38 Year Old, 2 Kids Via C-section, Smart Lipo - Danville, CA

I had my first child at 21.5 years old and have not liked my stomach ever since. I had my 2nd child 12.5 years later at 34 and since I am done having kids, I decided I wanted to address the issues with my stomach. I am pretty active, I workout 5 days per week doing HIIT training utilizing my own body weight and weights. I've maintained my current weight (plus or minus a couple pounds) for over 2 years and it just didn't seem like my mid section responded the way the rest of my body did so I decided to consult with a plastic surgeon.

When I met with my PS he informed me that for the best results (bikini stomach) he would recommend a tummy tuck with muscle repair as well as lipo. But as we discussed what my concerns were and what I was willing to live with, he also said I was a good candidate for Smart Lipo. He explained that there are three parts to this, 1/3 is the skill of the PS, 1/3 is the patient following instructions, and 1/3 is the body.

When I was researching this procedure and looking for pictures of people with a similar body type I didn't have much luck, so I told myself that I would be sure to document my progress for others to see. There are so many other posts that describe the physical and emotional parts of this procedure so I will not include those in this review, but will share my photos of this journey. I am currently 5 days post the procedure and have the pre op pictures and pictures from 2 days post op. I have an appointment tomorrow to have the sutures removed and one more thing I want to share is that I have had NO leakage since the procedure. I was told 1300cc was removed, and that I should expect to change the pads when I got home from surgery, however they were not wet at all never have been. I stopped wearing them 2 days post op.

What a difference a week makes!!! I had an appointment yesterday to have my sutures removed, all went well. The PS was very pleased with the results so far. They did notice some remaining fluid in my lower ab/pubic area and I was advised to add some extra compression to that area by using a small folded hand towel or even a folded up t-shirt just to add some extra compression. I slept with a folded towel in that area inside my compression garment last night and I did wake up a little earlier feeling uncomfortable, but it sure did the trick. Most of the fluid was not present when I woke up this morning. I will continue to use the extra compression until all fluid is gone, my guess by the way it's going will only require a couple more days. I am scheduled for another appointment in 4 weeks to start to the vaser laser treatments to help with the extra skin tightening. This is strongly recommended by my PS since I did have some signs of loose skin, but opted not to have the tummy tuck. I will post some more pictures when the swelling and bruising go down. I am feeling better each day though!

Here are pictures at the 3 week mark... Still slightly swollen on my sides and still having lumps.. Not having much pain more burning and tingling sensations.. I still can't bend over at the waist without discomfort..