 2 other doctors were only willing to perform one procedure at time, while Dr. Stapenhorst was willing to perform all in a hospital setting. Not sure if this a good thing or not??? I thought a mommy makeover consisted of multiple procedures & only 1 out of 3 was willing. Looking forward to my pre-op Aug 5 to choose implants & get more info on tt. I am hoping to get back my pre-baby figure & hopefully even better! Updated on 8 Aug 2014: So I had my pre-op appt this past Tues, Aug 5th and it went really well. I had a list of questions to ask, but of course I forgot them at home! To my surprise as the pre-op went on the dr. and his assistant answered all the questions I had written down. One of my main concerns was the OT billing, because my procedure is only scheduled for 7 hours, I was concerned about him going over that allotted time at the hospital. His assistant reassured me he's pretty good about time, but I also did confirm with the hospital it is a possibility but very rare. We went on to talk about my size implants and of course my hubby came along for this one! Lol The Dr. suggested a moderate plus profile with 300-350 cc's and as you can see in my picture I am very unsatisfied with the deflation from breast feeding 2 kids. When I met my husband I was a 34C, during pregnancy 38dd, after babies 36 full C/deflated D. I tried on a 300 cc implant & I felt like with the lift I may be a full c,Tried on 350 cc and it added some volume, and then I tried 400cc and my husbands ???? were popping out of his head! He liked them and I liked the fullness it gave me. I'm a little concerned i did not try 375 cc and worried about future dropping, so I'm stuck trying to decide what cc's to go with. Dr. also reassured the panties pictured will cover my tt incision. Yay for that!! Updated on 8 Aug 2014: I am 5'4, 140 pound, medium build, & 36 c/d. Updated on 19 Aug 2014: The first night was the worst, but like everyone & the dr. said "it will only get better" and it did! I am almost standing straight, but I do feel like I loose my breath easily. I love my boobies, but still not sure about my tummy tuck incision. I was hoping it would be lower, but I will update how I feel about it in a few more weeks. It hurts every time I sneeze, cough, or try to clear my throat, but it is getting better. Updated on 9 Sep 2014: Here are my one week post op pics of both my tummy tuck and lollipop lift with silicone implants. I was still hunched over and still feeling pretty miserable, but it was tolerable. By this time I've cried to my husband twice feeling the blues about the height of the scar, but he has been such a great support in reassuring me it will fade. The back pain sucks!! I was a tummy sleeper, but fortunately my hubby was able to figure out how to arrange my pillows. We have recliners in our sectional, but I find those more uncomfortable. So my hubby elevated my head down to my upper back in pillows, elevated my legs, put pillows under both arms and my personal trick for the lower back pain was putting a neck pillow under my lower back. It felt like heaven after figuring this arrangement out! Lol Updated on 9 Sep 2014: It literally takes 2 whole weeks to start feeling better. I personally thought I was tough enough to get through it in a week, but that didn't happen! My hernia in my belly button is starting to drain and has puss. Freaked me out a bit, but Dr. said there's no infection. Because of the hernia repair my bb will take longer to heal. Updated on 9 Sep 2014: Finally got the tape off today and I'm feeling a lot better about the incisions. They are a lot thinner than I expected! Dr. cleaned up my belly button and it looks a whole lot better than before. The puss and dried blood made it look like the stitches busted or that something went wrong. Loving the new areola's! The tummy tuck incision is thinner than displayed in the pic, there's still dried blood and residue from the tape that was hard to get off in the shower. Got to start scar treatment, which is Jedermann and bio oil until I get my silicone sheets in from NewGel.
I would recommend that the tummy tuck incision be placed at or slightly below the c-section scar. During surgery once the skin is elevated and the abdominal wall is tightened I believe that your abdominal skin will be loosened up significantly and allow for almost all of the skin between the belly button and the c-section scar to be removed. If a small vertical closure is needed it will be low on the abdomen and likely only about 2 - 3 inches long. This will ultimately give you a better cosmetic result than a higher incision going all the way across your abdomen.
You are not alone, almost every woman I see in my practice has some degree of breast asymmetry. Correction of breast asymmetry can be accomplished through a variety of techniques depending on how the patient presents and what her goals are for the surgery. Different sizes of breast implants can be used in the patient who desires larger breasts. This will work for both patients who are candidates for breast augmentation and those who require a nipple lifting procedure as well. Some women with asymmetry do not want larger breasts. For those patients breast reduction procedures and/or breast lifting procedures can be used to improve breast symmetry. Ultimately each patient is different, but breast implants, breast reduction, and breast lift can all be used to improve symmetry. Consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon will help determine the right procedure for you.
There are several different procedures for gynecomastia and each is suited to treating a different aspect of the condition. Liposuction is used to remove the less dense fatty tissue present in gynecomastia. Direct excisional techniques are used to remove the denser tissue that is often present deep to the nipple and areola. Skin excision techniques are used to remove redundant skin and fatty tissue in patients with more extensive gynecomastia that would not be addressed by liposuction alone. The best procedure for an individual patient is determined by their exam findings and can be any one of or a combination of two or more of the above procedures. Consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon will help determine the right procedure for you.
A tummy tuck procedure is usually the best option to remove excess skin and fat from the lower abdomen. A liposuction procedure only addresses the removal of fat tissue and when performed in patients who already have loose skin leads to an even more deflated appearance. Consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon will help determine the right procedure for you.
Thank you for your question. The important thing for you to do initially is to decide what your goals are for your surgery. You say that you do not want larger breast, you just don’t want them to sag. Your pictures show that you have loose breast skin so a lifting procedure would need to be done to tighten up the skin envelope and raise the nipple position. This would give you a less “deflated” appearance, but would also likely reduce your breast volume. The before and after pictures that you provided all show significantly larger breasts in the after photos. If these photos accurately represent your desired outcome then you will need an augmentation. Based on the pictures you provided, the best way to achieve the results shown would be to have an augmentation with a breast lift at the same time. Alternatively, you could have an augmentation and then if after surgery you and your surgeon felt like you still required a lift, it could be performed as a second procedure at a later date.
