I'll Be 51 Years Old Before I Get This Done and STILL Not Sure I'm Doing the Right Thing! - Subiaco, Western Australia

I come from a line of curvy females. Genetically I have been blessed in so many ways. I certainly don't look my age (a new grandmother!) and my three pregnancies have left me with no saggy belly, and no tummy stretch marks. However, life saving surgery as a young teenager left me with surgical scarring on the belly which is now exacerbating the drooping of ageing, and unfortunate fat deposits in areas which are...well....not attractive to have fatty deposits! I considered liposuction but quickly realised that at 50 (nearly 51) my skin tone in that area was never going to give me a good result. I decided to ask for expert help. Here in Australia we must have a GP's referral to visit a cosmetic surgeon if we want to claim anything back on our health fund, so a lot of research goes in to which Drs we would even ask for a referral to see. I saw a couple and decided on Dr Tim Hewitt, with surgery booked for November when I can take 6 weeks off work for recovery. My particular TT issues are very different to most ladies that I read about here and so I hope I can offer a different slant on the procedure and results. So. I have no muscle separation to speak of and my surgeon was encouraging me to consider a 'mini' tummy tuck to address my main issue of the unfortunate fat deposit above my mons, and the ageing aspect of the mons itself. I, however, felt that if I was going through the process, I might as well eke every benefit out of it that I could and have opted instead for a full TT, with or without muscle repair (as the surgeon sees fit when he gets in there!) I am 172 cms tall and weigh about 80 kgs ( I could lose 5 kilos if I stopped eating entirely but, bloody hell girls, life is for living!) So, here I go. Very little or no muscle separation, no stretch marks, no loose skin on the belly. But a whole different set of issues that I hope and expect can be remedied by this invasive and aggressive surgery.

Trying to take photos in the mirror is hard! New respect to all you ladies who have managed it. I hope these shots give you an idea of my issues though!

So, as always, when I think I've got things planned events charge off in their own direction and I am left scrabbling to catch up! Surgery has been brought forward to November 10 as I have to be in New York for a conference and needed more recovery time. This means I am having to crib time off work, but Adriana at Dr Hewitt's office assures me I'll be up and running easily by then, as there is no muscle repair. So I am trusting to their experience. I will have a 5 day stay in hospital after the surgery so a lot of the initial discomfort that I read about from people on this site, will be taken care of in a hospital situation. Then I'll have ten days at home....and then be off flying long haul during what was supposed to be my "holiday" time. Oh well, I never much liked sitting around doing nothing, anyway! Wish me luck ;-)