Meegan Gruber, MD, PhD

I had arm liposuction with Dr. Gruber at the end of February 2025. I flew in from Michigan and had a truly wonderful experience. After losing nearly 100 pounds, my arms remained the same despite all my efforts. I work out consistently five days a week and have tried every arm exercise imaginable—pushups, weightlifting, and more—but nothing made a difference.

I’m so glad I chose to move forward with the procedure and honestly wish I had done it sooner. The entire staff was incredible from start to finish. They made scheduling easy and even provided helpful recommendations for my stay. When we arrived, everything went exactly as planned.

I had read a lot of reviews beforehand, so I was prepared for the numbing process to be the most uncomfortable part—which it was—but it was manageable. The team was great at keeping me distracted with conversation and tapping techniques.

The fact that it’s an all-women practice was just the cherry on top. It made the whole experience feel more welcoming and supportive, especially during such a vulnerable time. Being awake during the procedure initially made me nervous, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I had considered adding skin tightening or a lift, but once I saw my results halfway through, I realized it wasn’t necessary. The outcome was so natural and flattering.

Dr. Gruber’s work is exceptional, and her bedside manner is equally impressive. I felt cared for every step of the way. She even texted me the night of my procedure to check in and make sure I was doing well. And a special shoutout to Amy for including extra Cheetos in my surgery bag—that was my snack of choice during the break between arms, and it truly made my day. It’s the little things that count!

My husband and I will absolutely return to this practice for any future procedures—him included. You honestly can’t go wrong with Dr. Gruber and her team. I’m beyond excited to wear sleeveless and strapless dresses this summer!

I truly believe that Dr Gruber was the only doctor who could have done the exact procedures I needed with such amazing results! What I wanted: LIPO OF KNEES, CALVES, ANKLES WITH FAT TRANSFER TO THE BREASTS. Dr Gruber went well beyond my expectations and did a beautiful job on every aspect of the surgery.

I had breast cancer which resulted in a double mastectomy. I did not want implants or flaps, but rather wanted to just use my own fat to rebuild the horrific area formerly known as breast. I worked with my original breast surgeon to do smaller fat transfers to build up the breasts and at least give me somewhat of a base as it was literally concave after mastectomy. Previous doc did an amazing job but lipo was not her specialty.

Prior to cancer I had researched lipo of lower legs which most doctors don’t and shouldn’t do without the expertise. When I stumbled across Dr Gruber I knew she could do the job. AND she could do the breast fat transfer at the same time.
I have suffered with swelling and in my lower legs since I was a teen. I couldn’t even stand at the sink to brush my teeth without my ankles burning if I didn’t have compression on. Over the years the swelling developed into more and more permanent tissue around my lower legs, ankles and knees.
After this procedure I ACTUALLY HAVE BEAUTIFUL SHAPELY LEGS! I work out regularly but never could have accomplished this without Dr. Gruber.

IN ADDITION TO THE AMAZING JOB SHE DID ON MY LEGS, SHE GAVE ME ACTUAL BREASTS THAT ARE BEAUTIFUL! After having a hideous gauged out chest from the mastectomy, I am shocked when I see my new breasts now.

So now that I’ve given the overview, here is the nitty gritty.
Dr. Gruber is wonderful, but she is a perfectionist that gets down to business. She is kind but might seem direct at times. This is fine by me because she gets the job done.

Also the lower leg procedure is NO JOKE. I am no stranger to lipo as this was my 5th procedure in my reconstruction process. But the ankles and knees were by far the most painful recovery. I do have quite a few little scars all over my legs. My body and skin takes a while to heal so I can definitely still see them and some are red after a year. My usual aftercare from lipo would involve ONE Norco every six hours for a day or two, then to Tylenol. NOT with this procedure. I had to do TWO Norco every FOUR hours to take the edge off the pain for at least two days. But thankfully that did the trick.

I also flew in and out of Tampa. Arrived on a Wednesday afternoon, did the consult that day. Procedure was early Thursday which lasted much of the day, and I flew home Friday morning.

The actual procedure was also a bit tough. The numbing was painful and seemed to last forever. I should’ve asked how long it would take so I knew when the end was in sight. There were a few painful zingers during the lipo which made me jump! Dr. Gruber numbed them more and was very responsive to my input. Overall you should only do this if you are REALLY mentally ready for it. I am pretty tough but it was hard. HOWEVER, I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Details: she was able to lipo 500cc’s (an INSANE amount) from each of my lower legs and 250cc’s from each of my inner thighs (but thighs had been lipo’d before so not much there).
Then she was able to get 300cc’s into each breast even with all my scar tissue!!! This was truly amazing as the most I ever had transferred in previous procedures was 150cc’s. She said the skin was just too tight accommodate more.

My breast now after a year are soft and natural looking with ZERO lumps/bumps. I think I retained a huge percentage of the fat…probably close to 75%.

Also the craziest thing is that while I was going through the cancer and initial reconstruction fat transfers, I had to have my ovaries out due to BRCA 1. I was steadily gaining weight from the shock of sudden menopause and surgeries. I was up 20+ pounds right after surgery with Dr Gruber. I did not want to keep this weight in so started programs called “Fast Metabolism”. I was so worried that loosing weight would cause me to lose the new breasts. But GUESS WHAT…THEY BARELY WENT DOWN EVEN AFYER I LOST 22 pounds. They still look amazing. I don’t even know how this is possible.

Cost: I paid about 19,000 total which includes the 3,000 for J Plasma on legs. (I think it has a new name now but it’s the laser thing to tighten everything up after lipo). I’m not sure if that worked but my skin does not seem to sag at all on my lower legs. My insurance had pre-approved the procedure with Dr. Gruber even though she was out of network, but that did take quite a bit of work on my part. I guess that is the bright side of cancer!


Overall I am so thankful to Dr. Gruber for giving me this amazing shape! I may consider one last procedure to fill in the breasts a bit more. Who knows.

Thanks again Dr.Gruber

Updated on 7 Mar 2025:
Here are photos after 10 weeks. After one year breasts look pretty similar. I would say retained most of the transferred fat. Probably about 70%.
Legs are still looking great. I do still wear ankle compression sleeves, but that’s not Dr Gruber fault since I’ve worn them for the last 30 years.

Updated on 5 Apr 2025:
one year later the breast are still full even after weight loss. My lower legs look great and I don’t notice the scars too much. Prior to the surgery I could not even see a hint of my Achilles tendon. Now I can. Also notice how the upper-inner calf goes IN right below the knee! I’ve never had that no matter how much I worked out!

Dr Gruber and her staff were very compassionate throughout the process of my Lipo 360. I have struggled with fat at my midsection and back since menopause (early 50's). Jeans and pants never fit properly. I had such a terrible body image and when I looked in the mirror each morning I actually hated myself. I did the awake surgery. For me there was some pain. She removed 8 lbs of fat. She was so caring and the results are amazing! It has been two months since surgery. Swelling is gone and I look fabulous!!!!! I love her team and will be forever grateful for her expertise. Well worth a few hours of discomfort.

I’ll start by saying I’m in the healthcare field so I’m super peculiar when it comes to choosing my providers. I also did a few other consults around Tampa and after meeting with Dr Gruber, I booked my surgery before even leaving the office. Her and her team made me feel so comfortable the entire time, helped answer all of my questions and really understood what I wanted. I chose to do my surgery awake and it went great. Also, the office is decorated so well, it’s clean and organized. The OR where the procedure was completed was state of the art. Overall, without hesitation, I recommend Dr Gruber and her team (shoutout to Vicki & Angie!), so much so I’m on the books for another procedure

I had a great experience with Dr. Gruber. Even though I only live around 2 hours away, I was only able to do virtual consultations and didn't get to meet Dr. Gruber in person until the day of surgery.
Let me just tell you, if you want a surgeon that knows what she is doing, has high standards for her procedures and staff members, and wants to do the best job possible, choose Dr. Gruber.
My surgery went amazing! I'm only around 3 days post op and pretty much completely out of pain. I'm healing up so nicely and enjoying my "little arms" as I affectionately call them.
I had liposuction and brachioplasty while awake. When all was said and done, Chelsea (the Surgical Tech) asked 1-10 what my pain level had been and I rated it a 1 or 2. The worst part was the numbing but once that was over it was smooth sailing and the numbing took mere seconds! Truly a miracle worker!

Fantastic. The team of Dr Gruber is amazing. All the staff are professional, courteous and very kind. They make sure I am okay before, during, after surgery and follow ups. I can see and feel my arms have definition. My arms used to look like a paddle to kill a catfish, now my arms look slimmer, well defined and toned. I love it. I will come back again for another procedure in the future. The clinic of Dr Grubber is highly recommended!

Excellent Doctor. My results were above my expectations. I had an arm lift and came back for leg lift and liposuction 360 around my knees. It has been 2 months for my arms and 2 days since my leg (which was scheduled to do each leg on separate days). The staff and Dr. Gruber were amazing. I decided to do awake surgery which was the best for me. No brain fog at all! I highly recommend Dr. Gruber for her skills and compassion. If you want a fantastic look that is above your expectations, use Dr. Gruber. You will not be disappointed. Photos to follow.

Updated on 4 Jan 2024:
Excellent Doctor. My results were above my expectations. I had an arm lift and came back for leg lift and liposuction 360 around my knees. It has been 2 months for my arms and 2 days since my leg (which was scheduled to do each leg on separate days). The staff and Dr. Gruber were amazing. I decided to do awake surgery which was the best for me. No brain fog at all! I highly recommend Dr. Gruber for her skills and compassion. If you want a fantastic look that is above your expectations, use Dr. Gruber. You will not be disappointed.

My experience with Dr. Gruber and her staff was wonderful. I researched surgeons extensively, and traveled over 6 hours to be seen at her practice. The level of care they show is outstanding, and her work speaks for itself- beautiful! Dr. Gruber and her staff were extremely attentive both before, during, and after my surgery. I had an awake tummy tuck, and was very nervous going into it, but Dr. Gruber and her staff put me at ease, never rushed me, and explained everything thoroughly. During the procedure, Alison held my hands, explained everything, and attended to any need I had, and Dr. Gruber was completely in tune with every move I made making sure that I was comfortable. Angie was wonderful as well during and after surgery, always checking in on me and answering any questions I had. I was not in pain, which was amazing to me, and the results have been life changing. I would choose to do it again, no question! I’m 12 weeks out and feeling great. I cannot recommend this group highly enough!

Dr Gruber and her team are amazing! They were so patient and caring, answering the tons of questions I had and following up with me. I can’t wait to save up a bit of $ for my next procedure :) Also my procedure was an AWAKE tummy tuck and lipo 360, broken into phases.

Dr. Gruber’s office provided excellent care from start to finish. I started down the rabbit hole of researching Lipedema after having a visit with my mom, who I hadn’t seen in a while, and seeing how much her legs had deteriorated. My mom is not fat but her mobility is now severely affected by her Lipedema and her legs are so heavy that when she needs to, for example, get out of a car, she uses her arms to pull her legs up and out onto the ground, before she stands up. After a ton of research, I took her to see a vascular surgeon in Missouri that I thought would be able to deal with such a complicated case as hers (she is 82, recently had a knee replacement, and has lots of varicose and spider veins) as well give me a consult on my Lipedema. This doctor feels strongly that he needs to physically meet with each patient before offering a treatment plan and I do respect that, especially for the complicated patients he sees. I don’t yet have my mom’s dire mobility issues but have a crazy disproportionate thigh size, wearing size four tops and size 14 bottoms (because of my thighs). He was a nice guy and very knowledgeable (if my mom decides to go through with surgery, I’d feel comfortable to bring her back to him), but I just didn’t connect with him, didn’t really like the esthetics of his work (but to be fair many of his patients have truly deformed legs to begin with and his foremost goal is to give medical relief from the lipadema, not esthetics) and didn’t feel like he took the time to listen to me and what I was looking for. He also marked up my legs and said if I wanted to fix everything, I’d need to have 3 different surgeries with him.

After that consult with him, I then proceeded to do tons more research online to find doctors that do leg liposuction, because there are only a handful of them. There were two doctors in California that both looked really good but they do it under general anesthesia (I think so they can just remove massive amounts of fat, which some people may prefer) and I just don’t think there is any way a surgeon can effectively do this procedure without you awake, constantly repositioning your legs and also standing up to check your legs so that they can make revisions and make sure everything is symmetrical right during the surgery. Those guys also both had literally wrap sheets of citations from the CA medical boards (always check the license of every doctor you use with their medical board)!

I then found another Lipadema specialist in Tampa and he had great before and after pictures and no board problems but I realized that he is just an internal medicine doctor and that’s why he only does liposuction and can’t offer a thigh lift or other procedures himself, because he’s not actually a surgeon. Also, when I contacted his office they just had me email in some pictures and returned them to me with markups and you don’t actually interact with him until you meet him the morning of the procedure. They told me that they could fix everything in two surgeries (thighs 360 in one and knees/calves and ankles in another). I didn’t feel comfortable with the money factory/salesy feel of my interactions with them and also I thought his pricing was crazy high. His work looked beautiful but I am personally just not comfortable to commit to tens of thousands of dollars of treatment without even hearing the doctor’s voice or knowing that he was going to do what I was actually looking for.

Luckily, I found Dr. Gruber and I then called her office. After doing an intake form and sending in pictures, they set me up with a phone consult. We ended up speaking for almost an hour and she explained every aspect of surgery options. I explained to her that I was concerned because I hadn’t seen pictures really from any doctors where a patient had thighs so disproportionate both from their upper body but also even from their lower legs. She then showed me pictures from the case that was part of her TLC TV show, of a lady with much more disproportionate thighs than me. After I saw the way she treatment planned and fixed her case, I knew she could do mine. I also loved that she really questioned me to find out what I was most looking to gain from the surgery and then gave me options from there, including the most minimally invasive option that I ended up choosing. I explained that I was mostly looking to get rid of the huge ridge between my hip and thigh so that my clothes will lay much more smoothly and my body will be better proportioned. She told me that my calves and ankles probably didn’t need to be done right now and they also have a much longer swelling and recovery than liposuction higher on the legs. She also explained that since my skin was already loose on my inner thighs, they would most likely need a lift if we liposuctioned them. Since really it’s my large outer thigh that is so noticeable in clothes, she thought I could get 90% of the relief and esthetic I was looking for by just reducing the extreme disproportion of the outer thigh and butt and then making the legs look much more contoured buy doing the knees 360, without needing to touch the inner thighs, calves or ankles. It meant a lot to me that she listened to me and tried to give me a treatment plan to be the most helpful, in the most straightforward, least invasive, and cost effective way.

It is very clear to me that Dr. Gruber truly wants what is best for her patients. She didn’t in any way try to guide me to do more things or spend more money and in fact it was quite the opposite. Her internal ethics lead her to be very upfront with patients about what they should expect and both the up and downsides of various procedures. She could have sold me on Renuvion (skin tightening) or told me that I absolutely needed to have multiple surgeries (other doctors did both) but instead found a way to get me what was most important to me, while being very honest about the complications and cost/benefits of doing each thing.

I’m also slightly more complicated than the average patient because I only have one kidney and I’ve also just had a few really bad (like malpractice bad…lol) medical experiences in my life. I’m not the kind to take extra medications or jump into elective procedures because of these bad experiences and Dr. Gruber just made me feel super at ease.

I’ve loaded the before and after pictures and I honestly think the ones in clothes and the one where I’m sitting down best show the scope of the change she made for me. Also, as far pain, I don’t want to jinx anything but I don’t know what people are worried about, I feel like this was a joke compared to having my kids (and yes I had epidurals…lol) and other surgeries I’ve had to have. The anesthesia shots and liposuction itself were less painful than getting my bikini waxed! :) Also, if I did feel any pain, I just told them and they stopped immediately and just added a little more anesthesia. I’m definitely bruised and swollen and yes I’m taking the pain meds but I don’t feel any worse than if I took a spill skiing or after an intense workout.

I’m happy to answer questions if anyone wants to reach out and I’d like to say thank you again to Dr. Gruber and her lovely staff for their amazing work. People might belittle plastic surgery as superficial but I feel like they have fixed a deformity in my body that is not only unsightly but added pain and limitations in my life, just as important as a doctor fixing a cleft palate or a lazy eye, and I’m very hopeful this surgery will reduce the leg pain, heaviness and swelling that I’ve had for so long. I’m very grateful to them!!