I had an excellent experience with this injection. It was scary having an injection under the eye but the results are beautiful. No bruising and my face looks better. Gave me confidence. I also got botox and juvederm done at the same time. The Belotero was the last injection performed and it actually hurt less than all the other ones. I will definitely keep up with these injections going forward. Updated on 5 Mar 2015: Before on left smiling with no makeup. Right is immediately after treatment Updated on 3 Jun 2015: So, as a follow-up to my review I will add that the Belotero only lasted 2 months. I went back to Dr Sobel's office for liposuction and at my follow-up I asked why the Belotero only lasted 2 months when they had told me 6 months. The nurse/assistant was very rude to me and said he can only inject it, he can't make it last. So, waste of money.
Here's my situation - I'm a successful salesperson in NYC and consistently workout. I spend summer weekends in Fire Island and wanted to look better in my bathing suit. BTW- I'm not obsessed - just want to be the best - me. I tried Vanquish for my small pooch and love handles which didn't get better no matter what diet or exercise I did. My result - I'm smaller, tighter and curvier without any muffin top. We use make-up to help embellish our looks why not use a procedure to make our body look better? No pain - no time out of my daily life and worth every penny - and it wasn't too many pennies. My doc told me they will have a leg treatment in the next month -can't wait to look even better next Spring wearing dresses.
14 years ago I went to Dr Sobel in Manhattan to discuss treatment options for acne scarring. He suggested microdroplet silicone injections. I asked if any side effects would occur. He assured me that he was using so little that i wouldn't have an issue. I went for 1 treatment despite him suggesting at least 2. Thank God I didn't go for more. Initially and for 10 years my cheek looked flawless. 4 years ago I started to notice raised lesions in certain lighting. They were small and only noticeable in bad lighting. Each year as I aged and lost collagen these lesions became more pronounced. In certain lighting the texture of my cheek looks bumpy and irregular. I finally went back to Dr Sobel and he injected cortisone. I did this twice and it didn't work. This has been a huge source of emotional stress for me. I recently tried cautery to lower a lesion and I'm waiting for that to heal but I think it will leave a scar of it's own. DO NOT DO SILICONE INJECTIONS EVER. They can't be removed or fixed. I wish I had a warning 14 years ago. Drs shouldn't administer this yet they do. If anyone reading this has any advice on treatment that could help the raised lesions I have now, please write back!
Ever since puberty I've had a fatty lower belly that I can't get rid of no matter how much I diet and exercise. I currently weigh around 150 which is pretty good for 5'10". If I exercise a lot and eat right I can sometimes get down to 145 but that is lowest I can go without compromising my sanity. So, in February I went to see Dr Howard Sobel to get some botox and fillers. In his office he had pictures of his liposuction before and afters. I showed him and his nurse my stomach and Dr Sobel said I am a perfect candidate for lipo! At first I just wanted to do my stomach but he grabbed a handful of my upper hip area and said... why not this too? So, I thought, sure go for it. I have no kids so have no need for muscle repair. I am a bit scared because this is going to be done under local anesthesia. All I get is a shot of demerol (muscle relaxer) and a valium. Apparently the tumescent fluid itself acts as an anesthetic. I do have a high threshold for pain and am quite stoic so think this should be just fine. I will just keep thinking about how glad I'll be a few weeks from now when my rolly belly is less prominent! Updated on 7 May 2015: Nervous and excited for surgery today. I keep looking at my fat belly and saying goodbye to my handful of love handles. Hope the pain and money end up being worthwhile. Updated on 7 May 2015: Almost ready to go in!! Updated on 7 May 2015: One more pre-op pic Updated on 7 May 2015: So, I arrived at 9am. The nurse prepped me by washing me down with antiseptic. Then I got a valium and shot of demerol. After 20 minutes I went into the OR. The doctor came in and started by making little cuts in my belly and sides. Then he injected the tumescent fluid which was uncomfortable but bearable. Parts of it hurt, especially the stomach. The flanks were ok, not as painful. Then came the actual liposuction. I could see the fat going through the tube and into the canister. Bye bye yellow fat. Most of the time I kept my eyes closed. There was pain when he went near my belly button but otherwise I just felt pressure and vibration. He stood me up twice to check front and back and to redraw something on my belly. Then he would go back to the suctioning. Finally I was done, cleaned up and I dressed myself. No dizziness. I even walked home 9 blocks! Right now I feel good. Had a berry smoothie with blueberries, pineapple, strawberry and apples plus a spinach salad. Lying in bed now with my cat chilling on my stomach. Updated on 7 May 2015: Almost 9pm and I have some serious bruising peeking out from the top of my garment. When I shower tomorrow I expect to see black and blue. My friend Dr John Mesa who practices In Livingston NJ called to check on me. Confirmed it is ok to walk around outside with my dog, so far my dog and I have been on a 1 hour walk around 4pm and another shorter walk at 8pm Updated on 8 May 2015: Had a decent night. Took a percocet and went to sleep. Problem was I had not been hungry all day so at 11pm and 3am I woke up and had some fitness bread with all natural peanut butter and then went back to sleep. I walked my dog for 1 hour in the park and then it was time to take a shower. All the gauze and sticky tape were difficult to remove. I did this under the running water with a bar of soap to ease the tape off. Still pulling anything off major bruises is painful. Then I put rubbing alcohol on the incisions followed by neosporin and bandaids. Put on my new garment and lay down for a bit. Updated on 9 May 2015: Despite my stomach, sides and back looking like I was beaten with many baseball bats I've actually been having an active, lovely day. Yesterday I did 2 protein shakes with lots of colon cleanse (psyllium husks) and that helped clean out the system and keep me comfortable. I also took vitamin c, zinc and bromelain. I will post pics tomorrow to see if the bruises are any better. Updated on 10 May 2015: Looking slightly less bruised today. Keeping up with my vitamins, protein, walking etc. Put on a black skirt for church and noticed how much flatter and better it fits. Inspired to do more spinning and hot yoga after work. In the past I would go through phases of going a lot and then getting bored and slacking off. Still, summer is coming and I want to look good. I'm single and any extra boost of confidence is a good thing. Updated on 22 Jun 2015: I think I'm a fast healer because it looks like all the swelling is gone and my results are really good. In fact it all went so smoothly that I now regret not doing the inner and outer thighs. Ah well, maybe I'll get to those areas eventually. I get a lot of compliments on my hour-glass figure and am very happy not to have a bulging fat roll. Updated on 11 Aug 2015: Finally I can wear bodycon dresses without being self-conscious about my protruding tummy. I have been exercising consistently with spinning, jogging and tennis. Nothing obsessive and eating moderately. I am still 5'10", 150 lbs.
