Upper & Lower Abdomen, Waist and Flanks

It’s been almost 3 months since my AirSculpt procedure. Overall, I am happy. I can see abdominal definition which I’ve never had before. I do have a lot more loose skin than I was expecting, particularly because I didn’t have a lot of fat removed (1L). Not sure if it’ll tighten up over time or not. I do also have more fat remaining in my lower tummy that I was expecting, as this was my primary area of concern and where I was hoping to see the most significant change, but I am still unhappy with my lower abdomen. And I have an odd pocket of fat over my right oblique, but I doubt anyone will notice it but me.

I decided to have the AirSculpt procedure done after struggling to lose very stubborn abdominal fat. I am ~72 hours post procedure today. I am very healthy - I work out 5-6 days a week, lift weights, eat a very clean diet. I just never could get rid of my belly fat. I tried TruSculpt ID last year and got no results. I was pretty nervous going into this surgery - I requested lighter than normal sedation, which they accomodated. They injected lidocaine in 7 spots; two mid back, two lower back/above glutes, two above the pubic area towards hip bones and one above my belly button. Then, they used a device similar to a tissue punch biopsy to create the entry points for the cannula that removes the fat. The above processes took only a few minutes, then they get started. They had me lay on my tummy first and stared on the back side removing fat from my waist and love handles towards the back. The back side was more painful for me for some reason vs the front side. Maybe because I had less fat back there? Also, the cannual/device vibrates while they are roto rootering your fat, which actually felt like I was being tickled. So it was a cross between laughing at the tickling feeling and clenching my fists at occasional zings of pain. But it was totally bearable. Then they flipped me over and did my front side. They told me that they removed about 1L of fat. The whole thing took about 90 minutes and then I was discharged. I didn't have a ride home so I booked a night at the hotel adjacent to the medical center. I hired a nurse conceirge to take me to the hotel (the Dr office won't let you leave alone) and the nurse warned me the day before my procedure to prepare for a lot of drainage. They told me to buy puppy pads and a disposable shower curtain to put on the bed so I didn't ruin anything. I am so glad they told me to do that, because the Dr office didn't mention it and boy were these items helpful! They also told me to buy a big pack of maxi pads to cover the puncture holes that drain. Before I left the Dr, they zipped me into a full body compression suit and told me not to take it off for 48 hours, (no shower for 48 hours) and to plan on wearing it for a minimum of 30 days - preferably 3 months. I wasn't prepared for that. They also told me to buy 1 size smaller for after the first 2 weeks. They are available on Amazon, and are Columbiana brand...about $80. My biggest complaints are that the Dr/staff did not prepare me for a couple of things that happened after my procedure.

1. They told me that I would have a lot of drainiage, but they did NOT tell me that it would look like frank blood. I assumed it would be clearish/maybe blood tinged. I was freaking out because my bed looked like the scene of a murder crime, and I thought something was very wrong because I was bleeding so much. What they don't tell you is that the tumescent fluid they inject into your body looks like blood, so when it comes out, it also looks like blood. Could have avoided a lot of stress the night and morning after my procedure if I had known this. I soaked through my dressing by bed time the night of my procedure (which was at 10 am). I soaked through the second dressing by the time I woke up. Then, the drainage pretty much stopped.

2. The other thing they did NOT warn me about was the amount of swelling that was possible in my vaginal area. I have had pretty minor swelling around my whole abobomen but I had (and still have) very severe swelling of my entire genital area. I also have severe bruising of the area. Above my pubic hair all the way down both sides of my vulva/labia is black. The swelling was so bad 2 days after my procedure that I couldn't empty my bladder. I was really concerned. I called the clinic and they were really dismissive of me, which was very frustrating. The Dr did not call me back, and the nurse told me that the Dr said to tell me to go to the ER if I couldn't pee by 2 pm. They never followed up with me after that. Terrible customer service. Thankfully, I was able to pee that afternoon with a lot of straining and it has gotten better. I am still very swollen and believe I have a hematoma in my left labia. Not sure what will happen with that, but it's really painful. The genital swelling/bruising/pain has been the worst part of my experience. The nurse told me I could have swelling for 6 months. Ugh.

I have been fairly uncomfortable, but take motrin/tylenol and Tramadol and it helps. Every day has been better than the last. I hate wearing the compression garment, so I take it off for a couple of hours everyday. My body feels tight where the procedure was, and I still have a lot of numb areas all over my abdomen and back. Hoping this is temporary, but they do say it's possible to have permanant nerve damage, so we'll see.

As far as my results, I am very happy with what I can see so far. I took a picture the morning after my procedure when I changed my bandage, and I would see a 6 pack - which I have NEVER had before. I am swollen now and can't see it, so hoping when all is said and done, I'll have 6 pack abs!