POSTED UNDER AirSculpt Reviews REVIEWS
AirSculpt - My confidence is through the roof
ORIGINAL POST
So Pleased with Results and Experience
WORTH IT$14,000
The Decision:
I came here to make my decision, so I'm giving back by sharing my experience with AirSculpt. I went back and forth about doing it - it's a lot of money, and I feel like I've wasted plenty of money on cosmetic procedures that did almost nothing (mainly CoolSculpting - total waste!). I was also afraid! Who wouldn't be? It just seemed so *weird*. How were those people in all the videos not feeling anything? I mean, let's face it. It looks a lot like liposuction, without the level of violence lipo seems to have and with a much tinier tool. And what does that mean that they "numb the fat cells." It sounded like jargon created for us laypeople that wasn't really true. I was also concerned about the recovery. My mother in an ob/gyn surgeon, and she has told me that the larger ther incision, the longer and harder the recovery, so that seemed like good news for AirSculpt. I got as much clarity as I could beforehand about it, but everyone experiences recovery from things like this a little differently.
Once I decided, though, I was ready (it's called cognitive dissonance, folks - I'm a psychologist and know this, but what a relief that our brains try to help us feel good in the face of such decisions.) I live in Portland, so I reserved a room in Bellevue, and my friend drove up with me. I stayed up until like 4am yabbering at her about all my man problems, which she already had heard a million times before, because I was nervous. Bless her heart, she let me. I kept joking that I was going to talk at length to Dr. Bullis about my issues with my boyfriend during the procedure, and he'd be stuck listening.
Procedure:
Following morning, you check in at 8. They want you to eat something hearty - before 8am! Insanity. But I went to the Starbucks across the street and made myself eat one of their breakfast sandwiches. Once in the AirSculpt office they had me fill out the necessary paperwork. My nurse Jenny brought me back to change into the papery underwear and bra, as well as pasties to tape over your nipples. Why? No clue. I wasn't getting anything done to my tits. But I liked them and wound up keeping them on until my first shower (48 hours later). I couldn't wait to show my friend :) This part went very quickly. Jenny took my before photos (this, by the way, is such a great part of it because you look at yourself in the mirror and are so happy whatever you're getting removed or added to is about to change forever). She took my blood pressure and urine sample. Dr. Bullis came in to meet me, used a stethoscope to listen to my heart and lungs, and then suddenly I was being walked back to the room where it was going to go down.
Then the best part: the drugs! They gave me Valium to calm my nerves, antibiotics (which you continue to take for 5 days), and Tylenol. Jenny gave me two shots - one of something that is like Ibuprofen and one of Dilaudid, which basically makes you feel calm and happy and removes pain. Right before he punched the tiny holes, Dr. Bullis said that it would feel like a rubber band snap. That's basically true, but by then you're so pleasantly high you don't care. Then he puts in the numbing solution. For this, I added laughing gas. From then on I remember feeling nothing except for when he went in near the ribs. I just kept sucking away on that nitrous. I didn't get to talk about my problems with Dr. Bullis at all! I was too f-ed up. I think I told him like three times that my mother was also an ob/gyn. He was like, yes, you told me this. I really remember nothing else (nitrous is amnesia causing this way - fine with me).
I had my flanks, my upper and lower stomach, and upper arms done. It probably took a good three hours, but suddenly it was over, and Jenny was helping me into the compression gown and placing pads where the numbing liquid would seep out over the next 48 hours. My friend was somehow there as they had called her and my car was waiting out front.
My friend drove us back to Portland. I kept falling asleep and wanting food. At some point I looked at my phone and saw that Dr. Bullis had texted me to let me know he was happy to have done the work on my body, and apparently I had texted back! Thank god I had only written "thank you" and not embarrassed myself some more.
Recovery:
The leaking is real, people. So. Much. Numbing. Solution. I changed the pads the night I got home, and I put down towels I didn't care about to sleep on, as well as a crappy blanket to put over me. They give you a prescription for 800mg. ibuprofen and the antibiotics, which you pick up ahead of time, and I took the ibuprofen for maybe a day or two tops. There isn't much pain. It's just like getting bruised, but in a lot of spots. I slept on my back for 3 or 4 nights as my side was too bruised to sleep on. The first shower was hard too because it hurt to have water hit it. Plus, I was uncomfortable without the compression suit while I washed it. I had bought an extra compression garment as recommended by someone here, but it didn't fit right, so I had to wait for the other one to get out of the dryer.
Day 3 the swelling was at its worst, and it was uncomfortable. I read that day 3 after surgery is typically when swelling is at its worst. After that the swelling receded relatively quickly. It would come and go but never as bad as that 3rd day. I put antibiotic/neosporin and bandaids on each entry point as they stung a little and sometimes got rubbed a bit by the compression garments. I definitely recommend this, as it helped those spots heal more quickly.
And on it went, basically completely comfortable except for having to wear the compression suit for the first 2 weeks. By the time day 14 came, I was basically healed and comfortable with it off.
Since then, I keep looking better and better! I love my body so much, and I didn't even hate it before. I was just bothered by what menopause was doing to it. My confidence is through the roof (and it was pretty good before), and I'm attracting lots of attention from the mens because of it :). Nothing wrong with that. I'm looking forward to the first trip I take where I can wear a bikini. Also, no one else will say it I bet, so I will. Sex is even better than before because you feel so sexy and free to get as crazy as you want.
I'm just about 6 weeks out now. Still mild numbness in some spots and if I press on the back of my upper arms, they're still a little bruised. So guess what I do? That's right - I don't press on them. I'm maintaining my low-carb and healthy diet. I haven't started exercising yet, but...I hate exercise and hadn't done much of it before. I swear though I will! I mean, I should! I say this all the time. We're all waiting with bated breath to see if I ever actually do. I'll add photos after my 6 month appointment when they take the 'after' photos.
I came here to make my decision, so I'm giving back by sharing my experience with AirSculpt. I went back and forth about doing it - it's a lot of money, and I feel like I've wasted plenty of money on cosmetic procedures that did almost nothing (mainly CoolSculpting - total waste!). I was also afraid! Who wouldn't be? It just seemed so *weird*. How were those people in all the videos not feeling anything? I mean, let's face it. It looks a lot like liposuction, without the level of violence lipo seems to have and with a much tinier tool. And what does that mean that they "numb the fat cells." It sounded like jargon created for us laypeople that wasn't really true. I was also concerned about the recovery. My mother in an ob/gyn surgeon, and she has told me that the larger ther incision, the longer and harder the recovery, so that seemed like good news for AirSculpt. I got as much clarity as I could beforehand about it, but everyone experiences recovery from things like this a little differently.
Once I decided, though, I was ready (it's called cognitive dissonance, folks - I'm a psychologist and know this, but what a relief that our brains try to help us feel good in the face of such decisions.) I live in Portland, so I reserved a room in Bellevue, and my friend drove up with me. I stayed up until like 4am yabbering at her about all my man problems, which she already had heard a million times before, because I was nervous. Bless her heart, she let me. I kept joking that I was going to talk at length to Dr. Bullis about my issues with my boyfriend during the procedure, and he'd be stuck listening.
Procedure:
Following morning, you check in at 8. They want you to eat something hearty - before 8am! Insanity. But I went to the Starbucks across the street and made myself eat one of their breakfast sandwiches. Once in the AirSculpt office they had me fill out the necessary paperwork. My nurse Jenny brought me back to change into the papery underwear and bra, as well as pasties to tape over your nipples. Why? No clue. I wasn't getting anything done to my tits. But I liked them and wound up keeping them on until my first shower (48 hours later). I couldn't wait to show my friend :) This part went very quickly. Jenny took my before photos (this, by the way, is such a great part of it because you look at yourself in the mirror and are so happy whatever you're getting removed or added to is about to change forever). She took my blood pressure and urine sample. Dr. Bullis came in to meet me, used a stethoscope to listen to my heart and lungs, and then suddenly I was being walked back to the room where it was going to go down.
Then the best part: the drugs! They gave me Valium to calm my nerves, antibiotics (which you continue to take for 5 days), and Tylenol. Jenny gave me two shots - one of something that is like Ibuprofen and one of Dilaudid, which basically makes you feel calm and happy and removes pain. Right before he punched the tiny holes, Dr. Bullis said that it would feel like a rubber band snap. That's basically true, but by then you're so pleasantly high you don't care. Then he puts in the numbing solution. For this, I added laughing gas. From then on I remember feeling nothing except for when he went in near the ribs. I just kept sucking away on that nitrous. I didn't get to talk about my problems with Dr. Bullis at all! I was too f-ed up. I think I told him like three times that my mother was also an ob/gyn. He was like, yes, you told me this. I really remember nothing else (nitrous is amnesia causing this way - fine with me).
I had my flanks, my upper and lower stomach, and upper arms done. It probably took a good three hours, but suddenly it was over, and Jenny was helping me into the compression gown and placing pads where the numbing liquid would seep out over the next 48 hours. My friend was somehow there as they had called her and my car was waiting out front.
My friend drove us back to Portland. I kept falling asleep and wanting food. At some point I looked at my phone and saw that Dr. Bullis had texted me to let me know he was happy to have done the work on my body, and apparently I had texted back! Thank god I had only written "thank you" and not embarrassed myself some more.
Recovery:
The leaking is real, people. So. Much. Numbing. Solution. I changed the pads the night I got home, and I put down towels I didn't care about to sleep on, as well as a crappy blanket to put over me. They give you a prescription for 800mg. ibuprofen and the antibiotics, which you pick up ahead of time, and I took the ibuprofen for maybe a day or two tops. There isn't much pain. It's just like getting bruised, but in a lot of spots. I slept on my back for 3 or 4 nights as my side was too bruised to sleep on. The first shower was hard too because it hurt to have water hit it. Plus, I was uncomfortable without the compression suit while I washed it. I had bought an extra compression garment as recommended by someone here, but it didn't fit right, so I had to wait for the other one to get out of the dryer.
Day 3 the swelling was at its worst, and it was uncomfortable. I read that day 3 after surgery is typically when swelling is at its worst. After that the swelling receded relatively quickly. It would come and go but never as bad as that 3rd day. I put antibiotic/neosporin and bandaids on each entry point as they stung a little and sometimes got rubbed a bit by the compression garments. I definitely recommend this, as it helped those spots heal more quickly.
And on it went, basically completely comfortable except for having to wear the compression suit for the first 2 weeks. By the time day 14 came, I was basically healed and comfortable with it off.
Since then, I keep looking better and better! I love my body so much, and I didn't even hate it before. I was just bothered by what menopause was doing to it. My confidence is through the roof (and it was pretty good before), and I'm attracting lots of attention from the mens because of it :). Nothing wrong with that. I'm looking forward to the first trip I take where I can wear a bikini. Also, no one else will say it I bet, so I will. Sex is even better than before because you feel so sexy and free to get as crazy as you want.
I'm just about 6 weeks out now. Still mild numbness in some spots and if I press on the back of my upper arms, they're still a little bruised. So guess what I do? That's right - I don't press on them. I'm maintaining my low-carb and healthy diet. I haven't started exercising yet, but...I hate exercise and hadn't done much of it before. I swear though I will! I mean, I should! I say this all the time. We're all waiting with bated breath to see if I ever actually do. I'll add photos after my 6 month appointment when they take the 'after' photos.
Jewesse's provider
UPDATED FROM Jewesse
4 months post
About 5 months later
Still very happy with results. My guess is that scars from the incisions will be different for everyone based on their skin and genetics, but I thought it might be useful to see what my scars look like now. They continue to gradually lighten.
One of you asked how much it cost - I thought I'd added that originally, but it was just under $14K
Now that I'm this far along, I wish I had spent the money on the AirSculpt+, which includes tightening. My arms don't necessarily need it, but I'm in my early 50's now and had two babies back in my thirties, so my skin on my stomach still rolls some when I sit. An interesting fact: I hoped to go down one size, but I didn't. Also: menopause. It changes your body, almost like your body spreads wider. I hate it! It's a part of what makes me want to go back for more. I'm thinking - underarm fat, pubic area, and maybe a little inner and outer thighs. On my gravestone, it will say: she spent her life savings on her looks. Meanwhile, my AirSculpted body will be ashes in an urn.
One of you asked how much it cost - I thought I'd added that originally, but it was just under $14K
Now that I'm this far along, I wish I had spent the money on the AirSculpt+, which includes tightening. My arms don't necessarily need it, but I'm in my early 50's now and had two babies back in my thirties, so my skin on my stomach still rolls some when I sit. An interesting fact: I hoped to go down one size, but I didn't. Also: menopause. It changes your body, almost like your body spreads wider. I hate it! It's a part of what makes me want to go back for more. I'm thinking - underarm fat, pubic area, and maybe a little inner and outer thighs. On my gravestone, it will say: she spent her life savings on her looks. Meanwhile, my AirSculpted body will be ashes in an urn.
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