Deanna is a 28-year-old woman living in Brisbane, Australia, who got a breast lift with augmentation, a bra line back lift, and an extended tummy tuck with mons pubis lift after losing almost 100 pounds. This is her story, as told to Alix Tunell, edited for length and clarity.
In 2017, I got gastric sleeve surgery after trying many different ways to lose weight. I was 121 kilos and lost 50 [266 pounds down to 156], but I was left with a lot of excess skin. My belly looked like an apron, my breasts were stretched low, and my mons pubis area was quite puffy and large. Wearing anything that was even a little bit tight made me really self-conscious, and when I looked in the mirror, I could always see my stomach and mons pubis area protruding out.
I do pole fitness, so the clothes I wear for that are obviously short and tight, and I felt like people could see the excess skin bulging out from under my clothes. It was so frustrating because I was finally feeling good about myself and my body except for that, so I decided to get surgery to fix it.
I was open about my decision to my friends and family. My husband has never made comments about my body and has always told me that he thinks I’m beautiful, no matter what, but he knew this would make me feel better about myself, so he was supportive.
I knew a couple of people who’d gone to a clinic in Thailand for skin removal surgery, and their results were really impressive, so I sent my photos and did my consultations with the doctor there over email. The most important thing for me was seeing before-and-afters, but going to Thailand was also a lot cheaper than having the procedures done in Australia, so that was another factor. I booked a breast lift with augmentation, a bra line back lift, and a tummy tuck with mons pubis lift for June 2019 and flew there with my mum for support.
I met with my doctor on the morning of the surgery, and she drew all the surgery lines on me and helped me choose the implant size that I wanted. She was really thorough and lovely, and communication was easy—everyone spoke great English.
My surgeries were actually split up—the first day was my breasts and back, which took seven hours, and two days later, I had the tummy tuck and mons lift, which took four hours. I was really scared before the second round, because I’d woken up with such a sore throat from having the anesthesia tube in for so long, but it ended up being fine.
I stayed in Thailand for two weeks after surgery, and my mom helped me out while there. I’m a nurse, and I felt lucky that I knew the signs to look for if something was wrong. The hardest part was probably the lack of energy—after having a shower for the first time, I was exhausted and felt like I was 100 years old. And you have to get used to patting your skin dry rather than wiping it so that you don’t pull any of the sutures out. My breasts were actually the most painful—the muscles on the sides, under your arms, that you use to push yourself out of bed really hurt—but I don’t have any memory of the tummy tuck and mons lift being painful. To be honest, I thought it would be much worse.
The first time I looked in the mirror, I had dressings and drains all over my body, but I was so happy and could already see a difference. Once those were removed, I was absolutely amazed—I was swollen, but the difference was mind-blowing. It’s hard to explain just how happy I was and proud of myself for the decision I’d made.
By eight weeks post-op, nearly all the swelling had gone down. It’s been over a year now, and I have no pain or problems—just a little bit of numbness in some areas, mainly around my belly button and the middle of my belly, because they tighten the muscles during the tummy tuck. It’s something that may or may not come back, but it doesn’t affect me in any way. I don’t have any children yet, but it is something I might consider in the future, and my doctor assured me that it would be okay.
My scars have faded amazingly well; the ones around my belly button and nipple area are white. My back scar is the most prominent and obvious, but I don’t really care if it’s showing, because it just reminds me of my journey and why I’m happy now. My tummy and mons pubis are flat, and they look awesome. I wear bikinis now, and I feel comfortable in tight clothing and crop tops, which I’d never worn before. It’s the best decision I’ve ever made—life’s too short to not do what makes you feel good.
Related: What 9 Women Who Had a Tummy Tuck Would Have Done Differently
