Liposuction with Laser - Neck, Abs, Flanks, Hips, Saddlebags, Inner/outer Thighs, Knees - Atlanta, GA

I had my laser-assisted liposuction one week ago today under general anesthesia. I read virtually every review on this website before I went in, so I thought I would share my experience.

I found my doctor by looking at the plastic surgery board website to find board certified doctors in my area. I spoke with 3 offices, and then made a consult with my doctor. I liked her experience, the office staff's mannerism, and also that she uses laser assisted lipo (many board certified plastic surgeons in my area do not).

I am 5'4", 150 lbs 39 years old and have two children. I have never liked the shape of my upper legs/knees, and my stomach has been pretty loose since my pregnancies (I gained over 50lbs with both!) I started out looking at doing smart lipo on just my hips under local, but after doing research I realized I wanted to do more at once, and that general anesthesia doesn't carry the dangers it used to.

My doctor was kind and extremely professional when I met with her, and also up until the procedure. I called numerous times with questions, and all were answered. On the day of my surgery, my husband drove me to the surgical center and I was very nervous. My doctor and the staff were very calming, but honestly I didn't calm down until they knocked me out LOL. I woke up in the recovery room and was pretty groggy, but my husband took good care of me and got me home.

Before we left I was given a percocet, but no nausea meds, so - you guessed it, I threw up when we got home. After that I took the nausea medicine and was fine. I took the pain killers for the first day, then day 2 I just took tylenol. After that, I haven't needed anything for pain. I have bruising around my knees and my hips, but other than that not really any bad bruises.

My doctor close my incisions so I only had leaking the first day and it wasn't very bad. My doctor wrapped me in tape under my garment and I wasn't allowed to take either off until I saw her 48 hours after the surgery. I think that really helped with the lack of swelling and bruising. My neck did not bruise at all, but it is a little numb where I had the fat removed (I didn't have too much there - it was the most minor area). After the 2nd day, I wanted to get out of the house, so I went to the mall with my husband and just sat down when I started to feel tired or funny. Each day I feel better and better, and I now don't need to nap during the day at all. In fact, I walked 3 miles (slowly) on day 6 after my surgery, which my doctor said was "amazing."

Today is my first day back at work and I feel pretty good. I had about 5 lbs of fat removed, but because I am swollen, I weigh the same right now (I know it's not a weight loss procedure, but I should lose a few lbs!) I also feel super motivated to eat healthy and make this a worthwhile investment in my long term body image and health. The great thing is that I fit into my clothing from before just fine with the garment on. I thought I might have to wear bigger clothes for a while due to the swelling. In fact, today my pants are a little loose over the garment. So as for the garment, I have very sensitive skin and by evening I am super itchy. That has been the biggest pain for me. I hated the tape on my chin as well but luckily that was removed before I went back to work so no one would think I had more than a cut or two on my chin looking at me.

I have been taking one benadryl every night before bedtime, and that helps with the itching as well as sleeping through the night :-)Next week I will switch to some spanx compression tights I bought online at least during the day, but I plan on wearing some sort of garment on my stomach/legs for the full 6 weeks. I drink tons of water all day and I've been taking lots of non-binding iron and vitamin B12 to help with my energy. And maybe this is TMI, but I was constipated for the first several days but finally seem back to normal in that regard.

I should get my before pics from my doctor at my next visit and will post before and after pics. I am truly surprised at how little down time I had with so many areas done, and how happy I am with it already. If I had some advice, it would be: - Choose your doctor CAREFULLY. Interview them because this is your body and health! - Expect the worst in terms of recovery and warn everyone around you that you will not be able to lift a finger. Set low expectations in case your body needs extra time to heal and take good care of yourself. Hopefully you will be pleasantly surprised! - Drink lots of water and follow your doctor's instructions completely. (The only thing I violated was that I put a decaf green tea peach flavored liquid in my water because I really feel it helps me to feel better. My list of instructions said no green tea for 2 weeks after surgery.)