43 yr old woman, 5'5", 148lbs., Liposuction of Right Axilla, Both Inner Thighs/knees and Outer Thighs - King Of Prussia, PA

After researching liposuction for almost two years I finally decided to do it. I am 43 yrs. old and I have had thick thighs since puberty; no matter how thin or fit I was they would remain thick and out of proportion with the rest of my body... Thank you, estrogen. I read everything I could find on the internet, looked at thousands of pictures and I went to consultations with three Doctors, one of which is head of plastic surgery at Penn, but I chose Sonobello and Dr. Talaie. After everything I read and saw on the internet, and on realself, I realized that it is as important to choose a board certified surgeon as it is to also choose someone that specializes, or at the very least, does ALOT of whatever procedure it is that you want done. I think that those two factors, along with having realistic expectations, are the only way to approach cosmetic surgery. Doing the research also helped me understand what is and is not possible, as well as, what I did and did not want.

Unfortunately, the fear I had after reading so many horror stories kept me from taking before pictures. I was afraid that something might go wrong and I didn't want to have to explain. Even though I'm happy with my result I'm surprised that I even went through with it because I was so freaked out... It's surgery! I'm currently at three weeks post-op and still a little swollen/tender, but I'm down from my 148 lbs. post-op weight to 141lbs. I'm not gonna lie... That first two weeks was rough! ...between the pain and the fear I thought I was going to lose it.

When I was doing my research I came across a lot of negative comments, etc. regarding places like Sonobello. There seems to be a misconception that these places have inferior doctors, or something to that affect. The more research and consultations I did the more it became crystal clear to me that a lot of cosmetic surgeons specialize in certain things: rhinoplasty, facelift, breast augmentation, etc. Though I am not a Doctor, I am a Hair Stylist, what I know about skills is that they get better by practice and education, not licensing. Licensing ensures that the operator can meet certain standards, which is VERY important, but it doesn't tell you about their skill level beyond those standards. Hair Stylists can't be great at everything related to hair, unless they have been practicing for a long time AND have consciously tried to expand their knowledge base. Many don't. The same is true for every other profession. Don't just educate yourself on the degrees your Doctor holds, or the pictures you see on a website, also educate yourself about liposuction, in general. Please, learn about techniques and tools and types so that you can make a truly informed decision.

I apologize for the poor quality, but as I said, I wasn't planning on posting a review.