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POSTED UNDER Smart Lipo REVIEWS

Preparing for round 3 to fix the previous 2

ORIGINAL POST

I have always hated my thighs and they have been a...

Shay909June 26, 2014
$4,700
I have always hated my thighs and they have been a source of embarrassment for me since I was a teenager. I stopped wearing shorts in my early twenties despite working out and being in shape due to all of the cellulite and bulging inner and outer thighs. I had lipo on my outer thighs when I was 22 and was happy with it but wish I had realized it was going to add to my cellulite issue if I suddenly gained weight. Once I joined the military, I injured myself during training and gained a bunch of weight real fast and that is when the cellulite really attacked. Anyway, finally got cellulaze done a year and a half ago and have been so pleased with the results- although I think it took a good 8 months to see them. Yet I still good not wear shorts or swimsuit because of my fat inner thighs and cellulite right under but cheeks where I didn't get cellulaze. I made an appointment with the same doctor who did my cellulaze and had smart lipo on inner thighs and stomach 5 weeks ago. I am soooo not happy with it right now. I was really only concerned with top inner thigh but did agree to when the lines were drawn on my legs to go a little lower for the inner thigh fat removal. BIG MISTAKE. I now have a huge dent in my leg in the middle of my knee area (plus 2 inches up) and the top of my inner thigh. I'm very stressed out. The top of my right inner thigh does not look that much different and was never sensitive after the procedure like the other areas. I also hav a dent on my left leg but it is not as bad. I have since read that you should have the inner knee area done along with inner thigh so you wouldn't be left disfigured. I wish I had known that before. The back where I had the banana rolls removed looks as I expected it would at this point. Wrinkles from where fat was taken and my but cheeks seem to be lower but hope with time and exercise that will correct itself. I think for the dents I will need corrective lipo. I will post after pictures soon. I don't have before pictures because I really hated how they looked. My stomach looks ok. It's not flat but looks much better and I have no complaints. One more thing- I just started Venus freeze treatments for my disfigured inner thighs. I don't have my hopes up too high but am desperate for improvement.

Shay909's provider

Salman Ashruf, MD

Salman Ashruf, MD

Board Certified Plastic Surgeon

Shay909 rating for Dr. Ashruf:

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Answered my questions
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Replies (9)

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TwoPlusOne
June 27, 2014
Thank you for sharing your experience with us, and I'm sorry the smart lipo part hasn't been so positive yet.  I hope it improves.  Would you be willing to share a picture so that our community members can see whether they recognize what's going on and can give you better support?  Also, you may consider submitting a question to our doctors in the Smart Lipo Q&A forum.  When you add a picture you get priority, but in Smart Lipo they are generally not able to give you a good, specific answer without seeing very good pictures.
trudeyv
June 27, 2014
I'm so sorry that you aren't seeing the results you were hoping for. I haven't had my procedure yet, so I don't have much insight for you, but everything I've read says that things can continue to improve with time. Hang in there. I wish you the best.
Shay909
June 30, 2014
Thank you. Good luck with your procedure. I don't think mine will improve. Too much fat was taken out of an area that really didn't need much taken out so now it is slimmer than the area right by it that had no fat taken out. I really don't understand how such a mistake can be made.
Irishgirlinthedesert
December 2, 2014
My story is almost identical to yours. I got my grandmother's bad thighs and saddlebags and even had one leg larger than the other. I got lipo done at the age of 25 and it was awful. I subsequently had 2 "touch up surgeries" from the same surgeon making it even worse. Recently I had a 2nd breast reconstruction surgery, post cancer, and decided to see if this new surgeon could fix me. Big mistake. I now have more dents and my butt sags down my legs and I'm going in to get skin removed from the backs of my thighs and probably some grafting done in a few more months. It feels like I have two jelly rolls under each butt cheek when I walk so not only unsightly but uncomfortable. Liposuction has eaten away my self esteem and now it's eating away my life savings. I would never recommend the current day method of liposuction to anyone. If you're dead set on doing it then go to someone who really ONLY does body sculpting. Even then there's no guarantee. You can still have lumps, dents, and scar tissue. The fact that they say only 10% need touch ups is complete rubbish! I'm guessing it's only 10% that don't.
Shay909
December 3, 2014
First, congratulations on getting through cancer. That takes a lot of courage. I'm sorry you have had such a horrible experience with lipo as well. I totally agree with you that it has to be much more than 10% that need touch ups. It makes me mad that it is so hard to get these doctors to take true responsibility for their horrible work. At the very least there should be an easier way to get a full refund when they have obviously screwed up so we can find a better doctor that can fix it. I did look into going after mine but the cost of getting a personal witness (another doctor) to go down on record for a court case was too expensive. It's no wonder these doctors get to make tons of money off of bad work when they have everything working in their favor. My legs look worse too after the so called touch up. Now I just have more scar tissue to work through along with new dents. I'm currently saving like crazy so I can get this mess fixed but must admit I'm scared of picking the wrong doctor again. I wish you much luck on your next procedure. You certainly deserve it.
Irishgirlinthedesert
December 3, 2014
Thank you for your reply. I feel like this lipo disaster has plagued me more than the cancer. Crazy, I know. I hate feeling so self obsessed over this thing. I'm constantly researching doctors and other victim's stories. I just want to get this to a level that I can deal with and move on. There is so much more to life and so many more important things to have my thoughts geared towards. My boyfriend and mom don't want me to spend any more money as I'm now around $13k into my lipo disaster from all of the 4 total surgeries I've had so far. I agree with you about picking the wrong doctor being scary. I almost don't think that picking a great doctor is a guarantee. My last one had his undergrad and graduate work from Ivy league colleges, is board certified in PS, and had glowing reviews with not one negative. Liposuction is unpredictable though they won't admit it. I read where one surgeon described it as vacuuming under the sofa. You can only see what's going into the vacuum cleaner, not what the actual result is. Wish I read that 16 years ago. Anyways, I've narrowed my search in Phoenix down to 4 doctors that I want to consult with for the butt lift that I now need (another 10K at least): Dr. Remus Repta, Dr. Weinrach, Dr. Cohen, or Dr. Aldo Guerra. I'm leaning towards Dr. Repta who is awkwardly a partner in the same surgery center that did my last lipo. In all fairness to the last doc, my breast reconstruction is fantastic and he was working with an already botched up lipo case. But from my first experience, I'm not going back to the same surgeon with whose results I was disappointed. Sorry to be so long winded. I feel like there should be a support group for lipo victims. I hope we both get to a point where we feel confident again or at least emotionally to a point where we can move on to bigger and better things.
Shay909
December 8, 2014
I totally know what you mean about being self obsessed about it. I look at my thighs multiple times a day, whether I'm clothed or not. I try to walk in a way where it is less noticeable and when I stand in place I always stand In a way where again, it will be less noticeable. There are so many pants that I cannot wear now because of the way it brings attention to the areas I'm trying to hide. The whole thing really does take over your mind sometimes and I constantly find myself pulling out of my negative mindset by thinking about all the more devastating things going on in the world and people who are suffering real losses. Then I feel guilty for obsessing over something so superficial. I'm glad this website is here because it helps to know that there are so many other people going through the same thing having the same feelings. Yes, a support group for lipo victims would be good. I'm sure we would be able to learn a lot from each other. My husband doesn't even know I got it done so I have been hiding that area since early summer. It's been stressful but I knew he wouldn't understand and would make me feel really horrible about spending money on myself to fix a problem that he simply cannot understand how bad it has impacted my self esteem. I didn't want to take the chance of him saying something very hurtful to me that I may not forgive him for because of how sensitive i am about how my thighs and butt look. I never anticipated on having to try so hard to keep it a secret. I have caught him looking at the area a couple times while I'm in jeans but he hasn't said anything but I'm wondering what he is thinking. Don't think I can make it through another summer keeping it a secret from him. A bad lipo job really can be a bit of a nightmare.
Irishgirlinthedesert
December 8, 2014
I think you should go ahead and come clean about it to your husband. Explain all of the reasons why you felt the need to do it and then how the terrible outcome has devastated you. That will take a load off you right there I think. Then, once he comes to terms with it, maybe he will be on board with helping you get it fixed. I thought about trying to get on the show botched but I really don't want the whole world knowing about it. It's kind of embarrassing. My boyfriend is supportive just so long as I lose my extra 5 to 7 pounds before I go back seeking to do anything else. I'm lucky in that regard I guess. Anyways, I know it's different when it's your own body, but I really don't think you look that bad. I think a good surgeon can easily graft your inner thigh indentions to your satisfaction. Your bum is still tight and not sagging and from the back, you look really quite good. Mine is a bit worse than yours but as I well know, we're our own worst critics.
leoriass
December 15, 2016
He charge again for fix the problem
UPDATED FROM Shay909
1 month post

Even more unhappy

Shay909June 30, 2014
6 weeks post and after 4 venus freeze treatments, my legs still look horrendous. I'm about to go to a family reunion type vacation that is centered around water and beaches. How ironic that before I was scared about even wearing shorts to go swimming and now after something that was supposed to help me, made it much worse. Now I can't even wear shorts unless they are boy's board shorts. Depressed.

Replies (0)

UPDATED FROM Shay909
1 month post

More pictures

Shay909June 30, 2014
More after pictures taken today. I didn't take any before pictures so have none of those to add.

Replies (7)

CaliLuv86
April 14, 2015
Just curious if you had fat transferred to your banana rolls. I also going through the same thing and I was just wondering if fat transfer helps out to smooth out the banana rules.
Shay909
April 14, 2015
No, I had the smart lipo done there. I wish I hadn't though but I didn't know that doing so causes the butt to sag. My PS didn't mention that at all. The PS I did a consult with last week said she doesn't do that area because the fat there is there for a reason and it will make your butt fall. I plan to post updated pics soon. My banana rolls still show so maybe the PS didn't do much there which is a good thing from what I'm reading. I have not come across anything about fat transfer helping banana rolls. I would be concerned it would cause bulging.
CaliLuv86
April 15, 2015
My ps told me the only way to improve my banana rolls is a thigh lift. But I really wanna avoid thigh lift that's why I asked. But your banana rolls are not bad compared to mine.
Shay909
April 17, 2015
I hope you see more doctors before you make the decision to do the lift. At least than you will know that really is your only option. I have taken a look at the reviews for lifts and it looks rather painful. But a lot of the them look fantastic afterward. Have you tried Accent XL or other skin tightening treatments? I did accent XL 5 years ago on back of thigh below butt and it really helped smooth things out. Problem was when I got pregnant with my third kid and gained a whole lot of weight, the benefits were lost.
CaliLuv86
April 17, 2015
Yeah I'm doing research like crazy. I'm not too worried about the pain it's more the scarring its for a lifetime. I'm not married so what will they think of me. It's embarrassing. Lol. Thank you for that advise I haven't tried any skin tightening. How much did XL 5 ? And how many treatments did you have?
Shay909
April 17, 2015
Like all these type of things, Accent XL is pricey. The lady I went to was the owner of the business and charged $400 for an area. I also decided to get above my knees done so for a second area she took off $100 which left me with a bill for $700. I had it done I believe 6 times and spaced it out every 2 or 3 weeks. Towards the end is when I started to see how much it was improving my skin's elasticity and gave it a tighter and smoother appearance. It was also the first time in my life my inner thighs didn't touch when I walked (she was able to do that area when she did the banana rolls). After you get to a good point you are supposed to go once a year or something like that for maintenance. I would have kept going but I got pregnant and put on a lot of weight very fast. I also moved about an hour away but do plan on seeing her again if I ever get my current problem resolved and still have money left, lol. It really is imperative to get somebody that knows what they are doing because it has to be at a certain temperature at certain time, etc. so she didnt have any of her employees doing the accent at the time. Also I found one around me and they wanted $700 for just one spot. Way too expensive. In hindsight, I wish I would have left the lipo alone and stuck to Accent XL but I wanted something permanent. Ha, so much for that.
Shay909
April 17, 2015
Oh and I understand about the scar thing. I read a review from one lady who said the same thing and how the guys she would date asked about it. But I also believe there are so many people who also have things they feel vulnerable about and will not make you feel bad or insecure about something that you did to make yourself feel better. Heck, maybe there is a PS who knows a way to do it with a scar that's not too noticeable. Don't get discouraged. As I found out today, you will get totally different answers and impressions from different doctors and you must keep on it until you find the right one. Don't let one bad answer or experience make you lose hope if it's something important to you.
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