25 Wanting Fat Transfer, No Implants Before and No Children - Charlotte, NC

I've been reading reviews on realself for a little over a year and want to contribute as I start my ps journey. I am having fat transfer to my breasts in exactly two months. I've not had children or implants before, so I am using the BRAVA system (starting tonight!) to expand my breast tissue. I chose Dr. Bednar because of his great reviews, results, and his artistic background. Based on my experience sculpting with clay, you let it guide you, which I think is an experience that would lend itself well to ps. I've been in contact with Sylvia, who has been great about answering my questions. She ordered BRAVA for me through the office so that I wouldn't have to pay the outrageous shipping fee.

I am 5'7", 137 lbs. (about 5-8 lbs. over where I'd like to be) 34-28-39. Bra size: 32B. Right thigh: 23. Left thigh: 22.5. As mentioned, I am athletically built. I love my shape but I wouldn't mind having a larger bust to match my shapely bum. I would like to also correct the asymmetry of my breasts...my left is noticeably bigger than my right. All of the women in my family carry weight in their midsection, so I would like some assistance with ridding myself of my fat stored there via liposuction. I want liposuction of my lower and upper abdomen, flanks, lower and mid back. Additionally, I am getting ab etching because no matter how much I work out, my abs are not defined.

Dr. Bednar mentioned I don't have enough fat in my midsection and he'll have to do lipo elsewhere (thighs). I'm nervous because I have a darker complexion and don't want to experience hyper-pigmentation on visible scars associated with thigh lipo. I'll post pictures soon and keep giving updates.

Hi All,

As mentioned in my first review, I started the BRAVA system, specifically BRAVA sport. I have the system in size large. With the system, Sylvia ordered me the skin care kit also. I'll share my quick thoughts on BRAVA.
I was really excited to begin BRAVA because it brought me to the realization that my surgery is around the corner! The suction is an interesting feeling. I do recommend standing while the SportBox runs so that you can achieve a proper suction. I slept in it for 8 hours (as recommended the first two days). You have to sleep on your back, which I don't mind because I do it already. I can imagine for people who aren't back sleepers, it's an adjustment. I'm a cuddly person, so I miss being able to cuddle at night.

I woke up with a really nasty red rash on my chest that kept getting worse as I continued wear. I washed the domes well before beginning and I washed them thoroughly every day after removal, so I don't know why my skin was so irritated. On day 4 I called BRAVA to ask about the irritation I was experiencing. Also, I scoured websites (Breast Nexus' BRAVA community forum) for people experiencing similar issues. I have terribly sensitive skin -- so much so, all of my skin care products are prescribed -- and the BRAVA skin care was too strong for me. Long story short, I had to take off two days to let my skin heal. I used Aloe Vera gel to calm my skin and before bed, I put vitamin E oil on the scar (from the rash). I discontinued my use of the skin care system and stuck with my own products. I still use the No-Sting skin prep wipes that came with the system though. The wipes go quickly so I found a site to purchase more from where they're reasonably priced. I can't remember the site right now, but I'll check my email and post.

Another thing I was experiencing - and still am - is itching. Boy oh boy! Sometimes I wake up out of my sleep haha. It's one of those things that I've read everyone experiences, so I just deal with it. I try not to scratch so I don't irritate my skin. I use Aveeno 1% Hydrocortisone Anti-Itch Cream during the day for the itching I experience. It comes in a tube (about the size of a playtex tampon) and fits right in my purse. When I'm at work, I can put it in my palm and make my way to the restroom inconspicuously.

I can feel a difference in the firmness of my breasts. I don't see a difference in size, but there's definitely a lift and more volume on the top of my breast and in the cleavage area. I noticed all of the progress was gone when I took two days off to let my skin heal, so I plan to be diligent from here on out. The dome marks keep me from wearing any low cut tops, but I don't mind since the weather is getting colder.

So I've done away with the No-sting wipes and have transitioned to using aloe vera gel (Fruit of the Earth). I'm a lot less irritated. I don't really mind BRAVA. I've learned to adjust to be comfortable. It's just I have to be absolutely sure I don't have to leave out after putting it on. I'm a size 2/4 so there's no way I could camouflage wearing BRAVA. Another thing, I see and feel a difference in my breasts after I take off the system, but they deflate back to their normal size at night. I'm going to send the pics to Dr. B so he can access if there are other actions I need to take. I'll post an update thereafter.

Now, my note on Bednar Cosmetics: I love that place. I call or email with a bunch of questions and always feel better after talking to Sylvia. Very knowledgeable, responsive and patient with my nerves and questions. I deeply appreciate it and am glad that my pre-ps experience has been a good one.

I wrote a really long post, which deleted itself when I tried to drag and drop a photo of my dream abs. Realself, fire your developers for not creating a test case where one would attempt to drag and drop from a web page! If there is an attempt to redirect to a different page before a review has been saved, a user should be prompted with an information alert that there is an attempt to navigate from the page and ask for confirmation and if they want to save their results. (I guess it's pretty obvious what I do for a living)

Long story short, brava sucks and is giving me no results, but scarring. I wish I didn't buy it. Hopefully I can achieve a full C when all of my swelling goes down. My surgery is in five days. I've reached my goal weight of 132 (yay!) I'll let you know how the pre-op goes.

i had my surgery this morning. I'm back at the hotel and feeling fine. Thank goodness for pain medication. I'll update in the next few days how things are coming along.

Pics. I'm not too sure how I feel about them. My main thing was achieve symmetry and they don't look it. I know it's only day 2 post op, so I'll hush. I'm still draining do I haven't taken my pads off under my garment. When I do, I'll take pics to show the incisions.

Hi Everyone,

I took my first shower, which was heaven. I'm really appreciating my results even with the swelling. My dream boobs were Olivia Munn's and they legitimately look like hers as far as shape. I know they'll continue to change, but I'm really happy with how they look. I had my follow up with Dr. Bednar yesterday which went really well. The staff is really great. I kind of feel like I'll miss them! Ashley was really personable and made me relax a lot more as I was gearing up for the procedure. She really cares about helping the patients on their journey. Sandy reminds me of my favorite aunt! She was very warm and informative about what I should expect. And Sylvia was as fabulous as I imagined! It was really nice putting a face with a name. I felt like I knew her after speaking with her so many times. There was another nurse I met, but I can't remember her name :( Of course Dr. Bednar was great. I had no reservations about his abilities when I met him. I had a freak out on day 2 post op, but that's probably because I have a tendency to work myself up a lot haha. I suppose that's what the anti-anxiety meds post-op are for!

I'm having a "big"-booty-girl issue that I need advice on. I was initially given a size medium compression garment which fits great on bottom, but has no compression on my abdomen. I actually have space in the garment on my abdomen. I was given a size small garment that gives me the appropriate compression on my abdomen, but is sooo tight on my bottom that I have more scarring than I did before I put it on. I wore the small last night, but it was so tight it woke me up last night. I called Dr. Bednar's office and Sandy suggested to wear spanx under the size medium medical garment on my abdomen to apply compression. I've never purchased shapewear.What product would you recommend to give more compression to my abdomen? I see the Spanx Bootsie-Yay extra firm control corset. Thoughts?

feeling a lot less sore these days. Some areas, such as my flanks and outer thighs, are still sensitive to pressure. My incisions look pretty good. They're scabbing. One is lumpy but that's expected. I simply massage it and try to flatten it. Swelling has gone down and Dr. B made me a better version of my old self! The liposuction was really tastefully done. I'm really happy. My breasts are at a small 32D right now. They're feeling a lot softer now. My bigger one is still the bigger one unfortunately it just doesn't want to cooperate. I'm very satisfied. I'll be heading to Dr B after I have children I'm sure.

I'm finally at the two week mark so I'm going to go to the gym today.

So fun story: when I was recovering, I had a really nasty blister on my lady parts from day 1. I went to Dr. B to get it drained. I just found it weird I was told it was from friction with the garment. Besides the blister, I had a few other scars on my "area" that I thought was bruising....until it all started to peel. I went to the doctor and found out all of it was burns. Don't get me wrong, I read the paperwork I signed and knew I was susceptible to being burned by the tools but having it happen was something else. I'll take pictures later today when I come back from the gym. It's looking a lot better. I've been keeping cocoa butter on it.

I'll update with full body ones soon. This picture shows my four incision points in the groin area as well as where I got the burn from the instrument. They're all healing well compared to where they were.

I realized I had a few hard spots that were either scar tissue or liquid retention, so I purchased a series (5) of lymphatic drainage massages. I've had two so far and I've begun dry brushing daily. I'm getting the massages every 3-4 days. The areas where I was experiencing numbness have dramatically improved. I'll update once I complete my series.

I'm a tad bloated from my cycle, but besides that, here are my results. I'm pleased!

I see some commenters have asked about my ab etching. I thought I mentioned it in previous posts, but Dr. B chose not to do ab etching on me because of my susceptibility to hyper pigmentation. His ab etching technique included additional incisions (2 on each side of my abs).

The VS semi-annual sale ends today, so I took the opportunity to go shopping yesterday for new bras. Hopefully my size is settled because I got quite a few bras. I'm clocking in at a full 32C/small 32D.

So weird to have gotten to the size I was hoping for. It's a testament to Dr. B's work! I was a 34A/32B pre-op with very little cleavage...more like just some lift as you can see in my before pics in the blue bra. It's pretty cool having cleavage. I'm very pleased. I'm going back today to go swimsuit shopping (I live in FL).

I was incorrect when I told a commenter how many CCs Dr. B injected. I spoke with him today and he put 319 in the left and 395 in the right (my problem boobie).

I've been terrible about updating. I meant to do a 3-month update. My apologies. A few things:
1. My breasts lost volume. The entire reason I got this procedure was for better symmetry, volume and some cleavage. I have seemingly better symmetry, but the right breast is still a cup size smaller than my left now that I've healed. I am a small C now. Another thing: if you look in my immediate post-op photo, you'll see there were two lines drawn on my right breast. He followed the higher line, which I had concerns about. I have this weird indentation in my right breast that I think is a result of not following the natural shape of my breast and going with the higher line.
2. The scarring. I am so self-conscious about wearing low cut tops or bathing suit tops because of my lack of cleavage and the visibility of my scars between my breasts. I've been so diligent with using the scar cream I was provided, but I've seen no improvements. Thank goodness I'm already in a relationship and my fiance accepts me as is because I couldn't imagine being single and getting naked for someone. The scars from my lipo incisions near my vagina as well as the scar from the BURN from the liposuction tool are hideous. I try not to look at myself down there because I hate it. In bikini bottoms, you can see the scars. I've been working out with a trainer and it saddens me that I can't wear teeny bikinis because all of these visible scars. Lastly, the Brava system (as I mentioned in earlier posts) gave me scars on my chest. Those are still visible!
3.Liposuction results are nil. I can't tell I got liposuction. Now that I've healed and my body isn't as tight from scarring, there's no improvement to my shape. I didn't have much to lose since I was ideal weight, but I don't have a smaller waist like I had hoped for. I know I'm athletically built, but I was hoping for a small improvement at least. It got really sad about it and gained about 5 pounds. I've been working with a trainer which has helped me slim my waist from 29 to 27.5, but my measurements are nearly the same as pre-op 34-27.5-39.

I joke with my fiance that I paid $10K for a cup size larger of the same issues. I don't think it was worth it with all of the scars I have from the liposuction and the subpar end results of my breasts. I try not to get too bummed when I get my CareCredit bill every month.

Forgot to post the picture. Please see previous post for details .