I had full abdomen, inner thighs and half of back bra rolls done yesterday and so far so good! I had originally wanted to do a fat transfer to breasts but Dr Xu was awesome and very clear with me that I was not an ideal candidate and only had enough volume to go up a half cup after absorption. The Sales girl was equally helpful and realistic about what results I could get. I am grateful they did not try to sell me on something that would have been disappointing. Dr Xu did recommend I do the very bottom of my back to help achieve a curvier look and I'm excited to see how it goes, definitely think it was the right call.
Surgery day was better than I expected. My nurse was so funny. I had read reviews that said they don't talk to you and it is a bad experience but mine was the opposite. She kept me entertained and less nervous with dancing and her infectious positivity. And when she and doctor Xu came in I was rocking out to the frozen sound track so they played it for me in the operating table! They totally talked to me and were so kind and positive.
I don't know why I was thinking it was a totally painless procedure, but there are spots that hurt. Sort of a 4 or 5 of 10, mainly the inner thighs but that could have been because my procedure took a few more hours than expected originally, and I'm a lightweight despite weighing 158 lbs and being German so I asked for a lower dosage of meds. The abdomen where we started I didn't feel a thing.
The time after was a bit more full on than I expected. I'm glad I had help. My mom had helped me prep and I'm glad she did. We got plastic lined felt Picknick blankets to put over and under me in bed. We also got towels and those dog pee pads in the car, and old PJs could just throw away after. You lose a ton of fluid that first 12 hours and since there is some blood on it it freaked me out but my mom said it was totally normal. It is less than 24 hours later and I haven't had drainage all day.
A few other things that have been super helpful- a she-wee!! Omg amazing. It is a funnel that allows girls to pee standing up and is genius. Makes it much easier, especially with the inner thighs being tender so you don't want to sit.
Baby wipes
Super Maxipads with no wings (since there is a big hole in the crotch of the garment and there is compression, it keeps your lady bits comfortable)
Adult diapers for ladies with incontinence- I will likely only use them 48 hours but it was helpful that first night. I haven't needed them recently but better than ruining my own undies and no worries on creases. O got a size up.
Coconut water, bananas, chicken soup, unsweetened unflavored pedaling, and any food you want handy.
I'll post photos at the 1 week mark and will include the before and 48 hour in pictures.
Also, today is still within the first 24 hours and my pain level never exceeded a 2-3. There is a ton of pressure though and it is hard to maneuver, so it is kind of like going around in a sumo suit and hard to.do things for yourself. I think it will get better when the pads and stuff come out after day 2, and when the swelling goes down end of week.
Updated on 30 Apr 2021:
This was pre shower just so you know what to expect. I was super freaked, especially because the pads had left weird textures and imprints, particularly in the thigh, but my mom said it is totally normal (she worked for plastic surgeon). Since then the thighs have equalized and don't have any weird dents.
Get that compression garment back on asap, and don't forget the foam board. Apparently it is how you prevent a line down your tummy.
Updated on 7 May 2021:
10 days in and things are going well. Swelling is coming down after spiking day 3 and 4, so I am a lot more comfortable. I'm glad I took the week of surgery off. Working day 6 and day 7 (Monday and Tuesday) was doable but not super comfortable, I was still getting so tight and swollen and couldn't quite zip any pants with the foams. Definitely noticeable at the office that I had had surgery. However by Friday it is way more subtle. Suddenly on day 7 I could walk at my normal pace which my mom says is fast, and am at about 5-8000 steps a day and taking it easy. (Normally do a lot more). Sitting can lead to feeling like an overstuffed sausage and your skin gets really tight, but I find light stretching and walking really helps break that up.
I haven't really had pain and don't use a pain med at all. I do use arnica tablets.
Updated on 9 May 2021:
Today is day 12. I put an extra foam in the compression garment in the back last night to help with swelling and it made a big difference! The thighs still feel tight and swollen at the top so I think I'll see more of a difference at the 4 or 6 week mark. For now they look the same. But the overall shape of the abdomen is awesome. They had warned me there is only so much they could do because of my bone structure (which was funny because I thought this is what I had always just told myself) so there is very little room between hip bones and ribs, but it is convex where it used to be concave and the inflection point in the curves is in a more attractive spot making my torso look longer. I love it, and it gets better every day!
Updated on 19 May 2021:
It is pretty hard to get photos on your own, especially of back angles. It is not actually lopsided, I just end up twisting a little to hold the camera and push the button. I'm still swollen in the sides, back, and top of thighs but it is going down a lot and there is a lot less friction when I walk than before. Hopefully that top part gets a little wider.
Updated on 19 May 2021:
At three weeks they are back to looking nearly identical to how they started. However, the circumference is one inch smaller at the top of each thigh, and I do notice significantly less rubbing when walking. Also, the lumpiness I had been worried about is all gone. Hopefully swelling continues to reduce and we see more of a difference but lifestyle wise I'm very glad for less friction when in yoga pants. My hope is to have comfort walking in bare legs like bathing suits and dresses
Updated on 30 May 2021:
Yesterday I did a 3 hour hike with 1000 foot elevation gain with no limitations. There was some less chafing in my legs but they do still touch. I like the overall results and am excited to get active to continue to contour and just get strong. Dr Xu gave me a beautiful and natural shape.
For people wondering if they should just diet, I included a photo from when I worked hard to achieve the best I could with diet and exercise. I look similar, but the airsculpt makes my boobs look awesome right now as normally at the weight it takes for my abdomen to look leaner the boobs are gone. And even with weight loss I could never get quite that shape in the back profile, and I was an inch bigger at the belly button. These results are perfect for me, as I was originally considering a brest enhancement, which is how I found airsculpt.
The bruising is all healed and the scars are getting a lot better. I use vitamin E oil regularly. The inner thighs I don't recommend for the price, though I guess these aren't the final final results.
I still have some swelling in the flanks and back but overall doing well healing. Very happy with the results.