Second fat transfer to breasts with liposuction from thighs and lower abomen

11 months ago I had fat liposuctioned from my flanks (love handles) and transferred to my breasts. The breast results were subtle and lovely (as you can see from my review of that procedure) but my flanks were life changing for me! Dr. Rose loves working with her patients' vision to collaborate on her sculpting art! She tells me what's possible and what's not, and why or why not, and what the options are! I didn't want a skinny BBL to fill my hip dips so I asked if Dr. Rose could lipo low enough to address the top of my hip dips and minimize their appearance. She was open to it and it turned out beautifully!

I had my second fat transfer 5 days ago and I feel like I look like a Barbie doll!

I had my first professional massage the day after surgery and it was super intense. I was shaking and very nauseous and had to ask for a break because I was in tears from the intensity of the pain. But, it’s worth it because I don’t want contour irregularities from fibrosis and massaging out the fibrous scar tissue that’s forming is effective and it hurts. The second massage, two days later, I asked my massage therapist to play Florence and the Machine and start with my stomach first (the most painful, to get it out of the way). I focused on the music and my breathing and reminding myself that I would get through this and it was worth it, that this was part of investing in my results. Now, the massaging is completely bearable though I still curse my way through it at home. . I have my third professional massage tomorrow but each one gets easier. I’ll be going two to three times weekly for at least 6 weeks, plus massaging daily at home. The financial investment doesn’t stop at surgery. There’s professional massage and compression gear and, in this case, gauze and bandages and surgical tape.

This time around my thigh lipo incisions were left unstitched so that the tumescent fluid could drain out. And boy did it drain. I was soaking through gauze and bandages and two layers of compression gear and absorbent pads and towels. I was changing all of those things three times a day. I was walking around too much and today committed to keeping more sedentary and keeping my legs elevated and the drainage has pretty much stopped. It was stressful. I was doing tons of laundry and thank goodness I had three fajas and shapewear sets for underneath my fajas (to rotate). Rotating compression gear is a good idea so that you don’t get indents from seams and creases in the same compression gear everyday. I was also sent home in a below-the-knee high-waisted girdle with foam inserts and an abdominal binder. I wear those foam inserts on top of my shapewear and under my faja and then put the binder around all of it on top. Putting the foam between the two layers a) keeps the first layer protecting your skin from creases and makes it do-able to put the inserts in yourself, without the help of a second person. Putting the inserts under the faja keeps them in place and then the binder compresses it all together and keeps it in place. The foam helps distribute the binder compression evenly also.

My breasts are swollen up to my clavicles, which is to be expected this early on. About 50% of the transferred fat naturally gets metabolized by the body after a fat transfer, so I know they’ll settle in nicely. There’s a chance that as this is my second round of fat transferred to my breasts, that there might be more adhesion than the first round. So, I’m curious and excited to see how that turns out. This time, I do let my breasts go braless at times under a loose t-shirt as I was sent home this time completely braless. Last surgery I was sent home in a surgical bra. It’s very important there’s no compression on the breast after a fat transfer for 3 months. So when I do where a surgical bra, it’s not compressive at all. Check out the PI Filling bra from Lipoelastic specifically for fat transfer to breasts. Not wearing a surgical bra all the time this round has felt so nice! Less straps on my shoulders!!

I know it’s early days, but I’m very happy with my results so far. My thighs are still swollen and I do have somewhat muscular thighs, so I’m not sure my desired thigh gap will be possible. I understand that’s based on anatomy. My lower abdomen is a game changer! I’ve had a “shelf” of fat under my belly button since I can remember. This was such a gift to myself and seeing my flat stomach the first time I removed my gear was unreal! That belly roll has bothered me for a lifetime, especially in workout clothes, during sex, and in thin material dresses. It might not be a big deal to someone else, but I am so grateful to be able to live in and experience my body without it! Dr. Rose has given me a gift.

I will keep you posted on the thighs as well as the breasts as swelling subsides over the coming weeks and months.

One more thing! I can’t stand how Oxy (pain meds) make me feel so I took them for one day and then never again. They make me drowsy but unable to fall asleep. Over the counter extra strength Tylenol worked for the past couple of days and today I haven’t needed anything. I’m just on my remaining antibiotics and bromelain supplements (pineapple extract) which possibly helps with swelling.

I’m having almond milk, spinach, and berry shakes every morning and eating super clean and low sodium, and once I’m up to it, I’ll get back to walking, careful to keep my heart rate at or under 100BPM.

I was walking too much the first 3 days after surgery and my right leg would not stop draining through towels, compression gear, blankets, jogging pants over gear, etc. So, the next three days I was far more sedentary (I went from 12,000 steps to 4,000 steps) and kept my legs elevated when possible. It stopped the leaking, but this all actually made my swelling much worse, so I’ve gotten back to walking (about 8-9,000 steps) and my swelling has subsided dramatically. I also feel better mentally getting out and walking, and my back hurts less (from having to sleep on my back at all times so as not to compress my breasts.) It’s September and still summer weather so I’m quite uncomfortably warm in all this gear, so I have my a/c on. I’ve also ordered new gear that still goes down beneath my knees but not all the way down to cover half my feet. Plus, I’ll experiment with my shapewear that I wear under my faja to find something cooler and possibly more breathable. I change my gear everyday to avoid any indents from wearing the same thing that sits the same way all the time. I only wear fajas with flat seams but often have to turn the underneath shapewear inside out to avoid seam indentation in my thighs. My boobs are beautiful!!!!! I’m delighted!!! I know I’ll lose volume, sadly. But I’m enjoying them while they last.

I cannot believe how great my figure looks so early on with thin thighs and a flat lower abdomen and cartoony boobs. I feel amazing about my figure.

But recovery is long, uncomfortable, painful, and expensive. I’ve had my fourth professional massage and my fifth will be in two days. It’s very painful (if it’s been done right). My left leg is more swollen than my right because it didn’t drain as much. We’re working on a fibrous area on my left lower abdomen.

I recommend surgery in cool weather. Sleeping on my back is hard and I have frequent back pain as a result but Tylenol muscle relaxant helps. I can’t take Advil for another half a week.

Lastly, I switched on from the hospital foam which was challenging to get in place and keep together with an ab board, which I LOVE! It’s one piece, slides into place so easily, and is a much smaller profile so I don’t look like Santa Claus. Plus, where the hospital foam edges didn’t perfectly meet, I was causing assymetrical swelling. This small change has made a big difference!

They sent me home in a medium compressive gurdle but I definitely need a small, especially for firm compression on my thighs. I find Lipoelastic products offer my the best thigh compression. Then I use the Leonisa bodysuit underneath and the ab board in between those two layers. The full length Lipoelastic compression suit is good for early feet swelling in the first week as it covers half your feet. They also offer a PI FILLING surgical bra specifically for fat transfer to breast. Although, I have been enjoying bra free as they sent me home from the hospital bra free.

It’s been difficult to find enough thigh compression (20-30mmhg) in compression gear/fajas because you don’t want a seam over the lipo’d area, you need enough compression (which helps swelling diminish, helps prevent seromas and hematomas from forming, and helps with skin laxity). I also feel most “secure” when my lipo’d parts are well compressed. Typically I need two different garments layered for enough compression. I’ve been turning the shapewear inside out under the faja to prevent seam indents.