POSTED UNDER AirSculpt REVIEWS
Do Not Go Here. Worst Decision of my Life.
ORIGINAL POST
Do Not Go Here. Worst Decision of my Life.
hopelessme123April 28, 2021
It has taken me almost 2 years to build up to strength and courage to write this post because it's something that I'm still dealing with. I'm sure it will be really long because I have a lot to say. I had air sculpt done on my arms and abdomen by Dr. Gregory Michael Bazell at Elite body sculpture and he completely ruined my body. I wish I had the courage to share my before and after pics but I'm still so ashamed and embarrassed by what I did, or what I allowed him to do to my body. I say this because looking back at my pictures, I see now that I didn't really need it (at least not on my abdomen). First and foremost, I have to say please do not go here. You will be paying way too much for a horrible job. I liked my body better before this doctor completely ruined. I can't believe that I paid someone to do this to me. Pleases do your research and go somewhere else. Before I go into the details of my experience, I thought I should make a list of everything that is now wrong with my body.
He took too much fat off everywhere leaving me with so many issues
My arms were left with a rippled look. There were dents on them. I had to get sculptra done which help with the appearance of it, but not completely. Now this is something I will have to continue to keep getting so that it doesn't look that bad.
He took too much off the abdomen which left my skin, that was once really nice and tight, lose and saggy. I've been told by 2 doctors since that I might need a tummy tuck to fix it (something I've never needed before), something I would not want to get.
I now have rows on my back that I never in my life had before the procedure.
The overaggressive lipo also left waves and dents in my abdomen. It's lumpy and uneven.
It is completely uneven. One side looks completely different from the other side. It's noticeable sometimes under my clothes so I need to find ways to hide it. I feel like a freak when I look at myself naked. Even on the notes it shows he took 100cc more on my right side then he did on my left which makes no sense.
He took so much fat that it literally went to the hip bone, which I can now easily feel. I'm a side sleeper and with all the fat he took out, I don't really have much support. All the pressure in on my hips which has been leaving me with a great deal of hip pain that becomes unbearable at times. Also, he made it so small that even some x-small shirts are too big on my waist even though I'm a size 7-8 and weigh 155lbs. It's so weird and I hate it.
He took fat from my lower back (which I never told him to do) which basically flattened out the nice little curve us woman like to have that leads to our butt. I actually naturally have a nice but and I feel like he took away that nice curve on top. This cause all my underwear to now ride up which I hate.
He said he was only going to do 3 insertions for my abdomen...two on the lower part under the bikini line and one thru my bellybutton and he actually did 6 on the abdomen plus the one on the bellybutton.
The incisions that were supposed to look like freckles do not look like freckles and are very noticeable.
The healing time that they promise is such BS!!! It took me a year to heal.
Clothes don't fit me right. It's just so uneven the jeans will stick out more on one side and also be way too big on the waist. I can really only wear high waisted pants. Even stretch pants that should be snug are big at the waist.
I had a really good body before and just wanted to make it better. I originally was just going to do my arms which I feel I really needed because it was a problem area for me, but then last minute decided to do full abdomen too (I'll regret this decision for the rest of my life). I said I just wanted my waist to be a little smaller and wanted it to look natural. I had heard all the advertisements and they made it seem like a walk in the park. I had seen them featured in a lot of shows shows and they had worked with celebrities too which made me trust them more than I should have. Insertions were supposed to look like freckles, you can basically right back to work, and also completely healed in 3 months. As crazy as it seems I didn't even think I was really getting lipo since they never call it that and act like it's this new great technology that you can even be awake for it. At the end of the day though, I now know that it was just your plain basic lipo (with their own "technique") with some very good advertising and promoting.
So, the day of I go in for my arms and decide to do the abdomen. The sales consultant said I should do full abdomen which I thought would be in front and didn't know they were going to take from my back too. I know that kind of procedure to be known as 360 lipo which is not what I wanted. I definitely should have asked more questions but I trusted her and the doctor. Dr. Bazell was super nice before the procedure and that's probably the only thing I can say about him. He said he would explain everything to me but didn't and kind of rushed me through everything. He said they would make 2 incisions on my lower abdomen (which I started freaking out about) and one thru my belly ring. I then agreed to them because they convinced me that they would be so small and barely even noticeable. He actually ended up doing 6 incisions on my abdomen (plus the bellybutton one) which I know I would have never agreed to because I was so nervous about the two.
Only 2 of the incisions look like freckles but the other ones were way bigger. The ones on my arms were small and barely noticeable. I wish the incisions were the only problem but on top of that he took out way too much fat from everywhere! He didn't just mess up one thing, he messed up everything. He took too much from my arms leaving them looking weird with all kinds of dimples on it. When I told him about it, he said they look sculpted when they actually just look horrible. He took too much from my stomach and also made it so uneven on both sides. I have dimply and ripples and then also a bulge on my abdomen. It took me an entire year to heal from him being so aggressive.
When I went back for my after care, I shared my concerns with them. I first told the nurse and when she looked and my chart and saw how much fat he took out...she said "he took out so much, but you're so small". Right then she confirmed what I already knew. For it to only to be a week later and with all the swelling and everything it still felt like too much...like half of me was gone. When I saw Dr. Bazell, he said not to worry and that I'm still healing. I then spoke to another nurse and also that same consultant and the practicing manager (Carol Morales who was great) for that office at the time, that assured me that everything would be okay and that anything that was wrong can always be fixed by them once I was healed.
I ended up going back for more follow ups because of my situation. The nurses by the way were always really great and that might be one of the only good things I can say about this place. At my 6 month follow up the Dr. Bazell said again that I was still healing (even though according to them I should have been done healing by that point). He said the bulge was probably just some scar tissue that he can go in and break up. He then told me to come back 3 months later when I was 9 months post op.
During that time, I went to LA to get a second opinion from a very well-known surgeon who is feature in botched. He told me what I already knew and that my issues were due to over aggressive lipo. He said there wasn't much to do to fix it but a small tummy tuck and maybe some sculptra. I couldn't believe it. I never needed a tummy tuck before. My skin used to be perfect.
When I went back to Dr. Bazell at 9 months post op...he acted like he didn't know why I was there. I told him he is the one who told me to come back and was supposed to at least fix the bulge (the surgeon in LA said I should let him do that because there was no way he could mess that up). He acted like he didn't even know how to do that when every plastic surgeon should. He seemed upset about my second opinion that I had gotten. He didn't even look at my body at that point and didn't think I wanted him to anyways. After that I asked for a refund (since they obviously couldn't fix it like they promised) so that I could use that money to try and get it fixed (not completely because it can't be fixed) but at least get it to the point where I feel and look normal.
I went back and forth with the practicing manager (who had since changed and was now someone who wasn't familiar with my situation) who then handed my off to Danna Hopkins in corporate. I went back and forth with her for month for her to only offered me like half of what I paid. How can they only offer half when he messed up on everything? They saw the before and after pic and knew he did a bad job and messed me up. They knew what I was going thru. To only offer me half was a slap in the face to me. They wanted me to take that and sign something saying that I can't sue or share my experience. As much as I would have like to take it, I just couldn't. It wasn't fair to me.
I've been living in my own hell with this. I've had depression and anxiety. I look in the mirror and hate what I see. I don't feel like myself anymore. I thought I was going to the best because I had seen them on TV on a lot of shows that I watched. They charge a ridiculous amount which just really made me think I was paying for the best because you're supposed to get what you pay for but I was so wrong. I know friends who have gone to Miami and paid a fraction of the price and had amazing results for the fraction of the price. I tried to do my own research on Airscuplt before getting it but I couldn't really find much on it because it was so new. I even look on real self for reviews but there were none.
I should have researched the doctor more because I now know that it's more about the doctor and his skills than the actual type of lip. All the times I saw it getting done on TV it was by the creator of air sculpt, Dr. Aaron Rollins who might be good at what he does but is not hiring the best doctors for this. I am still dealing with this. I'm still really depressed although I've gotten better at hiding it.
I want to go to LA and see Dr. Cat to see if she has any ways that she can help me that doesn't involve a tummy tuck because that just isn't something that I think I can go through. Some advice I have for anyone reading this is first and foremost...don't go here. Do your research and go somewhere else. They are overpriced and not good at what they do. Research the doctor. Look up questions to ask before you go in. Make sure they do a pre op appt. All I had was a consultation and then it was the procedure.
My friends that have had lipo said they got consultation and then a pre op appt where they go over everything and you sign all the papers so you know exactly what you're walking into the day of the procedure. One mistake I made was directing many of my questions to the consultant. She answered all my questions yet she wasn't a doctor or a nurse. She told me I would be good for a vacation I had set up 3 weeks after which I definitely wasn't. She was also a former patient of theirs which is probably why I trusted her so much (more then I should have.
I don't know if I'll ever recover from this but I really do hope that this post will make someone reconsider going here and made stop them from making the same mistake I made. Sorry so long. Trying to get everything which I'm sure I wasn't able to do but I tried. I'm really trying to work up the courage to post some pics.
He took too much fat off everywhere leaving me with so many issues
My arms were left with a rippled look. There were dents on them. I had to get sculptra done which help with the appearance of it, but not completely. Now this is something I will have to continue to keep getting so that it doesn't look that bad.
He took too much off the abdomen which left my skin, that was once really nice and tight, lose and saggy. I've been told by 2 doctors since that I might need a tummy tuck to fix it (something I've never needed before), something I would not want to get.
I now have rows on my back that I never in my life had before the procedure.
The overaggressive lipo also left waves and dents in my abdomen. It's lumpy and uneven.
It is completely uneven. One side looks completely different from the other side. It's noticeable sometimes under my clothes so I need to find ways to hide it. I feel like a freak when I look at myself naked. Even on the notes it shows he took 100cc more on my right side then he did on my left which makes no sense.
He took so much fat that it literally went to the hip bone, which I can now easily feel. I'm a side sleeper and with all the fat he took out, I don't really have much support. All the pressure in on my hips which has been leaving me with a great deal of hip pain that becomes unbearable at times. Also, he made it so small that even some x-small shirts are too big on my waist even though I'm a size 7-8 and weigh 155lbs. It's so weird and I hate it.
He took fat from my lower back (which I never told him to do) which basically flattened out the nice little curve us woman like to have that leads to our butt. I actually naturally have a nice but and I feel like he took away that nice curve on top. This cause all my underwear to now ride up which I hate.
He said he was only going to do 3 insertions for my abdomen...two on the lower part under the bikini line and one thru my bellybutton and he actually did 6 on the abdomen plus the one on the bellybutton.
The incisions that were supposed to look like freckles do not look like freckles and are very noticeable.
The healing time that they promise is such BS!!! It took me a year to heal.
Clothes don't fit me right. It's just so uneven the jeans will stick out more on one side and also be way too big on the waist. I can really only wear high waisted pants. Even stretch pants that should be snug are big at the waist.
I had a really good body before and just wanted to make it better. I originally was just going to do my arms which I feel I really needed because it was a problem area for me, but then last minute decided to do full abdomen too (I'll regret this decision for the rest of my life). I said I just wanted my waist to be a little smaller and wanted it to look natural. I had heard all the advertisements and they made it seem like a walk in the park. I had seen them featured in a lot of shows shows and they had worked with celebrities too which made me trust them more than I should have. Insertions were supposed to look like freckles, you can basically right back to work, and also completely healed in 3 months. As crazy as it seems I didn't even think I was really getting lipo since they never call it that and act like it's this new great technology that you can even be awake for it. At the end of the day though, I now know that it was just your plain basic lipo (with their own "technique") with some very good advertising and promoting.
So, the day of I go in for my arms and decide to do the abdomen. The sales consultant said I should do full abdomen which I thought would be in front and didn't know they were going to take from my back too. I know that kind of procedure to be known as 360 lipo which is not what I wanted. I definitely should have asked more questions but I trusted her and the doctor. Dr. Bazell was super nice before the procedure and that's probably the only thing I can say about him. He said he would explain everything to me but didn't and kind of rushed me through everything. He said they would make 2 incisions on my lower abdomen (which I started freaking out about) and one thru my belly ring. I then agreed to them because they convinced me that they would be so small and barely even noticeable. He actually ended up doing 6 incisions on my abdomen (plus the bellybutton one) which I know I would have never agreed to because I was so nervous about the two.
Only 2 of the incisions look like freckles but the other ones were way bigger. The ones on my arms were small and barely noticeable. I wish the incisions were the only problem but on top of that he took out way too much fat from everywhere! He didn't just mess up one thing, he messed up everything. He took too much from my arms leaving them looking weird with all kinds of dimples on it. When I told him about it, he said they look sculpted when they actually just look horrible. He took too much from my stomach and also made it so uneven on both sides. I have dimply and ripples and then also a bulge on my abdomen. It took me an entire year to heal from him being so aggressive.
When I went back for my after care, I shared my concerns with them. I first told the nurse and when she looked and my chart and saw how much fat he took out...she said "he took out so much, but you're so small". Right then she confirmed what I already knew. For it to only to be a week later and with all the swelling and everything it still felt like too much...like half of me was gone. When I saw Dr. Bazell, he said not to worry and that I'm still healing. I then spoke to another nurse and also that same consultant and the practicing manager (Carol Morales who was great) for that office at the time, that assured me that everything would be okay and that anything that was wrong can always be fixed by them once I was healed.
I ended up going back for more follow ups because of my situation. The nurses by the way were always really great and that might be one of the only good things I can say about this place. At my 6 month follow up the Dr. Bazell said again that I was still healing (even though according to them I should have been done healing by that point). He said the bulge was probably just some scar tissue that he can go in and break up. He then told me to come back 3 months later when I was 9 months post op.
During that time, I went to LA to get a second opinion from a very well-known surgeon who is feature in botched. He told me what I already knew and that my issues were due to over aggressive lipo. He said there wasn't much to do to fix it but a small tummy tuck and maybe some sculptra. I couldn't believe it. I never needed a tummy tuck before. My skin used to be perfect.
When I went back to Dr. Bazell at 9 months post op...he acted like he didn't know why I was there. I told him he is the one who told me to come back and was supposed to at least fix the bulge (the surgeon in LA said I should let him do that because there was no way he could mess that up). He acted like he didn't even know how to do that when every plastic surgeon should. He seemed upset about my second opinion that I had gotten. He didn't even look at my body at that point and didn't think I wanted him to anyways. After that I asked for a refund (since they obviously couldn't fix it like they promised) so that I could use that money to try and get it fixed (not completely because it can't be fixed) but at least get it to the point where I feel and look normal.
I went back and forth with the practicing manager (who had since changed and was now someone who wasn't familiar with my situation) who then handed my off to Danna Hopkins in corporate. I went back and forth with her for month for her to only offered me like half of what I paid. How can they only offer half when he messed up on everything? They saw the before and after pic and knew he did a bad job and messed me up. They knew what I was going thru. To only offer me half was a slap in the face to me. They wanted me to take that and sign something saying that I can't sue or share my experience. As much as I would have like to take it, I just couldn't. It wasn't fair to me.
I've been living in my own hell with this. I've had depression and anxiety. I look in the mirror and hate what I see. I don't feel like myself anymore. I thought I was going to the best because I had seen them on TV on a lot of shows that I watched. They charge a ridiculous amount which just really made me think I was paying for the best because you're supposed to get what you pay for but I was so wrong. I know friends who have gone to Miami and paid a fraction of the price and had amazing results for the fraction of the price. I tried to do my own research on Airscuplt before getting it but I couldn't really find much on it because it was so new. I even look on real self for reviews but there were none.
I should have researched the doctor more because I now know that it's more about the doctor and his skills than the actual type of lip. All the times I saw it getting done on TV it was by the creator of air sculpt, Dr. Aaron Rollins who might be good at what he does but is not hiring the best doctors for this. I am still dealing with this. I'm still really depressed although I've gotten better at hiding it.
I want to go to LA and see Dr. Cat to see if she has any ways that she can help me that doesn't involve a tummy tuck because that just isn't something that I think I can go through. Some advice I have for anyone reading this is first and foremost...don't go here. Do your research and go somewhere else. They are overpriced and not good at what they do. Research the doctor. Look up questions to ask before you go in. Make sure they do a pre op appt. All I had was a consultation and then it was the procedure.
My friends that have had lipo said they got consultation and then a pre op appt where they go over everything and you sign all the papers so you know exactly what you're walking into the day of the procedure. One mistake I made was directing many of my questions to the consultant. She answered all my questions yet she wasn't a doctor or a nurse. She told me I would be good for a vacation I had set up 3 weeks after which I definitely wasn't. She was also a former patient of theirs which is probably why I trusted her so much (more then I should have.
I don't know if I'll ever recover from this but I really do hope that this post will make someone reconsider going here and made stop them from making the same mistake I made. Sorry so long. Trying to get everything which I'm sure I wasn't able to do but I tried. I'm really trying to work up the courage to post some pics.
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