Dr. Azizad is absolutely amazing and so is his staff, I had a liposuction, fillers and fat transfer. He is very patient and answered all my questions. His office manager Carole was so helpful from the moment I called to ask for a consult. Their office is so clean and welcoming.
For as long as I can remember I've been chubby and have had this gross fat roll on my tummy. It has always made me feel disgusting in any clothes that are remotely form fitting. In high school I gained a lot of weight due to medical issues and depression. I was able to lose most of the weight in college but the tummy roll is now very prominent and still have relentless fat that never budges in other spots. I eat healthy and do some exercise but even at my lowest weight I still have the same shape, just smaller. I have been doing a ton of research on so many different procedures and only felt comfortable moving forward with Lipo. I'm sure I will still have some loose skin but I'm not ready to "lop" anything off yet (tummy tuck, etc). I recently found this site and it has given my enough inspiration to book a consult for expert advice. I'm looking forward to not hating my shape/body, which has been a lifelong problem. Updated on 1 Nov 2016: I have my date set for next Thursday. I decided to go to Dr. Azizad at N2U Aesthetics for liposuction. He was the first in California to offer power-assisted liposuction (PAL). The cannula is very small and uses some type of vibration technique that allows for more precise removal of fat. I feel like this is important for my tummy problem. While I do have some concerns that he is not a board certified plastic surgeon, his years of experience and his before/after photos make me comfortable with moving forward. Additionally, I work in a medical office and his patients have nothing but good things to say about him, supported by yelp reviews (both under Dr. Azizad and n2uaethetics). The office was new and clean, very calming and the staff were all kind. I especially liked Carol who was very informative and helpful with some questions while I was waiting for the doctor. Dr. Azizad was gentle and made me feel very comfortable. We addressed the my concerns and he mentioned a few spots, upon my request for his input, upper arms and inner thighs that would be better for a more balanced appearance. He said the procedure could be done in the office under local anesthetic. Since down time is not something I have the luxury of, I was very pleased to hear that we could do the procedure on Thursday and I could be back to work on Monday. They are also providing me with the initial compression garments. Carol gave me her cell number if I have any questions, which I thought was above and beyond. So officially booked for next week: Lipo on upper and lower abdomen, upper and lower back, inner thigh and upper arm. I'm anxious and excited at the same time! Updated on 9 Nov 2016: I'm scared and excited and nervous and anxious and everything that's probably normal at this point. Today Carol told me to start the antibiotics. My appointment is at 1:30 tomorrow, so she told me to have a light breakfast and some light protein for lunch. Also, wear comfy clothes and prepare to have plastic on the bed because when I get home I'm going to be leaking fluid. From everyone's reviews I was expecting this. Hope I get some sleep tonight! Updated on 9 Nov 2016: Updated on 10 Nov 2016: Swelling has already taken over unfortunately so I will take some photos in the morning. Doc was saying that typically people don't have as much blood in their fat, so he said I will probably have more swelling than typical and will need massages to help drain. That was only in my torso, everywhere else the extracted cells were pure fat. The procedure itself was intense but not terrible, no crying. The doctor and nurses made me feel comfortable and even laugh a bit. He injected me with lidocaine at the induction sites then made incisions. He started to fill me with fluids. This took a long time! It felt weird and at times there was a lot of pressure and discomfort but nothing painful. After I was full of fluid we sat there for what felt like an hour. Then he started suctioning fat. At times I yelped a but but like I said no crying. Belly button was the worst in my opinion. The doctor was very comforting and the nurses held my hand. At one point I regretted not doing everything in two sessions, I was pretty worn down by the end. The doctor gave me some medicine because I was starting to feel weak and lightheaded. The nurse massaged some of the fluid out, triaged the incision sites and dressed me. She was so sweet. I'm finally home and just resting. I was advised to east something and to take a Tylenol. I was sent home with some dilauted just in case. I'm so excited to see my results but right now I just want to close my eyes and rest. Updated on 11 Nov 2016: I have a notoriously sensitive stomach and have been having trouble keeping food down. I got enough to stay down last night to take a pain pill because my stomach was burning (not temperature, just sensation) and had a great night sleep because of it. Haven't needed a pain pill today and have been getting around alright, granted it's like an old lady, but still. I showered and cleaned my garments which was a mild struggle but I seem to have most of the leaking over. I can start to see some results but still really swollen as anticipated. Looking forward to the next few days hoping I'll start to see more changes! Updated on 11 Nov 2016: Bruised and swollen as expected Updated on 12 Nov 2016: So far I'm feeling good. I've been able to do some chores. Trying not to overdo it though. Definitely seeing less swelling and almost a glimpse of belly button which I'm excited about. Not as much bruising as I expected either. I do think I'll be needing a smaller garment very soon though, I feel like it's no longer squeezing my middle helping it stay tight. I'm going to research garments and possibly an abdominal board to help fight against the tummy crease. Updated on 12 Nov 2016: Top: Day before; Middle: Day after; Bottom: Day 2 Updated on 21 Nov 2016: Work week was ok, totally doable. Would get sore when walking a lot and by the end of the day I'd have swelling but nothing terrible. I'm starting to get some hard spots here and there. I was told I could start massages soon and hoping that will help those spots. With the swelling and hard spots my upper abdomen still has a roll, praying that once everything is healed that it'll be flat. Definitely seeing progress though!!
