Cursed with cellulite, always self-conscious of my backside and thighs, years of shame... And though it is not a miracle cure and will not eliminate 100% of the problem, it made a real significant improvement. I feel way better about myself and some of the most stubborn areas are indeed smoothed out., erased The downside is that I was beyond black and blue for months and months after. Severely bruised. But was it worth it? Oh yes, it was very much worth it and I am very pleased with my results.
I love Botox I get it every 6 month for preventative care. West lake dermatology has a great team that never tries to sell you more than you need. The wrinkles in my forehead and over all skin improve every time I go
Went in today for my preop and everyone was super friendly and helped me feel more comfortable. It's a big deal for me to be voluntarily going under the knife and I need to feel confident in the hands of my new creator. The surgeon was very professional and had a very calming aura about him. I am doing smart lipo on my upper and lower abdomen, waist, flanks, and hips. 5 areas for $6500. I will be awake during the procedure which seems a bit intimidating, but it does minimize potential complications from anesthesia. Nevertheless, I will be diverting my attention from the real world by texting, reading, listening to music, whatever it takes. Pretty cool they let you keep your phone on you and read magazines. So 6 days til surgery.... 6 days to eat every carb one last time.... ;-) Updated on 12 Mar 2016: 5 days til surgery! Been kind of nervous so haven't been eating a whole lot as usual. Maybe I can lose a couple pounds before my surgery ;-) Updated on 13 Mar 2016: Ok so I am getting closer to my surgery and I made the mistake of watching the procedure online..... now I am more freaked out. Lol. I am such a baby. I hope the numbing isn't as bad as I have read. Anyhow, here are a couple more preop pics. Updated on 17 Mar 2016: I was so anxious for the past two weeks that I literally had nothing left in me to be scared about. Sarah the RN at Westlake dermatology was very patient with me, and although the numbing hurt like hell ( a 9 out of a 10), she got me through the procedure just by being so nice and reassuring. When you look at your stomach after the fluid is injected you will freak out about how huge it is. You literally look obese. The Dr came in and made some incisions in about 10 areas. That part I did not feel. Most of the procedure, which lasted 3 hours and 15 mins, felt fine with occasional discomfort. However, there were times that I wanted to scream bloody murder. I laughed at the pain though because I was in shock that I actually went through with the procedure. There were times I wanted to back out and say screw the money I am out! Luckily I went through it. They put an IV in you just in case more meds are needed- I didn't need mine. The whole time the Dr, the nurses, and I were joking around. I felt comfortable. I absolutely love Dr Friedmann. He is quite funny and has been known to be simply irresistible by people such as himself ;-) He is very knowledgeable and willing to ask any questions you might have. Highly skilled and highly recommended. I am going to have some vein treatment with him soon and am contemplating more Smartlipo to my thighs. I am now in bed just resting. I heard to prop yourself up so you can drain more adequately. I took an anti nausea pill and will take a tylenol 3 in 30 min with food. All and all it was a good experience. Do NOT make the mistake of thinking this is a slightly painful procedure or you will be caught off guard. Just accept some moderate pain and stop stressing. I read so much prior to the procedure I feel like I can assist in the procedure. Just do your homework and do what is recommended and you will be fine. Trust me, i am the biggest baby ever and I was fine. More updates later. Updated on 17 Mar 2016: Ok, its been about 5 hours since my surgery ended and I am in quite a bit of pain. I have already taken 2 tylenol 3 and CLEARLY the local anesthestic has worn off. If the second day is worse then I am kinda scared. I haven't noticed any drainage but then again I haven't even bothered to check. Ughhh..... If anyone can give me some advice please do so.. Updated on 18 Mar 2016: I read all of the scary reviews that the day after smartlipo is the roughest day in regards for pain so I made sure to take my pain meds every 4 hours starting a few hours after the procedure was done. Honestly the day of surgery was the worst for me. I have been taking my meds even at night so I wouldn't wake up in severe pain, and so that I could get some sleep. Seemed to do the trick. I haven't taken the compression garment off yet, nor have I gone to my 1 day post op appt. I feel like sitting up propped up against something is more comfortable than laying down. I will try to take a picture when I remove my garment in a few hours. I feel like the compression garment is adding to my acid reflux because it is so tight. Anything I eat does not settle and makes me not want to eat at all. Maybe this is how you actually lose weight-you can't eat! Lol. Last night one of my puncture sites started hurting a lot. It was kind of scary as I assumed it was infected. Luckily the severe pain subsided in a couple of hours. This surgery is more intense than I thought and I have had a tonsillectomy and a breast augmentation. I sure hope I at least see some results today when I remove the compression garment so I don't lose my sanity. :-/ Updated on 18 Mar 2016: The purple bikini pics are the before images and the black ones are 1 day post op. Updated on 19 Mar 2016: Yesterday, which was 1 day post op, I ended up staying in bed after my dr appt due to being extremely nauseous all day. I'm assuming it was the codeine. I couldn't eat anything until 930pm, the nausea subsided and I ate a turkey wrap from jasons deli. I pretty much slept all day. Today, which is day 2 post op, I am feeling much better. I am still sore but am taking only Extra strength tylenol. I stopped taking Tylenol 3 yesterday around noon since I realized it was making me super nauseous. I took a shower and noticed some swelling already taking place. This is the hard part since you really only get one day to see progress, which is the day after surgery, then the swelling takes place. I have an appetite today, but will be careful to eat healthy since I cannot work out. I do NOT want to have to do this again lol. I don't think I am draining much anymore. He sutured my incisions, and to be honest I can barely even find them! Awesome! Here is a pic of my new spanx like compression garment I got from Target. I still have to wear my binder but it's in the washer right now. Updated on 20 Mar 2016: Today I am a little sore waking up and the binder is keeping my appetite at bay. I weighed in today at 126 lbs which is around 4 lbs less than I did on the day of surgery. I am happy to see I didn't gain 10 pounds like people on this website say. I get to take this binder off tonight and switch to a lighter form of compression. Thank God! This binder has been so damn itchy and uncomfortable. Yesterday i literally got a gob of vaseline and rubbed it along my entire torso in hopes of some relief from the itching. It seemed to work temporarily. I am a little nauseous from the antibiotics today, but it is probably because I am having a hard time eating much. One word of advice, take a stool softener (or 3) the day of surgery until you are off pain meds and able to move more. Otherwise you may get bloated and constipated which will add to your weight gain and discomfort. I am supposed to go back to work tomorrow (4 days post op) so I hope I feel up to it. I am a hygienist in a busy practice so I bend around in a chair a lot. Well going to take a nap now. :-) Updated on 20 Mar 2016: I stopped by Dillards and bought some spanx sculpt with straps. You can wear your own bra with it, which is good for anyone who has a larger bust. They are sooo much more comfortable than the binder and do a really good job at holding everything in and minimizing discomfort from sitting or bending. This will be ideal for work. Today is a lot better than the preceding days, however I am still taking Tylenol for soreness. Tomorrow will be my first day back to work and I already warned them that I may be somewhat limited to what I can do. Updated on 25 Mar 2016: I have been wearing my Spanx 24 hours a day after the binder was off at day 3 post op. I definitely notice swelling (I hope it's swelling) in my love handle and waist area. I hope it smoothes out soon as it's discouraging. I definitely looked better 1 day post op. Does anyone have similar experiences with swelling and can offer some advice or words of encouragement? I have my post op appt today in a couple hours. I already started working out today. I took it easy and did some light cardio which made me feel better since my appetite has returned to normal. I don't want to gain weight after going through all this! I will ask the dr if it's ok to start working out and if my wounds seem to be healing ok. I hope he says I am very swollen. I will feel better if so. Updated on 27 Mar 2016: Happy Easter Real Self dolls! Going to Brunch with normal clothes on for once. Lol. Have my spanx on under. I need to get back on the diet wagon so I can maximize my results! Decided I am going to get my thighs done in 5 weeks. Counting down!! Updated on 27 Mar 2016: Updated on 28 Mar 2016: It's official! Getting smartlipo on my thighs on April 28th! Figured if I survived the pain from my whole abdomem, waist, hips, and flanks then my thighs should be a little easier. As far as my abdomen areas, I am 11 days post op and still swollen. This is to be expected though. The pain is now slight, no pain meds necessary at all. Going to Cancun in 3 weeks so I hope to be less swollen by then! !? Updated on 3 Apr 2016: This new CG feels like I am waist training. It has latex underneath and fits very snugly. I like it! Its Geordi brand- a Colombian designer. Updated on 27 Apr 2016: Tomorrow morning I am going in to do my inner and outer thighs. I am not nervous though. I am aware of the high level of pain I will be in, but I also know what to expect so it's not as intimidating. I have seen quite a few botched thigh jobs so I worry about taking out too much... we shall see... will keep yall posted! Updated on 27 Apr 2016: Updated on 28 Apr 2016: Today I arrived and was not nervous at all. Of course the numbing part hurt, but it was more tolerable this time. The surgery itself was virtually painless. We were all joking the whole time. Dr Friedmann has a great sense of humor. I can see why he is known as "the most eligible bachelor" in Austin. I know 1350 ml of fat was removed so I expect to notice a difference soon. Definitely a lot of drainage when you sit down. Anyhow, I will keep yall posted with pics when possible. Updated on 29 Apr 2016: Today I was in less pain than the day after smartlipo of my stomach. The legs tend tl be a bit easier. Washing my garments now and canceled my 1 day post op appt due to weather here and I don't want to risk driving in a storm while on Tylenol 3 lol. Here is a pic from day 1 post op. Updated on 29 Apr 2016: Updated on 7 May 2016: Ok I am a little over a week out from my inner and outer thigh surgery. Bruising is down quite a bit. Not too much swelling either. I had my post op appt yesterday and they removed the sutures on a few incision sites. Dr Friedmann is amazing! I have seen so many botched thigh jobs and he is very good at doing this area. Anyway, will take some post op pictures in a couple days!! Updated on 11 May 2016: Updated on 12 May 2016:
Sadly, I’m leaving one star because I was over injected with dysport, despite asking the injector to be conservative. The pricing was almost $200 more than countless dermatologists and injectors in NYC that I’ve gone to for almost 10 years. I cannot move my face after a few weeks still. When I called to have the issue rectified they said they would “do better” in the future. It seems as though they over inject to make more money and fail to tailor a specific plan for each patient. I will add that their medical team has been wonderful and upfront about everything, but my experience with their aesthetics team was egregious.