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Detailed Buccal Fat Removal Experience
I don’t necessarily regret having the procedure done, but I would say that I rather pay more money to be in a safer, more welcoming environment. I drove to the border of Mexico and parked in the outlets and proceeded to walk through customs and over the pedestrian bridge. When it was time for the appointment I took an Uber from downtown Tijuana to the medical center, which was quite simple. As I walked into the office, there were several people sitting in the very tiny waiting room, they all turned out to be employees, including the doctor. He immediately told me to pay at the front desk, it felt very hasty. Then I sat at his desk for less than 5 minutes and he had me sign paperwork.
When I sat in the procedure chair I started to feel extremely nervous. A lot of that had to do with the fact that they didn’t speak to me or explain anything to me, it did not feel very reassuring. Maybe their bedside manner is just not what I was used to. After he gave me the shots of Novocain, he left me alone for about ten minutes, which of course left my mind wandering and made me even more nervous. I understand that they perform these surgeries often, but they should understand that it’s a pretty terrifying experience for the person under the knife. After I was fully numb, he cut my cheek and pulled out the buccal fat very quickly. He then used a cauterizing iron to burn it off, which has a terrible bitter smell and taste to it. He then did the other side, it was maybe 10 minutes for the whole procedure after numbing. He does not stitch you up which I find very odd and unexpected.
The numbing solution makes your face blow up like a balloon and that lasts all night. My face was very swollen for about 5 days and it was very hard to open my mouth and eat/laugh/talk. And because he doesn’t use stitches you can see the holes. I kept getting nervous that it would get infected, but it didn’t and they eventually healed up. But it was about a month ago and you can feel the lumpy scar tissue on both cheeks, which I believe would not be an issue if it had been stitched.
As far as the results, it’s very slight at this point. I didn’t expect anything too drastic but I would say no one can tell a difference. Maybe It will continue to slim down. Overall, I would say my experience was fine, nothing terrible happened. I just wasn’t happy with the way I was treated. I also am not sure if it was worth it at this point.
When I sat in the procedure chair I started to feel extremely nervous. A lot of that had to do with the fact that they didn’t speak to me or explain anything to me, it did not feel very reassuring. Maybe their bedside manner is just not what I was used to. After he gave me the shots of Novocain, he left me alone for about ten minutes, which of course left my mind wandering and made me even more nervous. I understand that they perform these surgeries often, but they should understand that it’s a pretty terrifying experience for the person under the knife. After I was fully numb, he cut my cheek and pulled out the buccal fat very quickly. He then used a cauterizing iron to burn it off, which has a terrible bitter smell and taste to it. He then did the other side, it was maybe 10 minutes for the whole procedure after numbing. He does not stitch you up which I find very odd and unexpected.
The numbing solution makes your face blow up like a balloon and that lasts all night. My face was very swollen for about 5 days and it was very hard to open my mouth and eat/laugh/talk. And because he doesn’t use stitches you can see the holes. I kept getting nervous that it would get infected, but it didn’t and they eventually healed up. But it was about a month ago and you can feel the lumpy scar tissue on both cheeks, which I believe would not be an issue if it had been stitched.
As far as the results, it’s very slight at this point. I didn’t expect anything too drastic but I would say no one can tell a difference. Maybe It will continue to slim down. Overall, I would say my experience was fine, nothing terrible happened. I just wasn’t happy with the way I was treated. I also am not sure if it was worth it at this point.
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