I went to a consultation in late July with Dr...
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18 Aug 2016
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Day of treatment
I went to a consultation in late July with Dr Michael Elam in Newport Beach. Jody, one of the employees, was nothing but sweet and most definitely got me excited for this surgery! She answered all my questions in detail. I was told they typically needed a month and a half to book surgeries, but since buccal fat is a fast procedure I got my date just 3 weeks after my consultation.
I had surgery today on Aug. 18. Came in at 6:30 AM and I was so amazed at how fast the whole process was. The nurse and anesthesiologist chatted with me for a few minutes and next thing I knew I woke up with a swollen face in heated blankets. No pain so far and I feel normal besides the fact that I look very funny haha. Will post again in a few days. So far so good!
Day 1 post op
I went in for my post op this morning with Dr Elam and everything went smoothly. I'll be wearing my head gear until Tuesday (5 days total) and hopefully I can shower/brush my teeth by then! The pain is manageable on my cheeks and some of the prescribed medication has helped a lot. The only hard thing was sleeping sitting up all night. And also the swelling on my neck from my Chin lipo makes it hard to lift up my head.
Anyway, I ate soft foods like bananas, mashed potatoes, and some soup with as low as sodium as possible. Any salt could cause more swelling. I'm excited to see the results!!!
Photos of before the surgery
I'm quite petite and don't consider myself out of shape, but even at my lowest weight I always had chubby cheeks. It also runs in my family so I hope this surgery will get rid of them entirely. Here are some pre op pics.
5 days post op and Pictures
There's a lot more swelling on my right side than my left. I had my appointment this morning and compared my pre op pictures with today's and it seems like my right side has always been a bit bigger so it makes sense. I was also really thrilled when he told me I could brush my teeth again haha.
Dr. Elam also said that after a few weeks the swelling will completely go down and I'll have that desired V shape face :)
No longer taking pain meds and I'm back to work. I'm really happy with the results so far even though it's still early!!! My double chin is also noticeably gone. I'll post another update in a week.
2 weeks Post Op!
Sooo... I still feel swollen at this point and my right side is noticeably bigger in pictures but in person it isn't too bad. I also still have swelling in my chin/neck area. I'm slowly getting my sensation back because for the first week I couldn't feel much under my chin.
Dr Elam said to give it a couple more weeks to start noticing the difference and by time the swelling will go completely down and it will look amazing. I'm feeling really impatient, feels like it's been forever already! But I'm happy I had a speedy recovery. I went to work and I was able to drive 5 days after. I'll be back with a month update :)
1 month and 3 days post op
Not seeing the results I wished I had yet. My chin is still a little swollen but my cheeks have fully healed. I wear the head mask every now and then and I continue to ice everyday at least once for 15-20 min. At this point I look the same as how I did before the surgery. After reading lots and lots of reviews, I learned that it could take 2-3 months to see real results. My cheeks look exactly the same and I keep trying to not be discouraged but it's taking forever :(
I also looked at my doctor's previous buccal fat pad removal surgeries and most of his patients saw results quickly, unlike me. I think it could be because I eat salty food so I could be just retaining water but not sure.
New pics!
3 day post op vs. 5 weeks post op
Picture update!!!
After seeing these before and after pictures Dr. Elam took, I finally noticed the difference!! My jawline is much more defined and you can see my cheekbones now. I'm so happy! All my friends have noticed the difference and have asked if I lost weight. And it is still in the healing process so I am told it will look better even in another 6 weeks. Yay!
3 month post op
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14 Nov 2016
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3 months post
There's a shadow under my cheekbones now (almost like a natural contour) and also still uneven sides but that's because my face was already like that from the beginning. The waiting process to see final results were tormenting!!
Post op- 4 months
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12 Jan 2017
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5 months post
Hi real self fam! It feels like it's been forever since my surgery and sometimes I also forget that I've even had any surgery lol. I told myself I would hit the gym and try to lose weight everywhere else so it can even out with my face but no success due to my busy schedule. :(
Any ways.. Here's a picture update. I have this little scar under my chin that's not noticeable and it feels like a tiny tiny pimple when I touch it. To be honest I wished my cheeks looked better. When I laugh or smile my cheeks are still pretty Big but maybe there is still some waiting to be done. My profile is awesome though thanks to the chin lipo. These surgeries compliment each other so I recommend anyone getting Buccal fat removal to look into Chin lipo too. Let me know if anyone has questions!
UPDATE!!
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25 Feb 2017
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6 months post
6 month update for y'all. The results do seem to look better with time and I'm sure anyone who has gotten surgery can agree with me that the waiting part SUCKS. Due to my age, I feel like there is still some baby fat in my cheeks that will go away in maybe a year or two. Not sure if it's greedy of me to say that I want more taken out :( I told myself I would start working out to help the overall look... But you know how that goes. Lol.
So yeah this is my update. Feel free to ask me any questions!
By the way, does anyone else feel like after one surgery we pick at other spots of our body/faces to consider modifying next?? I can't be the only one!
