As I write this I am one week post op and things are looking and feeling great, and I’m extremely happy with my decision to have my flanks fat removed – and to have chosen Dr. Salman Ashruf to do it. After my husband left me for a much younger and beautiful girl, I went through a deep depression. I felt ugly and lost self-confidence. It took 3 years for me to regain my old self and start believing/loving life again. I started taking care of myself both mentally and physically. I am a healthy 45 years old woman. Although I feel beautiful inside and out, there is this one area in my body that is very stubborn.. it’s my FLANKS -- it does not matter how much I change my diet and workout routine that it has its own mind and is not going anywhere. I guess it came with the age as well… I do not know. I am 5’0 and does not have a shape or a hips. I have this boyish shape and no bottom. I don’t want to do any kind of drastic surgery and so I did some research and found SMART LIPO. What interest me with the procedure is it will help tighten up my skin and it can be done with local anesthesia. I do not want to get the general anesthesia as I am scared of not waking up. I have heard/read so many horror stories about it. I understand surgery come with a lot of risk, but I thought (in my own mind… not an expert) that local anesthesia will cut down some of the risks. Seeing that I could be awake, as well as proceed to my everyday life after a few days convinced me to move forward. After months of researching, I’ve found Dr. Salman Ashruf, MD, FACS Board Certified Plastic Surgeon. He is the owner and medical director of Cosmetic Plastic Surgery and Laser Center of Maryland. I went to his office located in Hanover, Maryland. My first contact with his office set a positive tone that has continued throughout the duration of our dealings together. His assistants Farrah and Sandra were very kind, and were able to offer me an appointment for a complimentary consultation. The day of the consultation, they took me on time, and the office was comfortable and easy to find. When Dr. Ashruf came into the room, he was friendly and explained that he had seen and worked on the same condition before, and was very familiar with it. He said that it would be simple and straightforward to remove it. He explained the process of how Smart Lipo works, the prep and recovery, and the different anesthesia options available. He was patient and answered all the questions I had. The day before the procedure, the staff called me to let me know the time I needed to come in. They went over the last minute details and answered all my questions, putting me at ease. Finally, when the big day came, I showed up to the office nervous but Dr. Ashruf and his staff greeted me warmly. Ms Sandra was very kind, putting me at ease, answering all of my questions and went over everything with me again. They brought me into the operating room, and Dr. Ashruf did the Smart Lipo procedure on my flanks. I elected to have the procedure done with a local anesthetic, so I was awake the whole time and listening to music with my phone. The doctor and nurses kept asking me if I was ok during the procedure, and told me what they were doing as they were doing it. When it was over, the nurses helped me up from the table, helped me put my shoes on, and helped me into the compression garment...all while being caring and compassionate. Was it painful considering I am only on local anesthesia? Yes and No. Yes, because the pain is mainly coming from our head. Knowing what they are doing, like the thought of needles and such will mess up your head. So, I needed to be calm and listening to music and put it on high volume blocked all the scary thoughts in my head. When I got into the room I laid down on the table and he used a needle to numb the small spots where the incisions would be made. That part stung a tiny bit. After that he uses the numbing cannula and began numbing the parts he would be working. I could feel the cannula pushing through under the skin and hitting areas. Thankfully it did work in numbing because next he took the laser cannula to melt the fat. This was painless. Just a few pokes and stings in certain areas. I picture it as a hard massage. The procedure took about 2 hours. Discomfort? It was the leaking part. The compression garment that I have to wear 24/7. Sleeping on my back because I am used to sleep on my side. Medication: I was given anti biotic and Ibuprofen. I made sure that I took ALL the anti-biotic, I can’t really mess with bacteria and infections. Dr Ashruf told me that I will be numb from the procedure for at least 10 hours. But take Ibuprofren prior to hitting that painful stage and add Tylenol if needed. So that night before I went to bed I took the pain med before the anesthesia wears off. I woke up fine. I was hesitated to take another pain med because I am not in pain at all. I still took the pain med because I don’t want to be cussing myself if the pain hit me. I told myself to keep taking it and if there is still no pain the next morning (marked 48 hours) then I will completely stop. And so that is what I did. The 3rd day, no pain at all. I actually went to work, like as if nothing happened. Besides wearing loose clothing because of my compression garment, NO ONE KNEW or even noticed of the procedure I have gone through. Compression garment: It is the most discomfort thing on this procedure. It is bulky and so I have to wear loose clothing to conceal it. Being in a winter season helped because I can wear big sweater and such :) I need to wear it 24/7 for at least 2 months or for as long as I can. I am worried about leaving some weird indention on my skin due to wearing it, so what I did is I bought a couple of body shaper. I think if I am only using 1 compression garment, it will imprint a weird indention on my body as it is sitting on the same spot 24/7. But having multiple one to switch around will help my body breathe a little bit. I hope it makes sense. 2nd day: little pain (#4 being 10 as the worst) only discomfort due to the compression garment. Still taking pain med even though I did not I need it. I took it because I did not want to be in so much pain when the anesthesia wears off. Leaking nonstop. 3rd day: little pain (#3) not leaking as much. Had a quick shower. Went to work like nothing happened. Wearing compression garment.. and that’s the most uncomfortable part. And yea sleeping on my back. 4th day: leaking stopped. feel a little sting from the incision and around my flanks but tolerable (#3 being 10 as the worst) still taking the anti-biotic. Cant mess with bacteria 5th day to 1 week – I swear no pain besides the sting on the incision which is reasonable because its an open hole but it’s like cutting yourself with a kitchen knife while cooking. The pain is more discomfort feeling and it is not consistent. I still hate the compression garment.. haha… but if that is the only thing that is painful, well let me get smart lipo everyday… that is how I look at it. Finished all the anti-biotic. Showering. My flanks feels weird when I touch them. Still sleeps on my back. Even though I am in no pain and back to work and my usually daily activities, I still DO NOT want to do anything heavy or strain myself. I do not want to push myself. Today, I did a little bit of treadmill but nothing heavy. I cannot say enough great things about Dr. Ashruf and his staff. Ms Farah and Sandra were incredibly friendly and helpful. Ms Sandra was kind, polite and accommodating. I was very happy with the treatment I received and I highly recommend Dr. Ashruf. HE was very polite and extremely good at what he did. He gave me a great explanation of what he would do and he was able to exceed my expectations. He did an excellent job and very impressed with the result. I hope this review helps a lot as I am one of you reading through everything that will help me and guide me with the procedure I have in mind. My grammar is not very good but I hope you understand what I am saying and help you in some ways in your journey on finding the best procedure and doctor for you. I wish you all the luck.
Hello realself. So I have been stalking this site for almost a year now and figured it was time that I post. I'm a mother of two kids ages 11 months and 3 yrs old. My husband and I are done having kids so I figured it was time to take care of myself. I currently workout hardcore at least 5 days a week and have been doing this for the past 10 yrs. I worked out through both pregnancies til I was 39 weeks pregnant. I have a very muscular build at 160 , 5'7". I don't want to get any smaller because this is a weight that I can maintain eating clean 5 days a week and in moderation during the weekends. I was 215 at birth from my son and lost all 40lbs I gained plus 15 more. As I stated I'm VERY active and plan to become a group fitness instructor this year. I still have a mommy pooch and my healthy eating( NOT DIET) and exercise regimen have not reduced it all the way. I do wear a size 8 in most clothing, but I still have a little muffin top. Most ppl would think that this was a good size but because of how hard I workout I think I deserve to have a flat tummy. So today Feb 6, 2015 I went in for my 1st consultation. I went to Cosmetic Plastic Surgery of Maryland in Hanover, MD. Now let me tell you I loved the place when I first walked in. It was very cozy and bright. The staff was pleasant too. I filled out paperwork and was called in the back. I then was asked to undress so that the PS could come look over my stomach and options. It was very nice of Dr. Ashruf to evaluate my body instead of the assistant. I took some pictures and then went over which options would work for me. The first thing Dr. stated was that I would see amazing results from a tummy tuck. WTF!!!!!A tummy tuck. Now I have attached some photos for you all to see and I don't think I even remotely needed a tummy tuck. I have reviewed many lipo photos and see there stomachs much bigger than mine with good results. First off I'm a stay at home mother now and don't have that kind of down time. Second I don't want to go thru that kind of pain and third I don't have that kind of money.($7,700). He assured me he could get my stomach flat with a tummy tuck. Of course for that price. SO then we discussed smart lipo. That quote was $4,750. Still over my price budget. There for my search will continue for a doctor. I did like Dr. Ashruf and would recommend him if you need a tummy tuck. I saw pictures and they had amazing results. I however don't think I need this invasive surgery. I'll be back later when I have other consultations and hopefully schedule my procedure. P.S. Tell me what you think about my stomach. Honest opinions. Smart lipo for a flatter muffin top? Tam