POSTED UNDER Smart Lipo Reviews
Smart Lipo on 41 Yr Old Male - Plano, TX
UPDATED FROM mnime
13 weeks later...20lbs lost - 5-10 to go but all...
mnimeMarch 21, 2012
WORTH IT$4,500
13 weeks later...20lbs lost - 5-10 to go but all my clothes fit great, except for the fat jeans and large t-shirts.
Replies (3)
March 22, 2012
The doc was a surgeon and does all kinds of cosmetic surgery. you can check out their profile/web page at www.planoaesthetics.com. I didnt consider the type of surgeon as i figured they know what they are doing. Maybe naive of me but again i did this on a whim. i had my consult and then the procedure 2 weeks later at the first open spot.
As for your second question, I am not sure. The web site for the center says its the SmartLipo Triplex machine. An your are right that the smart lipo does tighten the skin. i had forgotten about that because it cotterizes at the same time. Doctor was Jeffery Caruth...he sounds just like Dr. Phil LOL
As for your second question, I am not sure. The web site for the center says its the SmartLipo Triplex machine. An your are right that the smart lipo does tighten the skin. i had forgotten about that because it cotterizes at the same time. Doctor was Jeffery Caruth...he sounds just like Dr. Phil LOL
March 22, 2012
Just read the doc's profile..not bad at all.. sucks that he's located across the crountry for me (i'm in New York) otherwise I would consider him. Did you post any before and after pictures on this site? curious to see them if available, if not, totally understand. I'm gettting more and more excited about the procedure.
April 9, 2012
Thanks for sharing. Your details of the procedure were very similar to mine. People really need to take it easy for a few days. I also had my abs done. You don't realize how much you use your abs until you take on something like this.
UPDATED FROM mnime
OK its now day 9 and all is well. i had my 1st...
mnimeDecember 10, 2011
OK its now day 9 and all is well. i had my 1st post op follow up last week. all incision points are almost healed up but the two on my back flank and side flank are a little sore. i think some of it is due to going back to work and wearing jeans instead of my lounge pants.
i finally did get a little bruising but not bad and just isolated to the incision points. and those same spots continue to itch pretty good. the doc said i can go to just wearing the compression vest 12 on 12 off and suggested wearing it in the day while at work. not fond of this and i think i am going reverse it because its really uncomfortable as you heal. i bought some compression tshirts from dicks sporting goods and am wearing those during the days and they work pretty well but are not as tight in the ab/belly area as the compression vest. doc said these were good as secondary garments for the next part of the healing process.
The doc said the removed 660cc (23 oz) of fat. it doesnt sound like much but think of it as a ice cube. when froze the volume is much greater than when its melted which is what happens when the laser explodes the fat cell. i have noticed a huge difference but i still think he could have taken a little more out of my stomach(lower) and love handle areas.
i had started my diet last week and its been pretty easy so far. i downloaded myfitnesspal from itunes to track my progress. i set it for an aggressive goal. 182 is what i weight in at the docs office and i want to hit 165 by mid/end of jan 2012. im keeping to a 1200 cal per day limit and drinking lots of water. my food intake is high fiber, low cal, low fat, low carb types of items which can be kind of hard as i dont really like veggies but its working ok so far. it really requires some planning to fit my schedule. as for my work out program i am going to start the P90x again. I did this once (just the muscle building part - not the cardio programs as i dont really have room in my condo to do that) and it worked pretty good and is easy to do at home. and it works fast too. i would recommend it to anyone and the diet program it gives you to follow is much like mine above. i want to get to the point where i can have one or two cheat meals per week without feeling guilty. it'll take a while but i'll get there.
i have my 4th of 6 follow up at the docs office just after the first of the year (2012) and he said that is typically when they take the after photos. i am really pushing myself to make that after photo look like he sucked out the fat and implanted muscles LOL
i finally did get a little bruising but not bad and just isolated to the incision points. and those same spots continue to itch pretty good. the doc said i can go to just wearing the compression vest 12 on 12 off and suggested wearing it in the day while at work. not fond of this and i think i am going reverse it because its really uncomfortable as you heal. i bought some compression tshirts from dicks sporting goods and am wearing those during the days and they work pretty well but are not as tight in the ab/belly area as the compression vest. doc said these were good as secondary garments for the next part of the healing process.
The doc said the removed 660cc (23 oz) of fat. it doesnt sound like much but think of it as a ice cube. when froze the volume is much greater than when its melted which is what happens when the laser explodes the fat cell. i have noticed a huge difference but i still think he could have taken a little more out of my stomach(lower) and love handle areas.
i had started my diet last week and its been pretty easy so far. i downloaded myfitnesspal from itunes to track my progress. i set it for an aggressive goal. 182 is what i weight in at the docs office and i want to hit 165 by mid/end of jan 2012. im keeping to a 1200 cal per day limit and drinking lots of water. my food intake is high fiber, low cal, low fat, low carb types of items which can be kind of hard as i dont really like veggies but its working ok so far. it really requires some planning to fit my schedule. as for my work out program i am going to start the P90x again. I did this once (just the muscle building part - not the cardio programs as i dont really have room in my condo to do that) and it worked pretty good and is easy to do at home. and it works fast too. i would recommend it to anyone and the diet program it gives you to follow is much like mine above. i want to get to the point where i can have one or two cheat meals per week without feeling guilty. it'll take a while but i'll get there.
i have my 4th of 6 follow up at the docs office just after the first of the year (2012) and he said that is typically when they take the after photos. i am really pushing myself to make that after photo look like he sucked out the fat and implanted muscles LOL
Replies (5)
December 11, 2011
Thanks for your detailed progress updates, mnime. I had similar areas lipo'ed 4 weeks ago, so I'm about two weeks ahead of you in the healing stakes. It's hard to resist feeling initially frustrated about results, but I keep reminding myself this is a 6 month journey (at least).
I see you had laser-assisted lipo. I had ultrasonic-assisted lipo. I had 3500cc removed from abdomen and 1500cc from the chest. I’m 6ft, 187lb. I get what you’re saying about the laser destroying the fat cells, then being removed. Volume can be confusing as some surgeons include the total fluid & fat removed, which can include the tumescent fluid as well! I am bit surprised your surgeon only removed 660cc, but as long as you can see a difference then that’s what counts.
Sounds like you are healing quickly and pretty much avoided bruising. Blue balls are not fun! Have you noticed any changes in the way your clothes fit?
December 11, 2011
hey mark thanks for the comments. i also having to remind myself that this was/is a jump start on a new way of life ie...diet, exercise, and better life choices in regards to my body. it is a bit frustrating but i know even though i still dont look swollen on the outside my insides are still healing. my pre-op visit i weighed in at 185 and post op (5 days later) i was 182 and both were the same time of day with the same amt of food consumed. as of yesterday morning after a week of strict dieting i decided to step on the scale...175.2. i know 7 lbs in a week is a little much so i am chalking some of that loss up to my incorrect scales but i dont think 4-5 is unreasonable in a week of better eating habits as i have done that before and then it slows down. 660cc isnt a lot compared to your experience and in comparison seems almost negligible but it seems to have been in the right spots. i think another 200 to 300cc in my belly probably would have been perfect but then again it could have been overkill too. i didnt want to look "hollowed" out or anything so i'll take on the challenge of loosing the rest the old fashion way. At least for right now LOL. I will say that if I could look the way i look in the morning when i first get up i would be extremely happy. You know before all your organs and loose fat fall to gravity, but that could be me just needing to tighten up all my ab muscles to hold everything in place.
As for my clothes fitting better... I havent really noticed my pants fitting a lot better yet. My pants are a little looser than they were pre-op but just only to the point that they are not cutting me. My hip/flanks is still really sore so i figure there is still swelling there which is right where i wear my pants. Its kind of catch 22. wearing my pants probably irritates the tissue keeping the swelling up in the area but i have to wear pants to work LOL. if i could have been wearing the easy waist clothing all this time then maybe i would have noticed better fitting pants. now my shirts on the other hand are fitting much better. i am wearing my older shirts that are more fitted and they look good.
the one thing i am really having issues with is the compression vest. its now really uncomfortable much more than right after the surgery. i think i am going to go out and find just one of those "belt" things today and see how that works out. i read in someone elses post they did this and it worked just as good and much more comfortable.
so how are you feeling after your lipo now?
As for my clothes fitting better... I havent really noticed my pants fitting a lot better yet. My pants are a little looser than they were pre-op but just only to the point that they are not cutting me. My hip/flanks is still really sore so i figure there is still swelling there which is right where i wear my pants. Its kind of catch 22. wearing my pants probably irritates the tissue keeping the swelling up in the area but i have to wear pants to work LOL. if i could have been wearing the easy waist clothing all this time then maybe i would have noticed better fitting pants. now my shirts on the other hand are fitting much better. i am wearing my older shirts that are more fitted and they look good.
the one thing i am really having issues with is the compression vest. its now really uncomfortable much more than right after the surgery. i think i am going to go out and find just one of those "belt" things today and see how that works out. i read in someone elses post they did this and it worked just as good and much more comfortable.
so how are you feeling after your lipo now?
December 12, 2011
I feel great. I can relate to the flanks being sore. Mine are bit better now, just a feeling of tightness more so than anything. All my bruising was gone by about week 3. My pubic area is still swollen (hard) as I had that area done as well. I've read that this area tends to stay swollen for much longer. Went for a review last week with the surgeon. I had developed a seroma on my stomach. It had been there for about a week, and was the only “squishy” area I had. He numbed me up and stuck in a needle and removed about 100cc of fluid. Felt so much better. Seromas can tend to return, but luckily mine has not returned.
Man totally agree about the compression vest! I ditched mine around week 2. Couldn't stand it any more. Had to go to a funeral last week, and I swelled like a balloon wearing a belt. I'm lucky I'm on leave for several months from work. That would be hard having to wear with belted pants. I've been searching for any alternative to the vest. Have read mixed reviews about those binders - mainly that they tend to ride up and the top rolls down. Was looking at some on internationaljock . com which have plastic “rods” built in at the top to prevent it rolling down (sorry, can’t post the link).
What do you think of spanx tops? Not sure if they provide much compression?? The past few days I have not been wearing any compression, and don’t feel that I swell any more than wearing the vest. Maybe I’ll just do without. It’s summer here (I live in Australia) so it will be a beyotch to wear a garment. Luckily, we have had the coldest start to summer in 50 years so it’s been ok so far.
I lost about 7lbs as well over the first 2 weeks. Didn’t have much of an appetite the first week. I’ve managed to keep it off. Weigh about 175lbs at the moment. My goal is 165lbs.
Man totally agree about the compression vest! I ditched mine around week 2. Couldn't stand it any more. Had to go to a funeral last week, and I swelled like a balloon wearing a belt. I'm lucky I'm on leave for several months from work. That would be hard having to wear with belted pants. I've been searching for any alternative to the vest. Have read mixed reviews about those binders - mainly that they tend to ride up and the top rolls down. Was looking at some on internationaljock . com which have plastic “rods” built in at the top to prevent it rolling down (sorry, can’t post the link).
What do you think of spanx tops? Not sure if they provide much compression?? The past few days I have not been wearing any compression, and don’t feel that I swell any more than wearing the vest. Maybe I’ll just do without. It’s summer here (I live in Australia) so it will be a beyotch to wear a garment. Luckily, we have had the coldest start to summer in 50 years so it’s been ok so far.
I lost about 7lbs as well over the first 2 weeks. Didn’t have much of an appetite the first week. I’ve managed to keep it off. Weigh about 175lbs at the moment. My goal is 165lbs.
December 12, 2011
I dont know much about spanx except that they are kind of expensive. You might try looking for a compression shirt at a sporting goods store and buy one of those. Get a size smaller than what you think and it should help a lot. some of the brands are under armor, nike, and riddell (discount brand from walmart). Trust me they do help and they are pretty cheap compared to spanx and the vest you/I got from our doctors offices (at least thats where mine came from). i cant imagine having the pubic area done...ouch.
December 13, 2011
LOL fortunately I had a general anesthetic, so none the wiser. I admire you for doing it under local. Did you end up finding a binder or alternative to the dreaded vest!?
UPDATED FROM mnime
Day 4... very little pain today and a significant...
mnimeDecember 4, 2011
day 4... very little pain today and a significant amount of swelling reduction. pretty much moving as normal now. as promised here are some after pics. not the greatest quality but the difference can be seen. still swollen though but i am impressed how fast healing has been and how little bruising i have. i go back for a follow up appt tomorrow and hopefully i'll get side by side before and after pics from the doc. a few questions i have to ask are about some indents spots and how i can tell swelling from remaining fat at this point. also they didnt tell me how much fat was removed but in my "high" state before i left the operating room they told me there was a picture, so i am ready to see it.
1. i did not consult with anyone who had had this type of procedure before. I just read many reviews and watched some youtube videos (its not as bad as they make it look by the way).
2. hanging or saggy skin might depend on how much you are having done. the smart lipo isnt something that really over weight people should do. this procedure is more for people who are basically in good shape and just have areas that have been resistant to exercise. i "felt" saggy in my belly for about 8 weeks but it has tightened back up as it has healed. Keep in mind they are separating some of the fat from the muscle wall so it does take some time for the muscle and skin to reattach but it does firm up. i dont feel saggy at all but still have toning to do but i have dropped about 20lbs since the procedure. its still a work in progress. i want to drop 10 more but will be happy with 5.
3. no lumps or problems. only thing i dont like is i can see the puncture marks on my upper chest. a tan will help that though. trust me its not bother enough to say "i wish i wouldnt have done it".
4. now this is the funny part. i picked my doc cause he ran a groupon and i had the extra cash at the time. but before i went in for the consult i did check the web for reviews on him. i found nothing and would recommend him. he did seem to know his stuff and was very personable as was everyone in his office. i honestly did this on a whim but it was the best 4200.00 bucks i have spent in a long time.
i'm pretty much a open book so feel free to ask any other questions.