So proud of my new body! Got BBL with Dr Riopelle last February this year and I’m so happy of the result! I don’t have a drain after surgery. I never sat on my butt for 2 months.i have very minimal pain and off pain on 3rd day. So thankful for Dr Riopelle’s staff for being supportive and nice!
Best decision ever, I initially went to have the procedure done for upper eyelid wrinkles, after speaking with Dr. Riopelle, we decided to do full face, I'm so happy with the decision. My pores are gone in certain areas already, checks are still visible, hope to have one more done in a month. It hurt, I had my dogs ball to squeeze. Swollen like the blue girl in Candyman the following day, however, on my nose and forehead where the pores were on the smaller side are gone, the pores on my cheeks which were larger are less noticeable, however, it is certain I'll did a second procedure.
Last year had fillers to the cheekbone area, however, this past year, the lower half of my face started to sag. In an effort not to have a lower face lift, since I had one in 2010, I wanted to do something for the time being. The doctor listened to my concerns, I did not want each area injected, I knew I would look like a chipmunk, so doctor injected Voluma in the shape of a C, starting from my cheek bones ending on my jaw, the results are phenomenal.
I have had cellulite as long as I can remember. I was so happy to hear that this procedure would help me get rid of most of the cellulite. I also wanted to try this procedure due to an injury I had on both my knees 9 years ago which prohibited me to work out as I normally did. Had the procedure early in August. Day of the procedure they gave me some medication for pain and to relax. Dr. Jeffery Riopelle and Dr. Donna Riopelle began to mark my thighs & butt. They started with the front of my legs with a device that felt like my skin was pulled into it in a pinch (did not hurt) and then administered the numbing needle. Then they started the slicing of the tethers which I didn’t feel at all. This went on throughout the procedure. I could feel one of the assistant ladies caressing my head and talking to me throughout the procedure. After they finished and wrapped me in plenty of gauze patches they put me in a garment that is meant to hold the gauze in place and to help with swelling. I was able to walk and sit with no problem on the way home. Pain-free. I slept the rest of that evening without any meds. In the morning I change the gauze (which they gave me). It leaked through the garment during the night so I was happy they gave me puppy pads to lay on. I changed the gauze 2 to 3 times the next day and showered that evening & change garments. It hurt a little to wash over the areas but mostly hurt sitting on the toilet…lol Skin was sore and very bruised but I’m a bruiser and it was worth it. Dr. Riopelle, very thoughtfully and caring called me to see how I was doing. Wore the garment for 2 weeks day and night for support and the bruising is slowly dissapating. Even with all the bruising, I can see a definite improvement already. There are some hard spots which can’t be seen but they feel like I have a couple of knots on my butt cheeks. I’m told massaging them will help them fade away. After 7 weeks I see a significant improvement and they say it will continue to do so for the next 6 months. I’m looking forward to it! Dr. Riopelle & Dr. Donna Riopelle are very caring and professional and did an amazing job! They do their best to make sure you are satisfied. The staff is very caring and helpful too, you can’t get any better than that.
Wanted to improve my figure and rejuvenate my overall skin for my up comming wedding
Had upper & lower abs and flanks done 2 days ago. Te entire surgery took 6 hours because I had some very tough "gristly" fat in my upper abdomen. I thought the surgery itself was mildly painful but bearable. The worst part was lying still on my back for so long. That night I felt very sick and threw up. Dr. Riopelle and his staff were amazing. Everyone was patient and understanding. That made all the difference. I was miserable and could barely get out of bed. Today is a tiny bit better but still difficult to walk or get dressed. So far my stomach looks flat but I'm very swollen. My first follow up is tomorrow.
I had two 1/2 syringes of Sculptra put in, about a month apart and I LOVE the results. My "cheek lines" that I was getting are much reduced/almost gone, and my face is fuller and younger looking. I had no bumps or lumps, but I was religious about massaging the treated area. I think the trick is getting a small amount and seeing how it works for you. I love it and will probably continue doing it unless they come up with something better! The best is looking at pictures of myself last summer versus this summer--I look MUCH younger! Updated on Aug 16, 2008: An update--I am happy with the results, but will probably have to go in for another treatment as it feels like it's gone down a little. Or maybe I'm just used to it now? But still, happy with the treatment. I think it's the least expensive way to take years off your face.
I have been following many tattoo regret stories and felt compelled to tell my own. I started getting a peacock sleeve tattoo in October of 2014. At first it was the black outline, which I was pretty stoked on. The first few sessions were all black shading, too, which I was fine with. Once the color started coming, I started to become self-conscious of the imbalance of color. I kept signing up for appointments thinking that I just needed to be patient and let it all come together. Now that it is complete, I can't stand how dramatically the color changes down my arm. I'm horrified to wear short-sleeved shirts because of how the sleeve hits the tattoo. Then I decided it would look better to have my inner arm full of stuff too, so decided to put a woman's face profile (still unfinished) there. This was just a week ago. It's pretty, but too complicated. My arm feels like a mess. I've had a few moments before the face was added where I actually liked the tattoo, but mostly just the feeling that I had made a horrible mistake. In the past week I've cried every single day and had near panic attacks even more frequently. I think a lot of this drop off has come with my decision to stop drinking alcohol for a while. I drink regularly and feel that my drinking problem definitely influenced my decision to get and continue to get tattooed. My artist, who is a wonderful artist and a wonderful person, is a full-blown alcoholic. I gave him a lot of trust with my arm and feel that my suggestions did not quite come through in reality. It somehow has seemed ok for me to bear with the tattoo until now when I finally feel woken up. Everyone around me tells me the tattoo is great and suits me. I feel that I need this reassurance to stay barely afloat, but I can't convince myself to like it. My boyfriend likes it and is super supportive of it. The only problem is that he freaks out whenever I have a moment where I'm feeling down on myself about it. I feel stuck and with no one to speak to. I signed up for a therapy appointment, which I hope will help sort things out. I'm nearly certain that I need to get this thing removed, but feel that I should go into it with a level head and create fair expectations of my journey out of this ink. It feels like such an embarrassment to have everyone in my life know about this tattoo and to then explain that you are about to pay thousands of dollars to get the damn thing off of you. I hope I can continue to tell myself that there is some important lesson learned from all of this. It may be to suck it up and deal with your choices and come to piece with that. Or it might be the patience of the removal process that feels like it will suck years from my life. Either way, I hope I can find some good in this. I've always been self-conscious and this might have been my cry for help. Getting a tattoo seemed like it would hide the arms I've always thought were too big for my body, but it has only made them more unbearable. I hope that I can come out loving my body for whatever it is at any point in time. I'm now looking for a practice that performs Picosure in the Bay Area. I haven't decided anything yet, but wanted to get my story out. I love reading everyone else's story to feel like I'm not alone out there. You all are so supportive and brave and I'm so happy I found this community. Updated on 19 May 2015: I had my consultation last week, which helped to put my mind at ease. I was quoted at $400/ picosure session, 3-8 sessions. If I needed more sessions after the 8th they would be free. This is actually better than I expected for being in the Bay Area. The clinic is a long ways away and it sounds like the appointments will take over an hour and a half (I'll need to get the numbing cream one hour before my session). I still feel full of anxiety about this tattoo, though I'm trying to stay positive and am trying to make my self like it. As with everyone on here, there are good days and bad days. I left the clinic feeling confident about keeping the tattoo, never wanting to go through the pain and money that it takes to get it off. Then I went shopping for dresses the next day and was reminded of how much it bothered me. I guess that is how it will be for a while - on the fence!! Updated on 18 Feb 2016: It's been so long since I last posted, but I have indeed decided to seek removal treatment. I actually just finished my 4th Picosure session and I am not sure how confident I am in the procedure. Sorry for not posting my progress along the way - I've been ridiculously busy and have been trying my hardest to pretend the darn thing isn't there. My first session seemed promising, as it made a huge difference right away. This one was performed by Dr. Riopelle himself. The second and third sessions were performed by a Nurse practitioner (Dr. Riopelle's wife, actually) and did not achieve the same results. I was told that she performs most of the tattoo removal sessions at their office, but I think that she was being to gentle. I have a very high pain tolerance, but she kept asking to see if I was doing ok. On these sessions I had only minimal swelling compared to the first, and the down time after the treatment was only a couple of days. For such a large area being treated, I don't think this should happen.My fourth session (January 13th) was also performed by Donna, and this time she cranked up the intensity and it did achieve a better result in my opinion. Of course, that comes with quite a bit more pain but that is absolutely worth it for me. I was swollen down to my wrist for a little over a week. Most of the blisters occurred in the green tail-feather section, which is the part with a tremendous amount of ink.It's hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but in looking back to my original pictures I do see a bit of fading. Still not as much as many people on here, and for that I blame my 2nd and 3rd sessions that didn't accomplish too much. Again, sorry for not posting sooner. This has been a huge source of anxiety for me and my response is to avoid at all costs! I try not to look at my right side in hopes that that will make it just disappear. Either way, it does feel good to be back on here and knowing that we're all in this struggle together. I remind myself that there are good days ahead and good days now if you allow yourself to see it that way. I keep thinking that I've ruined my life with this tattoo but that is simply not true.On a different note, I noticed that that miracle tattoo removal cream just came on the market. This is the one that everyone has been talking about - that student in Canada that has been formulating this for years. Has anyone on here tried it? I'm very curious and wonder if it's possible to use between laser sessions to help expedite the process. Updated on 21 Mar 2018: Hi all! I've been absentee on here for quite some time now. I just wanted to update you with my recent progress on tattoo removal, and now the start of my cover up. I had my last treatment (the 9th, I believe) in January of 2017. I found out I was pregnant days later, and stopped removal treatments. I gave birth to my daughter in September of 2017 and she is happy and healthy as can be! It was actually quite refreshing to take those 9+ months off of removal treatments. I was able to focus on myself and my family. I had become so obsessed with getting the treatments and getting the darn tattoo off me - it had really taken over my life in a way. Fast forward to a couple months postpartum, I realized that the tattoo was taking over my thoughts again. I felt anxious about it, and also ashamed that I was so consumed by it. Why was I worried about something so small when I had this beautiful baby to bond with?! I realized that removal treatments would be a nightmare with having a newborn. I didn't have time for that, and didn't have time for my whole right arm to be debilitated while I recover. I felt pretty low for a while, and felt helpless thinking I had no options but to wait until she was older or start treatments again and find someone to watch her while I do them. Ugh. Then I started to look back into cover up ideas. I found an artist nearby who I liked, and decided to set up a consultation. I figured that it wouldn't be possible, given how much ink was still on my arm. Upon arrival Andre set me at ease and said it would be no problem at all to cover up. He even said he likes cover ups and was excited to work on me. I put down a deposit, and three weeks later I get started. He had a beautiful Japanese Koi 3/4 sleeve drawn up for me and I instantly loved it. He got the outline and a touch of shading done in about three hours. Immediately, I loved the new art on my arm. I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders, as I finally felt ok if not proud to have my arm out. Its been a couple weeks and I still feel so happy about my decision. Perhaps some part of my would have preferred to have a blank, ink free arm. But then again I'm not sure that would have been possible. It would have taken years and many more treatments for me to feel comfortable with my arm again. This cover up has truly given me a new lease on life - I'm still in shock about how quickly something you are so obsessed with can change in an instant. Anyway, just wanted to update all you lovely folks. I hope all is well!! Updated on 21 Mar 2018:
