40 Y.o., 5'9" 150 Lb No Kids. BBL with Dr Hughes. Beverly Hills, CA

Pretty much since puberty I had been "cursed" with wide hips and a big butt. I say cursed because, being 40, I grew up in a time when Kate Moss was the ideal and Cindy Crawford at a 19 BMI was a "bombshell". I actually had a couple of modeling agents in my teens (5'9" and about 115-120 at the time) say they might have some work for me if I could get my hips under 36". Seriously?

Fast forward 20 years, it's finally cool to have a big butt, and Father Time has cruelly left mine a hollow shell of its former self. It also appears to start halfway down my back, due to the love handles (which, surprisingly, are not that loveable at all). Thanks, middle age hormones!

I'm really not sure exactly when I decided to look into a BBL, but once I started looking at pictures on RS, I was hooked. Lose inches off my waist and love handles, and get my nice perky butt back at the same time? SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!!!!!

I am just over a week pre-surgery, but I will attempt to recount everything up to this point over the next couple of days. Next entry will be my first consult with Dr Hughes, and my reasons for choosing him without even bothering to talk to anyone else.

I know that most of the women here who have a BBL or other major surgeries see at least a few surgeons before making their decisions. I didn't.

I have noticed from reading hundreds of BBL reviews over the last 2 years that the correlation between first impressions and final results is something near zero. Some of the nicest and most caring doctors are the ones who produce disappointing results, and some of the true artists don't always make the best first impression.

I decided to find the best surgeon I could, in terms of results, patient satisfaction, ease of communication, smoothness of process, and background. In the end, Dr Hughes was #1 on all counts. I had read that his Culver City facility was shabby (true) and that he was arrogant (not true at all), but everyone agreed that he did amazing work, and he has better education and more experience than any other doctor I considered (I only looked in Canada and the US, and only at board certified and insured PS's). My plan was to go for a consult, and unless something really bothered me, or he did not think I was a candidate, I didn't really need to see the runners-up.

I went for my first consult in his former location in Culver City last November. I knew the clinic wasn't exactly Beverly Hills caliber going in, but I was still struck by how downmarket it seemed for a top plastic surgeon's practice. The waiting room was small and wasn't particularly comfortable, and it really felt more like a walk-in clinic than a cosmetic surgery practice. On the other hand, it looked and smelled clean, so although it wasn't impressive, it wasn't overly worrisome. I'll review the new location in my next entry, but for now, let's just say its a bajillion times better.

I waited about 15 minutes to see the doctor, which wasn't an issue at all. When he did come in, he had clearly just got out of surgery, so better that he didn't just drop what he was doing to get to a consult on time, lol. (I subsequently learned that 15 minutes late is "LA on time" anyway). I found Dr Hughes to be really professional and friendly. He was pleasant and even joked with me and my friend who I had brought for moral support. I appreciated that he was straightforward and realistic with me about my expectations. He did a brief exam and I told him what I wanted done. He explained why some of the things I thought I wanted weren't a great idea, and what he would do differently to get results I would be happy with. Originally I wanted to get lipo of the outer thighs, but he said that there wasn't enough volume there to harvest a significant amount of fat without risking some skin laxity, which I obviously don't want. I believe at the time we agreed to do the flanks, back, and abdomen. I left the consult excited about my new body.

I went to discuss the money matters and scheduling with Adam, who was also very friendly and professional. We didn't settle on a date because I wanted to confirm with my husband; we were planning to move to LA and I wanted to find out when the move would be finished and I'd be able to go through with the surgery without leaving him stuck with all the work of unpacking on top of taking care of me. When I did talk to my husband about it that evening, he actually asked me to put it off and wait until we were settled in and established in LA. I was disappointed to have to wait, but decided to hold off.

Even though I know I am limited by my bone structure, age, skin tone, etc., a girl can dream, right?