24, Doing Something About my Chin/neck Angle -

:^)

Hey, So I thought I would do an update and post some pictures now that I'm two weeks out. I didn't feel up to posting any photos before this because my swelling after day 5 skyrocketed, though it has started going down today. After the first week passed I began only wearing my compression garment at night (and will continue to do so for another two weeks.) During the day I have been able to go out/see friends and nobody has noticed anything. I think that the swelling essentially ended up making my chin appear exactly the same size/shape as it was pre-op which was a bit disheartening but also to be expected.

I always somehow end up sleeping on my face which contributes to increased swelling in the morning. Awake me and Asleep me do not have the same life goals. Asleep me does not care about *~Aesthetic~* and I must pay the price.

Another thing worth noting is now that the swelling is going down the telltale post-lipo lumps and bumps are easy to feel. They aren't very visible (thankfully!!!) but I can feel a bunch of them under my chin and down my neck. They're a bit sore. I've started massaging them lightly a couple times per day and have decided to not worry about them for another moth or two, since they are supposed to disappear within that time frame.

Right, so I thought I'd talk a little bit about the procedure. I had tumescent liposuction with laser/smartlipo tightening after the fat was physically removed.

I was prescribed Vicodin and Valium for pain/anxiety before/during the procedure but guess who forgot their pills on the way to the appointment? Surprise. It was me. So I arrived at the office about 45 minutes early for the appointment. I had accidentally only brought ativan, which I gulped nervously once I sat my disorganized ass down in the waiting room.

I was called by a nurse right on time. She checked my vitals and provided me with a glamorous hospital gown and plastic booties to wear for surgery. Standard stuff. Soon after, the doctor entered and snapped some Before Pictures. We talked briefly about the goals of the procedure and he promptly drew on my face. Doctor Tehrani is a pleasant person and was very easy to talk to. He doesn't have the saccharine/phony demeanor that lot of people in the cosmetic surgery business give off. His staff is composed of lovely, friendly people who seem to genuinely care as well. Five stars for the staff!
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I've noticed a lot of reviews mention that awake lipo is no big deal/barely talk about how the operation itself goes. Well, disclaimer: I must be a giant baby. because it was pretty scary!
After a few minutes I was led by (a very kind!!!) nurse to the operating table and climbed aboard. Because of the sad cocktail of Not Nearly Enough Opiates in my system for this, I was basically shaking in my (plastic) boots (like a total weenie.) And so the procedure began. The nurse held my hand and talked to me the entire time. She was so supportive! I wish I remembered her name because she was the absolute best.
Thankfully, the doctor draped some cloth over my eyes due to the bright lights and probably because I shouldn't see all of the sharp instruments headed towards my jugular. Good call.
The numbing began. A few prickles were delivered to my chin and under my ears. "That wasn't so bad!" I thought, mentally patting myself on the back for being a totally composed, stoic badass. Wrong. What followed was surely the worst part of the entire procedure. A...tube? Needle? Wand? of tumescent fluid needed to tunnel into my face flesh to (I GUESS) create channels for the cannula and laser stick to travel through. The tube of fluid was forced in through the incision under my ear.It wasn't *extremely* painful since it spat numbing solution as it went but it was pretty unpleasant. The sensation of this thing burrowing into my face was comparable to the feeling of forcing a metal rod through a pound of raw pork. There was....a lot of resistance and some.....meat noises. The pain felt more like an ice cold/burning pulling/ripping feeling. I swore a fair amount. This process had to be repeated under my chin and behind my other ear. The rest of the surgery was a cakewalk comparatively. I should mention that the doctor communicated what he was doing and practiced great bedside manner throughout the surgery.

After I was fully numbed, the fat was extracted. It didn't take very long and only felt like a strong vibration against my jawline and neck. Finally, the laser stick was inserted and swished around to finish up the job. The whole thing took maybe..? 35 - 45 minutes? I was cleaned up, put in a compression garment and led by a nurse to the dressing room. I changed, was discharged and then waited for my (extremely late) ride to pick me up. (thanks mom!) My face and neck were swollen but was numb for about 9 hours. The pain wasn't bad once the numbing wore off. Very manageable. Moral of the story though: Don't forget your meds!