Having battled with my weight since I was young, lost and gained over and over I had a tummy tuck 20 years ago to get rid of the "over hang" having reached my goal weight. Then 2 years ago as I started the hot flushes and water retention of the hormonal ups and downs as I hit "that time in a ladies life" I noticed my waist thickening, love handles expanding, chin sagging, knees bloating and eye lids drooping - everything was heading south! I dieted, worked out and lost weight and yet nothing fitted, buttons and zips wouldn't meet and elastication made me look pregnant. Depressed and almost resigned to creeping into retirement looking like the inflatable Mitchelin man I descided to look at Lazer lipo and body shaping. I discovered 2 websites here in Italy that showed all registered surgeons and practitioners and your wonderful site with so much advise and experiences. I saw 3 doctors, 2 advised normal liposuction under total anethisia in private hospital and the 3rd suggested lipo and thread lifting under a local in the clinic and all suggested as I was looking to improve from the eye-brows to knees to make several sessions. 2 suggested leaving just a couple of weeks the 3rd a year between surgeries, we opted for the 3rd surgeon as he showed us before and after photos, offered to talk to the hospital for the pre-blood works as I am terrified of needles and don't speak enough Italian to explain this, he'd order the compression garments for me too and he offered insurance to cover any hospital costs should I need any revision work which he would do free if we were unhappy with the results after 6 months. He also quoted us on the spot for the work, the otheers emailed after 2 & 3 weeks.
He took photos, which I will ask him to email on so I can upload to this site, and suggested as a 1st I should have lipo on the flanks, stomach, knees and have the upper and lower eyelids done. He explained that he could only take about 2 lts of fat out as the body usually has about 5 and any more sends the system into shock but if he thought there was an allowence to take more he would try for the roll under the bra too.
The hospital staff were wonderful, kind, considerate and very caring, the pre-op work was done swiftly and expertly, even the paperwork was painless. I was under so fast and back in my room with the compression garment and a drip I cannot say how long the op took. The surgeon even phoned my husband to say all was OK for me. I was checked often and had lots of intravenus fluids to ensure I didn't go into shock and antibiotics to ensure I didn't catch anything. I can honestly say I was never in pain, just a little discomfort. The following day I went home, shopped and went to bed. Every day I was less stiff. I had no leakage or severe swelling. 6 days later I had the stiches out and he was very pleased with the progress and he said he took almost 3 lts out and filled a little fat into the lines by my mouth and botoxed my forehead to help with the healing of my eyes and give a more youthful look too. I will see him again next month for "after pictures" and I'll update this review.
Thanks to all those who have contributed to this site you helped me enormously in knowing what to look for in a plastic surgeon, not a hairdresser with a lipo- machine type, what I might expect and possible consiquences, costs and after care needs.
Updated on 26 Jan 2015:
Not a day too soon for this work you'll agree, I hadn't realised how old all the sagging made me look and the bagging under the chin has got to go next!
Updated on 26 Jan 2015:
Updated on 23 Feb 2015:
You can see from the pictures that the eye surgery has removed the bags and sags completely and I look a lot younger, mission accomplished!
The lipo suction is a hit too, there's a tiny bit of thickening that needs to me massaged away (bet you can't spot it) but I've lost 2" around the middle and 3" off my hips and 1/2" off each inner knee. I'm taking in my trousers this week. The pubis-mons lipo-lift used the scar from a tummy tuck 20 years ago and its actually thinner than before so I expect it to fade away in the future and be almost invisible but I'm not the sort to flash my midriff in public anyway.
I would like a bit more removed around the bra area and back, I bulge still, but I do hope to get rid of the jowls and 2nd chin so will look into that at the same time towards the end of the year . I will look better in my mid 50's than I ever have !!
Updated on 16 Nov 2015:
My body recovered from the last surgery well but the menopause is still making ripples, more than just my face sliding down my cheeks to under my chin! I had discussed having a lower face lift and some fat transfer to put cheeks back on the cheek bones and perhaps some to fill in the lines forming around my mouth, last year for this year.
Then in the summer we were invited to several parties and lunches and thought I'd wear a certain dress or outfit only to discover the zip wouldn't. I was the same weight as when I bought the item, I was actually smaller in the hip and lower stomach but my upper body had altered shape. My bust is now a matronly bosom (much admired as it tries to escape from my older clothing) and there is a huge roll of flab over my ribs and back and under arms -aaaahhh! I was devastated.
I know I will never be a catwalk model and my husband say he likes something to squeeze so that is not my aim but I would like ME back, or the version in my minds eye, that is curvaceous but with proportional upper body to waist and hips not what I have.
To this end of getting back into my favorite clothes having curves in the all right places and no bulges in odd ones I have decided to have more liposuction done at the same time, a lot more. I am going to ask my surgeon to be as aggressive as possible with the lipo as I now believe , the hormonal changes aren't over so getting as many of the fat cells out as possible is the only way to recover my body shape. Buying new larger clothes might be cheaper but that is not the point as its the body shape that's changed and its not what I want to live with. Many woman's wardrobes are a walk through time, I have a skirt my nan bought when I was 13 size 14 then (but a 26" waist today its a 30"), the 1st dress my husband bought me (12), the outfit I wore to receive an award and so on. I know I have to let go and I have said I will go through every item of clothing I own and pass along what won't fit 6 months after this operation.
I asked my surgeon if I could have this work done before Christmas and have been given a date of the 12th December - Wow - and have an appointment to discuss what I 'd like - against what is possible -at the end of this month when I will have photos of the areas to be done and costs.
I will update then with photos.