Extreme Makeover Part 1 - Johannesburg, South Africa

I have an apple shaped body and I've always felt self conscious about my belly. It is the first place that I pick up weight, which really annoys me. If you are proportioned like Sophia Loren and you gain a few kilos you look curvy. I just look like a barfly with a beer belly. Or pregnant. Even when I was really thin I still had a belly and double chin. I am not overweight (BMI of 24) and I just want to reshape my body a bit, I want a waist! So I have considered lipo for quite some time. I started looking into it properly earlier this year when I decided to sort out my nose and I figured that I would do both procedures close together so as to only take time off work once. I am going to do lipo of chin, belly, and upper back, and flanks (which my surgeon said is necessary to get the waist curve that I want).

Selecting a Surgeon:
There is really not much info online regarding plastic surgeons in South Africa. Many of the surgeon's have their own websites but there aren't really any review sites like Realself giving objective experiences. There is a local lipo surgeon that several women have mentioned on this site, and although they were all happy with the procedures they had with him I didn't want to go to him as he is not a plastic surgeon. So I shopped around a bit and found a plastic surgeon in Rosebank Jhb that I am happy with who is registered with the APRSSA. I will fill in the surgeon section of this review after the op is done.

Hopes and Fears:
Well obviously I'm hoping to be nicely proportioned after all this is done! I don't have much of a waist curve at present and that is what I am really hoping for, for the belly to be gone. Mostly I'm afraid of having a bad result - particularly I am scared of having an uneven or asymmetrical result. I'm also a bit fearful about the recovery and how much pain I am going to be in. I am a little scared about having the nose op so soon after as well, I hope I'm not putting myself through too much in one go!

Preparation:
I must say the Realself site has been a great help with information on what to expect and how to prepare. I have stocked up on everything that I think I will need, including a second compression garment so I can wash them regularly. I also took the tip about getting some maxi pads to soak up leakage from the incisions but now I'm wondering how to use them? Do I take off the garment and put the pads underneath? I guess I will figure it out tomorrow. I also got some linen savers to protect my bed. I don't need to get any meds as I will get them from the hospital tomorrow.

Well right now I am sitting here the night before the op and feeling quite excited but also quite scared. I am a person who likes to be in control and I guess the whole surgery thing is scary because I will be totally dependent on other people doing their jobs well tomorrow. I'm sure it will go ok, but hold thumbs for me!
I will post some pics after.

A note on the pricing: I was quoted ZAR33000, I have converted it at today's exchange rate of $1 = ZAR8.40