Keyian Z Paydar, MD, FACS

Pics: comparison pic is pre-surgery and two weeks post-op; blue bikini pics were 7 weeks post-op, any close up incision pics are within 3 days of surgery. Pic of self with brown bikini bottom is to show the sag that used to be on my thighs from my abdominal weight. Belly button is about 1 week post op vs 7 weeks post op.
On my two month surgiversary I figured it was well past time to write a review! I had a tummy tuck (tt) with hip and flank liposuction, with Dr Paydar of Paydar Plastic Surgery in Newport Beach, CA on November 24, 2021.
A bit about me: I am 36 years old, 5'4 and at the time of surgery weighed 153lbs. I had VSG surgery in 2016 after I hit my highest weight of 200lbs. I had been chubby my whole life but at that point, decided to take drastic action. Being in my early thirties I was fortunate not to have sagging skin post surgery weight loss. I went all the way down to 127lbs, before settling around 135lbs. I was 135lbs for a couple of years then settled around 145lbs. Pre-Paydar surgery I wasn't generally unhappy with my figure, but I'd always had a very soft middle that I accepted would not go away with exercise or diet; even at 127lbs I'd never had a defined waist and I wanted a more hourglass figure. 
There is a website called realself, it's basically a Yelp for cosmetic surgery. That was how I found my VSG surgeon, so I thought I would start there in my search for a tt Dr. My search led me to Dr Paydar and his wonderful office director, MaryAnna. After scrolling through Dr Paydar's instagram full of amazing results, I was convinced. I did a virtual consultation from my home in Nevada and booked the surgery for six months later. Throughout the wait MaryAnna was in touch and super helpful. 
It seemed to take forever but finally it was the week of the surgery! I flew down to Los Angeles where I had rented an airbnb for two weeks. I knew I would have drains from the lipo post-surgery, and Dr Paydar wanted me local until they were ready to come out. I'd done a lot of reading on tt surgery and post-op tips, so I brought a wedge pillow, rented a walker, and did my grocery shopping before surgery. I bought food like eggs, crackers, and protein shakes. I had my pre-op appointment two days before surgery and immediately loved Dr Paydar. He has a great "bedside" manner and made me feel very confident about this major surgery I was about to go through. Over the six month wait I'd had varying levels of anxiety but whenever I felt that I looked at his insta pics and knew if he could make other women look that good, I would be just fine.
To get your best shape from surgery you do a cleanse the night before surgery. There are easy directions provided that tell you what to buy, when to start taking it, etc. The Miralax is thankfully tasteless and I guzzled it down with a bit of lemon in my water. The cleanse is very effective! I highly recommend staying near a toilet once you begin the cleanse routine. 
The next morning my bf and I got to the surgery center at 6:30am. We paid the surgery center their due (their fee and the anesthesiologist fee is separate from Dr Paydar's) and filled out the paperwork. Soon Dr Paydar was there and I was changing into my medical gown. From there I said bye to my bf, who went to our airbnb to wait for surgery to be done. In the back Dr Paydar reviewed what we'd gone over before, and then marked up my sides and belly with sharpie, to indicate the lipo zones and where he wanted to place the tt incision. After he was done the anesthesiologist came in and introduced himself, also a super nice guy, and reviewed his role with me. You'd think his job would be a set-it-and-forget-it type thing but no; to minimize post surgery nausea and complications he constantly monitors your levels during surgery, only keeping you "under deep enough" for your body to be at the level of rest it needs to be. There's probably a more technical way to explain that but I'm no Dr haha. An IV was put in and then it was go time. I walked to the surgery table where the IV was hooked up to the sleepy medicine and the next thing I knew I was waking up to voices saying, "You did so great Rebekah, surgery went great!" Well, I didn't do anything but lie there while I got sliced n diced but it was a nice vibe to wake up to.
I dozed in the recovery room and when awake enough, my bf was called to pick me up. I opted to pay a little more money for the Exparel pain medication, which is put in the body during surgery and supposed to last up to 72 hours. I'm glad I did. That first day was pretty easy for me, and of course I slept most of it, but when I was awake I wasn't in much pain - I'm sure that was due to the Exparel. 
They send you home wrapped up in an abdomen compression garment. I couldn't help myself, the first time I got out of bed I unwrapped myself very slowly, to see what I looked like underneath. The incision was taped as well as the belly button, but I saw immediately my waist was nicely snatched in from the lipo, and there was no longer a sag on the top of my thighs. I was thrilled! My bf was scolding me so I wrapped back up quickly but took a peek every now and then. 
One of the greatest factors in choosing Dr Paydar was knowing the care he takes in incision placement and rebuilding the belly button. Go online and do some research. There are horrible, horrible results out there, from tt surgery. Jagged incisions, scarred belly buttons, unproportionate belly buttons, pockets of fat because lipo wasn't done right, or the incision was sloppy.
I could see from day 1 how clean my incision was and it was a true testament to Dr Paydar's great skill as a surgeon. There aren't any scars visible on the outside of my belly button and there shouldn't be - only Dr's that don't have the skill to do the job right, leave scars on the outside of the belly button. He gave me the shape I wanted (yes, you can tell him what shape belly button you want! oval, round, smaller, etc.) I was a little freaked out when I first tried to look at my belly button because the inside was white but it turned out to be gauze - so don't be a dumb dumb like me and worry haha. I will say the belly button looks pretty bad for the first month or so but trust the healing process, as you can see from my pics it turned out great, and it's still healing. 
I put a bikini on as soon as my drains were out and WOW! the results at only two weeks post op were amazing. I was still swollen in those pics but looked 100% better than pre-op. Now at two months the swelling is still there but much better. I knew it would be and can't wait to see my new shape once all the swelling is gone. 
Because of my weight my abs were separated (diastasis) so Dr Paydar sewed them in, which helped snatch my waist in, along with the lipo. 
Gone is the fupa I had when I sat down in jeans. It's really pretty amazing. A tt is no joke, for sure it is a big surgery, which is why it's crucial you pick the best Dr, not the cheapest. Go to Mexico for dental work or even a bariatric surgery, don't go for something that requires the skill a tummy tuck requires.
So at two months post op I am just starting to be able to stretch out "fully". You'll see what I mean, the abs are so tight you can't stretch out 110%, you'll feel the uncomfortable pull on your abs and stop, which you should. Don't rush the recovery. I have felt "pent up" of course but I didn't spend the money I spent, to mess up Dr Paydar's excellent work. Popping stitches is possible if you're reckless post surgery. 
In closing I want to mention I was able to communicate directly with Dr Paydar post-surgery and he was always super responsive and reassuring. You can pay a lot of different Dr's to operate on you, but you can't get better than Dr Paydar when it comes to genuine patient care. You'll see what I mean when you talk to him! 
Things to know: 
-You won't be able to walk fully upright for a week or so, and even then you're at probably 95% straightness for another week before you can walk 100 upright. You're sewn up in the fetal position for the ultimate taut belly. Renting a walker from a local medical supply store was easy and cheap and so worth it. You're supposed to walk around post surgery, to prevent blood clots. I can't imagine trying to walk without the walker to lean on. The biggest pain point of the whole surgery was my back, which is a common thing. The walker allowed me to relieve some of the tension on my back. Rent a walker!
-It seems obvious but you need someone to take care of you that first week. Someone to get you water, help you to the toilet, empty your drains (record your drainage), make you easy food, etc. You're not going to iron(wo)man tt surgery on your own. You'll make yourself miserable. 
-Laughing was the second most painful thing post-surgery. I do not recommend watching comedies during recovery.
-I took pain meds only as needed, mostly it tended to be right before bed that I'd be in some pain, and it helped me sleep through the night. I supplemented with Tylenol and the pain was kept tolerable between the two.
-Record your drainage. Sounds gross but it wasn't smelly or anything. You can't get your drains out until you hit certain low levels of output. 
-Having your drains removed is not painful but feels super weird as you can feel the tube sliding out of your insides. Just breathe easy, it's over very quickly.
-Bathroom stuff was not the enemy I feared it would be. I guess it depends on your flexibility but I was able to wipe myself by going down through the front, and wiping backwards. Flush wipes will help make it easier. You will not be able to reach around to wipe for at least a month. 
-Your abdomen area will be numb from your belly button to your incision line. It's weird to scratch your belly and not feel the nail, though you will feel the pressure. Don't stress, this is normal and can last (so I read) up to a year. Get Benadryl and take it post-surgery. It's extra weird to feel an itch in your abdomen, but not be able to scratch it - Benadryl will help with that. 
-There's this thing called dog ears in tt surgery. Basically, the Dr has to stop the incision somewhere along the body right? and depending on your level of fat etc, it might result in a slight pooch or "dog ear" at the end(s) of the incisions. Google it. There are some bad results out there - all I can say is, Dr Paydar has the skill to minimize the pooch as much as possible. I am fortunate in that he was able to close up my incision without leaving a noticeable pooch.

Updated on 21 Jan 2022:
Adding more pics, from before surgery and after. The waist photos are from about six weeks post op. You can see from my before pics I had zero waist definition. You can also see how much ab separation I had based on my ability to push my stomach out so far.