My experience with dr rao was great 57 years old had implants and breast lift and later abdominal Longer recovery for my breast but totally worth the money. Thank you dr rao. I’m planning on having more surgery. In the future with dr rao. His staff is excellent and he is a kind quite man who will do his best given what your body is like
I never thought I'd be someone to get a tummy tuck, but for the last several years I've tried everything to get rid of my tummy. I had 4 kids that were all around 10 pounds, so my poor belly never stood a chance. I can hide it pretty well under clothes, but I'm always self-conscious about my belly when I want to wear a bikini or take a run in my sports bra. I tried exercise programs, half-marathons, and cleansing diets to feel better about my tummy. That was great, but I've been less and less motivated to put in the time to exercise because nothing seems to give me the sexy belly I want back. I also looked into CoolSculpting, but they said that my issue is mainly sagging skin and that to remove the fat that is there might make my skin sag even more. So it appears that a tummy tuck is my only option to get my pre-babies tummy back. Time to take care of this so I can enjoy my body for the next several decades, and be more motivated to stay in shape. I'm also having Dr. Rao fix some scars I've had on the side of my breast tissue since birth due to chest tubes that I needed, causing some self-consciousness when I wear tanks or bikinis. They'll do this as a secondary procedure, and this will cost an additional $1000. Updated on 12 Nov 2017: I'm excited about the surgery tomorrow. Mostly nervous about the first time going under General Anesthesia, since I don't know how I'll react. A little nervous about post-op pain. But on the home front, I've got all of the meals made, time off of work, and I'm ready to leave for the surgery center at 6am tomorrow. My surgery is at 730am and I am expecting to be home by 1pm (we live about 20 minutes from the center). Tonight, I have to use this "Hibicleanse" product in the shower to get rid of anything on my skin that could cause infection. I'll have to shower again tomorrow with it before I leave for surgery. My clean sheet and clean PJs are ready for tonight, plus I filled my prescriptions for pain killer, anti-nausea, and constipation, so my "at home Pharmacy" is ready. Updated on 15 Nov 2017: I had surgery at 0730 on Monday and it’s now Wed afternoon. I love how everything turned out, but I am REALLY tight below my new belly button. Still on oxycodone and zofran meds, still need help moving around. I have help getting to the bathroom, but found that I didn’t need the toilet riser . Slept okay the last 2 nights. Took a shower today and grabbed a pic before getting back into my binder. FYI, my surgeon typically doesn’t use drains, so I have not had to deal with those, phew! Updated on 19 Nov 2017: I think my TT was super tight, cause I don’t feel anywhere close to being able to stand completely upright. My back is holding up okay as long as I don’t go too long (more than a minute or two) without leaning on something. I was able to get some deskwork done today for about 45 minutes... but plan to work on my laptop from the recliner (from home) for work tomorrow. Needless to say, haven’t left the house for this first week and am only planning leaving the house for my post op appointment on Tue over the next week. Thankful to my super helpful husband for staying home with me last week and helping with the kids and housework. Cheers to those helpful husbands out there! Updated on 2 Dec 2017: We booked our June flights to Hawaii a few days ago, and that was a driving factor for getting this tummy tuck when I did. The last time I went to Hawaii, I couldn’t feel comfortable in a bikini because of the extra skin on my tummy. I also did the surgery in Nov so I’d have plenty of time to heal before Hawaii in June. So I tried on my favorite bikini (bought in Hawaii two year ago) today and was pleasantly surprised that my scar is covered! Still lots of swelling in the triangle between my hips and belly button, but that will take time to resolve. I’m happy! I’m still wearing my binder with surgical pads and Vaseline my scar morning and night. It’s getting flatter slowly but surely. I would say I was back to normal activity at about 2 weeks post op. I’m almost standing up straight now! I avoid it though, to put as little tension on the scar, as I’ve read that less tension will cause it to be thinner in the end. I will spend the $500 on 60-days of Embrace scar silicone strips today and order them; I expect to be cleared to start using them at my 2nd post op visit on 12/11. So far, happy with results and healing is going well. Fall is definitely a great time to have surgery; can hide the binder under sweaters! ???? Updated on 8 Dec 2017: I am so happy with how everything is healing and how my clothes look. I love not having to worry about that belly bump when I’m wearing a tighter sweater top. I’m confident the summer wardrobe will be fun too! After thinking and considering surgery for so long, I still can’t believe I went through with it. Definitely glad I did, and thankful for the support of my husband. Updated on 13 Jan 2019: I thought I’d post my 14 month post op photos. I am extremely pleased with my results. My scar is super low and easily covered by most bikini bottoms and underwear. The scar is extremely light colored. The only thing that never went away is the puffiness along the top of my scar, but it doesn’t bother me really at all. I still have no feeling in the center of my belly, under my belly button, about 8” across, but I’ve gotten used to that and my doctor says eventually feeling will come back, but it will take years. My scar is light but noticeable around my belly button, but you’d have to be looking pretty close to notice it. If I had to make the decision all over again, I’d do this procedure again in a heartbeat. I love not being self conscious about my belly in bikinis and tight fitting tops. I feel like I have my pre-babies body back! Good luck ladies!! Updated on 3 Feb 2019: Dr. Rao and his team at UW Transformations was wonderful. I am very pleased with my results, low scar and ended up with the vertical belly button I had hoped for. I’d recommend Dr. Rao to anyone! I only saw his PA post-op, so sorry that I was unable to thank him in person.
I look like a normal male should appear. I have never been normal before in the shape of my body. It is the most fantastic and liberating human feeling one can imagine. The entire front of my body was either overly rolling with fat for many years and once the fat was gone it was frightening. Now it is normal. The surgeon (Dr. Venkat Rao, UW Madison, WI is a giver of life. I am very thankful for the result. Randy Voss
I had my Breast implants removed along with a total capsulectomy. Dr Rao and his surgical team were fantastic! The nursing staff was amazing. They really made me feel comfortable. They treated me like a person and not like $$signs. Both pretty and post op was very good. Dr Tao's PA was wonderful as well. I would highly recommend Dr Rao for explanation of implants!
It took 2 years to save up for my 2 stage procedure. 48 hours ago I had lipo performed on my abdomen and a breast lift with Dr. Rao in Madison WI. I could not be happier! I was nervous having two procedures done at once but it turned out fantastic. I just took a shower and here is a pic of my lifted breasts. In 12 weeks (more or less depending on how my stitches heal from the lift). Updated on 6 Feb 2016: Day 4 after breast lift and abdominal lipo. I honestly haven't had any pain and quit taking my pain medicine last night. I actually did dishes and laundry today and still feel good. I'm more bruised today but still feel good. Will determine date for implants after my follow up with Dr Rao. He said it depends on how well I heal. I am shooting for end of April! Updated on 13 Feb 2016: I must have still been feeling the result of the pain meds. Once I stopped taking them and was vertical for a whole day, I was sore. I'm still sore.. I went for my post op on last Monday and everything was going well. It's still well but I'm uncomfortable. It's more of the binder creeping up from my lipo on my tummy, to the to the incisions under my breasts. And itchy nipples! I finally quit sticking gauze in my bra cups yesterday. It was not necessary but a security blanket of sorts. Your nipples feel like sunburned for lack of a better term, and when they rub on the sports bra it's a bit uncomfortable. Honestly when I can take off this binder I will feel better.. My daughter asked me when was I going to quit running around looking like a powerpuff girl..see picas below.
I had gone from over 300# to just under 175# and had the dreaded loose skin. I worked out a lot (running half-marathons, daily Pilates, tennis, volleyball, biking, etc.) and realized that at my age, my skin was about as tight as it was going to get on my own so I decided to get some outside help. I previously had gone to UW Transformations for fractional laser surgery on my face secondary to acne scarring when I was younger. I was pleased with that and asked that doctor whom he recommended there for body contouring, and he immediately advise me to go with Dr. Rao. I made an appointment with Dr. Rao and he was quite friendly. It took him very little time to analyze my abdomen and make a recommendation. He advised that the "extended" version of the abdominoplasty ("tummy tuck") was right for me because of how much larger I had been before. Basically, instead of going hip to hip like in a normal tuck they go flank to flank on your back. He gave me his email address and then said I needed to get a pre-op physical with his PA-C and coordinate pricing and scheduling with his business office. I was surprised at the quote -- only $7750 -- as I was expecting more. For having the procedure done by a board certified surgeon who is recognized as one of the best plastic surgeons in Madison, through a medical system known as the best in the state, I thought it was a great price. I scheduled it for 10/23/13 to coincide with the end of my outdoor tennis season and after a half-marathon I wanted to run. The pre-op physical with LuAnn was easy and she is great. She also gave me her email address and phone number for any post-op concerns. I weighed 174# the week before surgery. I showed up with my parents on the 23rd, pretty nervous but ready to go. Dr. Rao used a marker to mark up my tummy, he explained the procedure to my parents and me quite well and then the anesthesiologist came in and explained what they would be doing. I don't remember much after that. I woke up in recovery and felt good, unless I moved. My abdominal region was pretty sore! They said that they did NOT have to do muscle repair which was good, a faster recovery. That did not surprise me because for the year prior I had done a tone of core exercises on a near daily basis. They gave me some light snacks, monitored me and let me have some visitors before sending me home with my parents. I was given a prescription for Oxycontin, I believe, and that worked out well for me in terms of pain management. I was also given instructions on wound care, what my limitations were, etc. I had a pretty routine healing over the next few weeks. I did NOT have a drain installed because the procedure went so well. I was happy about that but sometimes that meant fluid did leak out of the incision and I just had to make sure I put gauze where it needed to go. It's not the most glamorous procedure, that's for sure. I looked great the first night but then the swelling started and I felt / looked pretty bloated for a few weeks. I had a 10 day and 3 week post-op follow-up and they were happy with the results, told me I could resume light cardio and at my 6 week post-op they said I didn't need to come back until I was 4 months out. At that visit they were so pleased that they said I was basically done unless I needed to come back in. The scar is big. I am starting to use Kelocote on it and also have had some light/IPL treatments on it by a natural medicine guy. Both are helping but the Kelocote is expensive. It looks better every day. My current weight is 169#, so the difference in the before and after pictures is about 4# which is remarkable compared to the difference in how it looks. I also have continued to work out so there was some conversion of fat to muscle in there as well. I was very pleased with Dr. Rao and the whole procedure. As a guy, one of my concerns was sagging in the pubis. He did a great job on that area. As a result, my incision is higher than most. I can live with that trade-off. The scar is higher on one side than the other and as it fades it is barely noticeable. I have a flat stomach and a scar that is rapidly fading. I couldn't be happier and, to me, a free revision to fix a scar that is going to become barely noticeable is simply not worth the effort or down time. I'm happy just the way things are. Dr. Rao is very clinical, open and has a great bedside manner. LuAnn helped me out when I panicked a few times with regards to draining and recovery. I can't believe the improvement they did to my body. The whole UW Transformations experience was great, I highly recommend it. I will post more pictures as the scar fades. Updated on 23 Oct 2014: I am 1 year post-op. Functionally, I love it. No more loose skin getting in the way of workouts, daily activities, intimacy, etc. For the most part the nerves have settled down, although there is some weird sensations now and then. I'm less than pleased with the scar. It is too pink, jagged, uneven and one side appears higher than the other. I am sure my fair skin, how tight they went, the muscle composition, etc., are all a factor in this. I'm hoping it will continue to improve. This is not a surgery for the faint of heart!
Hi everyone! I'm a 24 year old female from Wisconsin. I'm 6'1" and about 210 lbs. I currently wear a size 34K bra. I've been thinking about a breast reduction basically since high school and it's finally going to happen. My biggest reasons for wanting to get this done are back pain, exercise, and poor posture. I've developed poor posture because standing up straight makes my boobs stick out and garner unwanted attention. Also, the weight of my boobs seem to pull on my chest. It's especially noticeable when I don't have a bra on. People think I'm a good two inches shorter than I actually am because of it. Another motivation for this is that I'm getting married next August. I know that if I go dress shopping with my boobs the way they are now, it will only end in tears. This surgery will give me so many more options. There are small reasons, too. Things like not having to straddle my leg with my boob when I'm trying to cut/paint my toenails, or not looking like a grandma when wearing a bath robe, or being able to buy bras in a store. I already have to order my pants online because of my long inseam, I don't want to worry about my bras too! I had an appointment with my plastic surgeon on October 8th. He said my boobs were larger than the average reduction patient he sees. I received a letter from my insurance less than a week later telling me I had been approved. I have a $500 co-pay for the surgery, which seems well worth it! I have my pre-op appointment scheduled for November 8th and the surgery scheduled for November 28th. I wanted to wait until after Thanksgiving because I'll be traveling. I'm really excited for this surgery and not apprehensive (although those wound separation photos are a bit disturbing), so my biggest worries at this point are about being able to sleep on my back for awhile and not being able to walk my dog for some time (she's a puller when she sees other dogs). My plastic surgeon said the smallest he could get me down to would be D. I think a D or DD would look well on my body. I'm really looking forward to smaller areolas and nipples that point outward, not towards the ground. Updated on 8 Nov 2012: I went in for my pre-op appointment today. I met with a nurse and my doctor's PA and we went over my medical history and what to expect. They didn't draw blood because I'm pretty young and healthy with no family history of anything that might cause complications. They said they would provide all of the healing supplies like bandages and two surgical bras for me, which means I don't have to do any shopping before my surgery. I got a prescription for anti-nausea pills and Oxycontin, as well as a suggestion for a stool softener. I also got a tour of the surgery area. I was told that for the first two weeks after surgery, I shouldn't take baths or go swimming and that I shouldn't exercise more vigorously than walking. I can take showers starting the day after my surgery and washing the area with soap and water is encouraged. The PA (who was absolutely fantastic, by the way) said that my breasts will be pumped up with saline solution during surgery so that will be the majority of what comes out of the drains, and it will look like cherry KoolAid. I had never heard of the saline thing before, so I'll have to do some more research. I'll only have drains in for a day and I'll have dissolvable stitches so I don't need to worry about them getting taken out. The take-home sheet also said not to wear underwire bras for the first two weeks, but everything I've read says hold off even longer than that. I think I'll be enjoying wearing cute sports bras so much that I won't want to rush in to underwire bras. I also looked at the before and after photos my surgeon had. They weren't as great as the before and after photos that I've seen from other surgeons online in terms of symmetry. The "after" areolas were bigger than I would want but the nurse said I could request smaller. Most of the patients in the photos were older and naturally had breasts that hung to the side more so than the front, so they were kind of hard to relate to. But I then I think the ones posted online (by surgeons, not actual people) are the best jobs they've done, not the average, so I have to be realistic. I asked the nurse what percentage of patients have wound separation issues. She said in the years she has been working there, they've only had one woman who had issues and she was a big time smoker. That's definitely reassuring. She also said she thinks my doctor is a very good surgeon and he's been who her family members have used. So that was about it. Surgery is less than three weeks away! I can't wait! It's really amazing how much you become aware of back and neck pain and other inconveniences of big boobs when you pay attention. I've gotten so used to blocking it all out of my consciousness. Updated on 29 Nov 2012: I had my surgery yesterday. We arrived at the surgery center at 6:30am. They asked me some questions and had me fill out some paperwork. Then I met with the resident of my doctor. My doctor was doing a clinical study to test the affects of adding a small amount of lidocaine to the epinephrine saline solution they pump in your breasts, so his explained it all and asked if I wanted to participate. The drug is supposed to ease the amount of post-op pain and nausea. I agreed to be in it. They couldn't tell me if I was going to get the drug or not, but based on how I did, I definitely think I got it. I wasn't nauseous at all and my pain has been very manageable. After I met with his resident about the study, my doctor came in and marked me up. I wish I could have gotten a picture of that. Then I met with the surgical nurse, the anesthesiologist, and his assistant. Surgery went off without a hitch. I'm not sure exactly how much my doc removed, so I'll check on that when I go to get my drains removed this morning. Since the surgery, I've been doing well. I was able to eat and drink right away with no problems. I spent the rest of the day watching movies I had already seen a number of times so it didn't matter if I kept drifting in and out of sleep. My surgical bra is very itchy all over, but especially where the drains and tape are underneath my armpit. I can't wait until I get those out! Updated on 5 Dec 2012: It's been 1 week since my surgery. Now I'm entering the itchy phase of healing. I'm really glad I have a good chunk of time off work yet. Even walking more than a couple of blocks is too much. I'm mostly happy with how I'm healing up. I have two worries: my right breast seems to be bigger than my left breast, and there is an area of stitches that is puckered. As for the different sizes, I hope that's just one more swollen than the other. I posted a picture of the puckering. I don't know if this can be fixed or if I need to let it heal completely. I just worry that it won't heal flat. Does anyone have experience with a puckered incision or "dog ear" on the side of the breast? I have my an appointment tomorrow to check out my progress, so I'll ask about it then. Updated on 6 Dec 2012: I had my one week post-op visit today with my PA. She assured me that the puckering on my left side will go away with time. She said everything is looking really good. I have one more week in the surgical bra and then I can move on to sports bras. She said to wait until the 6 week mark before laying down serious money on underwire bras because the breasts can still be swollen. One more week until restrictions like exercising and taking baths (my all time favorite winter activity) are lifted. Besides that, she said everything else should be done at my comfort level. I hope I'm able to sleep on my side sooner rather than later. Sleeping on my back is not enjoyable at all. I can also switch from Tylenol (which doesn't really do much for me) to ibuprofen. She said to wait until our one month appointment to decide if I need to use scar lotions. I asked how much I had taken out and it was a little over 4.5 lbs! What a huge weight off my shoulders! Updated on 11 Dec 2012: I'm almost two weeks post op. Either the swelling in my breasts has decreased a lot or the surgical bras I got stretched out because my breasts have been moving around in them a lot. Time for a sports bra! I got a sports bra from Target on clearance for $11 that fits me. It has these tiny little spaghetti straps to hold it up! Quite funny when I compare it to the Enell sports bras I used to wear that are absolutely amazing for controlling motion but then ugliest bras on the face of the planet. I'm going back to buy a couple more today. It will also be my dry run to see if I'll be o.k. driving to work. I'm healing up well. I had some peeling along the incision lines which I think is a good sign. I'm not 100% closed up yet, but definitely getting there. The only thing that bothers me in terms of comfort is the suture ends around the nipples. The stitches poke out so it sucks if there's any movement and it rubs my bra. I've starting putting lotion on my breasts as per my PA's instructions. Rubbing my breasts is still a weird sensation. The top skin is no problem, but rubbing the sides and the bottom is weird in terms of what that skin feels. It's like my brain is still working on remapping those nerves. Updated on 12 Dec 2012: Posted two week post-op photo. You can really see how the skin underneath my breasts was discolored from the constant rubbing from my sports bras. Hopefully that will go away. Updated on 25 Dec 2012: Almost to one month post op. A couple of days ago the stitches poking out of my nipples started falling out. Sweet relief! Once they came out I was able to stop taking ibuprofen. That was definitely the turning point for me. It also makes taking a shower much more enjoyable because I don't feel like Frankenstein's monster when I'm washing the incisions. I've posted some updated pics. The right breast is still bigger the left, but I'm hoping that's due to swelling. It definitely feels more swollen when I touch it. I met up with some friends two days ago and did some hugging that I probably shouldn't have. I have a one-month appointment with my PA in two days so we'll see how I'm healing up. I've been able to sleep without a bra on and without a pillow under my knees. I'm thinking another week or two before I'll be able to sleep on my sides. Definitely feeling good about the surgery. Updated on 12 Mar 2013: Posted a picture of what I looked like 3 months out. Now I'm a bit past that. I can definitely notice the shape of my boobs changing from my 1 month picture. They're dropping into a more normal shape. Scarring seems to be o.k. I have my last follow up appointment on April 1st so we'll see what they say. I still have a bit of wrinkling at the ends of the incision lines near the armpits, so I wonder how long it will take for those to smooth out. The right boob is definitely a bit bigger than the left, but it's not noticeable when I have clothes on. I was fitted professionally for a bra and ended up at a 34FF. The size is good on me because it's proportional to my height but I'm somewhat bummed because I still have to order online or go to specialty lingerie stores to find that size. The other day I had to buy more sugar at the grocery store and was kind of amazed to see that a small bag of sugar weighed a bit less than what I had taken out. I tried to balance it on my chest to see what it felt like, but I couldn't even do that anymore! Definitely glad to have that weight gone. I'll try to remember to post pictures when I get to 6 months out from surgery.
