23 Years Old, 5'4" and 130lb, BBL and Chin Lipo After 50lb Weight Loss.

I'm the sort of person who loves to research things very thoroughly before I pursue them, so I started off this journey heavily considering a Miami BBL (since there's lots of information and examples available via this website), but I ultimately decided to stay local for both convenience and concern about credentials. It seems really difficult to determine which of those doctors are legit, trained plastic surgeons with credentialed anesthesiologists. Locally, there were 3-4 doctors I could find who advertised this procedure and seemed to do it with some regularity. Based on the photos I saw, I chose Dr. Leedy. I'm going to try and give a VERY thorough review here describing absolutely any question you might have about him, since there's not much info out there about BBL options in the Cleveland area.
A couple weeks ago, I had my pre-op at the doctor's office. They were running a bit behind schedule but they were very apologetic and kept me posted the whole time, which I appreciated a lot. When they brought me back into the office, the nurse gave me a huge book of patient before/afters from body procedures (lipo, lifts, breast augmentation and BBLs). I was relieved to see a LOT more examples in his binder than are available online, though for most people who are a bit older than me/with any skin laxity, he seems to prefer to do a tummy tuck, too. In particular, I noticed some good results on the little liposuction incisions/cannula scars on his patients versus some of what I've seen on RealSelf.
Eventually Dr. Leedy came in and asked a few questions about me & my medical history. I told him about my weight loss (I gained about 40lb over the course of 2 years, and then lost 50lb in one. I've been hovering at 130 for a year since) and he mentioned it's pretty common when people gain weight and then lose it for their butt to be flatter than normal and chest to be more barrel shaped. The doctor then asked what I was hoping for, and I told him to let me know what was possible, which I think made the conversation harder than if I'd just brought "wish pics". I didn't want to get caught up in a "wish" and obsess over something that isn't possible. I have always had a very straight-up-and-down, chubby figure (and just straight-up fat for a while there!) with a big tummy to match average sized hips/boobs and as much as I'd love to get a big, heart-shaped booty with decent projection, I don't think that's possible, certainly not after one procedure. I'd love it if after this, people look at me and think I've got a nice figure and a nice butt, with the best waist-to-hip ratio I can achieve, so that's my goal. I'm relatively small now with some chub, so I'd appreciate a curvy silhouette, from both profile and front/back view.
Next, I changed into a paper gown and undies/bra, and the doctor brought in his (female) nurse since I came alone. It wouldn't have really bothered me either way (Dr. Leedy is VERY professional and I'm sure he sees dozens of women in their underwear every week anyway), but I'm sure there are some women who might take comfort in knowing you won't be alone with a man while in your undies. The office staff makes sure you feel safe and comfortable the whole way through!
The doctor immediately noticed my "problem" areas once I wasn't in baggy clothing, which was great since I feel like that means he and I have a similar eye for what will look good. He suggested liposuction to the lower back, abdomen, waist and inner thighs, and said I don't have much loose skin so I don't need a lift/tummy tuck to go with it. He did mention that because I'm short, I don't have a lot of fat reserves to pull from even though I'm chubby, and that I'm just not built in a way that I could achieve the "Kardashian butt" look, which is fine. I don't want something ridiculous, just proportionate and curvier than I am. He said to expect more of a "cute butt". The doctor and nurse then used the fancy multi-angle camera to take pictures, and edited them to give me an idea of what to expect. I'll update this with the results of that. I appreciate that Dr. Leedy is doing his best to set me up with realistic expectations. Afterward, we went over surgery dates, and the next available with June 1st (a month and a few days away) and June 22nd, so I jumped on the 1st hoping to look healed up enough to wear a bathing suit by the end of summer.
Price:
The office manager printed out a price sheet for me with info about the cost as I was leaving, so I'll give you the rundown of that here.
The estimated facility fee and anesthesia fee are $1582 and $1061 for four hours of surgery, but they can be more or less depending on how long you're in surgery. The facility fee is an additional $282 per hour and anesthesia is $232. The surgeon fees are $5797, and you need a 10% downpayment on just the surgeon fees to hold a date. After the quote was already made, I asked to add a chin lipo and since the doctor is already doing allover lipo, there's no additional cost to adding my chin to the list. The sheet says all fees are due a month before surgery, but it was 4/28 when I booked my procedure and they didn't mention anything about paying immediately/the following Monday on the 1st.
It was past 5pm on a Friday at that point, so the office manager told me she'd call me Monday morning to set my pre-op appt and handle any additional clerical stuff. When she called, we scheduled the pre-op for 5/19, and she told me to bring the rest of my surgeon fees there ($5218). I'm grateful they're not holding me to the month quoted, because I needed another week to free up the cash for the procedure. Dr. Leedy's office also scheduled my lab work at the anesthesiologist for the same day, right after my pre-op, but the Cleveland Clinic did end up calling me a couple days later because they can't officialize your lab work appt until you pay the lab fees. I paid that by debit card over the phone already (the full $1582 & $1061), but I'm not sure when I'd get my refund or need to make additional payments if the surgery runs long. I'm also probably going to have to pay $75 for an EKG since I had a heart murmur as a kid, and the anesthesiologist requires you to get an EKG if you have any history of heart problems.
Just a note, if you pay your 10% and cancel surgery, there's a $150 fee, but if you schedule and pay for the whole thing and then cancel, the fee is 25%. I noticed that on the bottom of my fee sheet and figured someone might want to know that just in case!

So the full grid of pics are my "before" and the doctor's rough estimations of what he expects for me. I wasn't really vocal about what I want in the first consultation (it was honestly so surreal that I finally get to do this) so I'm hoping I'll get to talk to him before the surgery and go over my goals one more time. The close ups are me now and versions of those pictures I edited myself on my phone to what I'm hoping for. I'm trying to keep my goals realistic.

While we were doing the 3d imaging of my projected results, the doctor didn't seem to think I needed hip grafting initially, but was open to adding some. However, he placed his sort of low (the thigh/saddlebags area) and I'd rather see fullness on the mid hip/hip dip area to make my silhouette less boxy. Ideally I also want the bottom of my butt to look less square, with more rounded, outer fullness at the bottom, and as much projection as he can get. Either way, I think this is going to be a hugely beneficial change to my shape.

I'll post some pics of my recovery bod in a few days but for right now I'm feeling a little lazy.

The doctor had three patients today getting surgery and he scheduled me last. Marymount Hospital called me yesterday to let me know the doctor had scheduled me for 10:30. I surprisingly didn't have to wait too long. I had both an anesthesiologist and a certified nurse anesthetist in my procedure and the anesthesiologist stopped by before my procedure to answer my questions. Around noon I was wheeled to the OR and they administered my anesthesia via IV. At first, the nurse seemeed surprised that I didn't at all feel the anesthesia, but I told her it tends to hit me slowly and hard and two minutes later, I felt it... Boom, sleepy time!

Next thing I know, I was in the OR recovery room with my friend who was driving me home. I was on my back immediately asked to flip over to my tummy... Laying on my new tush was definitely a little sore, but the lipo pain hadn't kicked in yet. I quickly woke up and hopped out of bed to get dressed and pee. No nausea either, the anesthesiologist did a GREAT job on me. Shout out to my nurse in the recovery room, he joked that I was looking like JLo already from one angle because I was so excited to see my results. As I walked out of the bathroom I was standing fine and felt like moving a bit to shake off the soreness from laying so long, so he walked me to an area where I could lean if I needed to and offered me Graham crackers and Canada dry. He even gave me a ginger ale for the road. And since I didn't get my scripts filled at the on site Cleveland clinic pharmacy (my insurance doesn't cover it there I'm pretty sure), he was able to get me just one to stay ahead of the pain. Absolutely a GREAT nursing experience in the OR today.

Unfortunately, when I got home, I was having trouble sleeping while my recovery buddy went right to bed... The pain wasn't bad but it was definitely a lot more comfortable to stand and walk. I had no nausea or wooziness and ended up with a lot of anxiety over my inability to sleep. I spent most of the night having panic attacks and crying, which is no fault of the doctor's. I know o can't have any anxiety meds or sleeping pills so I just have to live with it tonight.... Writing this has been good for easing my mind and I have a post op first thing in the morning. Hopefully it will pass by then.

In case anyone is curious, my measurements before surgery were:

Bust: 37"
Waist: 29"
Hips: 36" (though I often wore padded panties that brought it to 37")

And with my compression garments:

Bust: 37"
Waist: 31" (after the swelling really set in)
Hips: 41"

No bruising on my chin currently but I can see the back bruises creeping up big and dark just above my compression garment.