Overall a good experience - I would definitely recommend Dr. Dowbak

I have not been on here for soooo long! I guess I had devoted my attention to IG. Anyway, I was originally planning on going overseas to the DR for sx. After much research, I decided to stay in the US. I ended up going with Dr. Dowbak. My experience started off a little shaky....I was wondering if I made the right choice. I initially consulted with Elena, but I hadn't made my mind up on which doctor and if I was actually going there. When I did decide, I contacted Marrubio on IG because she was putting out a lot of posts. My experience with her was not good. I provided her with my credit card info to put my deposit down. She said multiple times that it would not go through. I asked her to ensure she had everything correct. She said she did, I called the bank, they had no record of it trying to come through, which led me to believe she had not entered it properly because they would have seen a decline and given me a reason. I didn't hear from her for a several days, so I started DMing New Life. Someone from the office ended up calling me and I provided them with my same banking info and it went right through. Then a few days after that, Marrubio calls me to ask about an alternative method to pay my deposit!? I'm like "your co-worker already took care of that". She said she had been on vacation and did not know. Ok! Anyway, after that I could not get a word out of her. I was messaging her, DMing, etc. I was like 3 weeks away from surgery, I had not received any correspondence from them, what medications/supplements to stop, what labs I needed from my physician, NOTHING! So I finally made a post, and other surgery dolls were sending me their lists! Surgery consultant Elena, who was out on recovery from a procedure herself, DM'd me and helped me through the process. One of the medications on the list was Phentermine, which I was taking because I wanted to lose some weight before sx., and I hadn't had any labwork done, so I ended up having to reschedule. I actually had to show my primary doctor a DM with the list of tests that needed to be performed....smh....so unprofessional. Anyway, I got everything done, stopped taking the phentermine and was cleared for surgery. I arrived at New Life on Friday the 18th for pre-op and as many other dolls have stated, the place was packed! Oh SN.....the parking sucks!!!! They do not have adequate parking for that facility, you end up having to park in the surrounding neighborhood and walk. Pre-op was not bad for me....I think because of all the problems that I had prior to my appointment, they were very prompt and did not have me waiting around. I did not pay my balance in full prior, I paid that day because I did not want to risk losing my money for any reason. So, I paid (I also added arm lipo), I signed documents and I saw Dr. Dowbak. I was there for about 2 hours. Dr. Dowbak was wonderful! She brought me into her office, she took her time, answered questions, looked at my body, she told me she felt she could give me great results. I was very comfortable. She explained the procedure for the next day and told me I would be first. :-) Saturday I arrived at about 5:50 a.m. The facility was not open yet, staff was running a little late. There were about 6-7 girls that I saw before I went back. I was one of the first to go back to the back. Dr. Dowbak came in, marked me up, she was very pleasant and ready. My anesthesiologist was awesome, I don't know his name but he was a black guy with an accent. He was very soothing, he explained everything as he was doing it and assured me that he was going to take great care of me. That was the last thing I remember him saying. I woke up in recovery, the bed was at a 45 degree angle, but I was not all the way back in the bed so I was slouched and my butt was aching. The girl next to me was screaming"help me, please; help me!". I felt bad for her because I was in no pain. My first memory is asking the nurse if i was done and she told me I was and that I did great. I immediately tried to reposition myself in the bed, but the nurse was like "no mami!" she thought I was trying to get up. I said I'm just moving. She said ok. I was in PACU for probably 30 minutes and then I was ready to go. They were looking at me like are you sure, I said yes, I feel fine. So, they got me ready, wheeled me out and the recovery home people were there to pick me up. Oh, another SN: I was staying at a hotel (the pictures looked great, it had a kitchen...it was an extended stay...it was so crappy, I tried to get another room, but they were all booked) When Dr. Dowbak found out where I was staying she told me no, she would feel more comfortable if I stayed at a RH even though I had someone with me. So, she called the RH, explained everything and they took me in for the first night.
My recovery was great, my bruising went away well, I didn't have extreme swelling and I didn't have pain. I did not take any of the pain medication, I used CBD gummies and Tylenol. I got 3 massages while in Miami, starting the 1st day after sx and continued them when home.
As time went on, I was not completely satisfied with my results. I had some uneven lipo, some back/bra fat left, my stomach had areas of no lipo, my transfer did not have the projection that I wanted and I have a squarish shape at the top of my butt. You will see from the pictures. I contacted Dr. Dowbak to ask for a revision and sent her pictures. She ok'd my revision and gave me the number for Lia. Lia was very responsive and I am scheduled for August 24. I'm so excited to do it again. I think Dr. Dowbak gave me a great foundation and although I'm not completely satisfied, I do feel much better about how I look in clothes as long as they are not too fitted to show the areas of concern. I just don't feel comfortable naked or in a bikini.
I will also do some things differently with my compression on this time around. I have seen various techniques for compressing the lower abdomen that I will try. I will use a wrap around foam instead of the sheets and I will use the faja that has the full thick straps that cover the entire back like a t-shirt as opposed to the ones with the bra-like straps. I believe that I will get great retraction on my abdomen this time around and I am ready. My revision will be at Glamorous.
I know that there are a lot of reviews out there with warnings about Dr. Dowbak and/or New Life. Read them and take information that is beneficial, but also remember that this is surgery and our results may not be perfect the first time. Some of our wish pics have had multiple rounds and touch ups, filters, etc. I went in hoping I would only need 1 round, but that wasn't the case for me. I'm grateful that she saw what I saw and is willing to do the revision at a discounted rate.
I would definitely recommend Dr. Dowbak and if you need a consultant with New Life, choose Elena.
I wish you all success in your journeys and if you have any questions, please feel free to ask!
These pictures are of me and some are of my wish pictures.....this is what I'm hoping for after the revision.