Arm lift (short scar), medial thigh lift scar revision and removal of Saddlebags (thigh bulge)

These are my 3rd and 4th rounds of reconstructive surgery. Reason for so many rounds is that these have been done here in the US and I had them done in combination with some other medically needed procedures (deviated septum surgery and tonsillectomy). It was cost effective in that form however it was piece-mealed into several surgeries as opposed to a major one with multiple procedures, as I would have liked. But beggars can’t be choosers.
My journey has been a long one, starting in 2006 when I decided to get gastric bypass. It hasn’t been easy that’s for sure and every successful step forward also highlights the areas that will need to be corrected in the future. Until now I’ve been fully prepared and done all research for every lift possible, or so I thought.
First of all my surgeon was Dr. Joseph Yadegar from Body Cosmetics. He is an older gentlemen that is sweet and very conservative, and this is displayed in his procedures. So if you’re looking for a drastic change, such as a Kardashian Tush that’s not going to happen with him. He is a perfectionist with his work, he likes the natural look and despises scars, therefore he will do the most possible to hide them or will advice against procedures that cause huge unappealing scarring. As a matter of fact we got into friendly dispute over the armlift as I wanted the long incision to ensure that I have the smallest arms possible... he adviced against it due to the scarring and suggested an arm tuck instead (short scar armlift in the armpit). After 20 mins we both agreed to proceed with the short scar armlift, however if I didn’t like the final result then he would correct it to the long incision free of cost. We shook on it and Laurie, his nurse and friend of mine, was a witness to that, lol!!!
I actually consulted with him because I am friends with Laurie, one of the nurses. She had informed me that a huge percentage of the cost for my arm lift may be covered through my PPO, whether combining it with another approved procedure that I may need or by appealing the insurance company to have my arm lift covered as medically necessary. Either way I got really lucky because my PPO covered 80% for out of network and the doctors charges was minimal in comparison.
So I went in with a list of things I needed done, medically necessary and cosmetic.
The list was as followed:
1. Correct Deviated Septum and might as well slim down my nose. Will give a proper review of the nose job in a few more months... it takes a year for the final result and right now at 6 months I can tell it’s still swollen at the bridge and tip and nostrils are uneven due to the swelling. However so far it looks fantastic... the surgeon that performed this procedure was from Dr Yadegar’s group and he’s actually done some celebrities so his work is impeccable. I still look like me and not Michael Jackson.... but I see the refinement already.
2. Tonsillectomy. Ok this is by far the worse surgery in the world. The headaches, the severe sinus pain and ear throbbing!!! Then the unbearable bad breathe, and constant nasty taste in your mouth. And after 4 days you’d think you get better but no, it gets worse and it’s like you’re in your torturous death bed for the next 10 days because no pain meds, no narcotics, no cannabis, no tequila shots, no ice cream, no cold beverage nor hot ones will alleviate the pain. You can’t eat, cant swallow and it even hurts to talk... you just want to die for about 2 weeks. Just FYI.
3. Remove a lump of fat on my back... had it for years and recently started increasing in size, so it has to go and be examined.
4. Revise the my medial/inner thigh lift to improve the remainder of excess skin/cellulite. Doctor straight out shut me down for this and said I didn’t need it. He also shut me down for a revision of my BBL since I have a few dents. All I wanted was for the dents to be filled a bit, I’m still trying to convince him. Hope to break him soon, lol!!! He’s really a sweetheart!!
5. Lipo of my legs, primarily these two saddlebags that returned to haunt me with memories of my hefty days. Doctor declined on full lipo of the legs but that he would remove the Saddlebags and proportion my body.
6. Lipo of my full back to remove the rolls and bra fat. He explained that the bra/back rolls are excess skin and that needs to be removed by two long incisions along the bra line and minimal lipo.
7. Armlift. He had to really examine my arms but insisted that he could obtain satisfying results with an Arm Tuck. I argued to just chop off all the skin with a long incision because a few weeks earlier I literally slapped my face with my wing. He started laughing, then I made the deal about revising it with the long scar if I didn’t like the final results.
8. Make my face slimmer!!!! I told him about how my face puffs up like a blowfish if I gain even the slightest weight. He pleaded that my face looked fine.. but I made my case and he agreed to lipo the underchin, and remove buccal fat in hopes that this will give me a face that matches my body.
9. I also want a mini eyebrow lift. Those that have been 300+lbs, y’all know what that does to your face and skin when you lose almost half of that. My eyes in the last year have been feeling really tired and I noticed that it has to do with the hoods starting to droop over my eyelids making them feel heavy. The tension is alleviated when I pull my brows up. Not sure if I would need an eyelid lift also or not however I’m still yet to discuss this with the surgeon.