Everything you need to know about this procedure :) - Torrance, CA

I survived! It has officially been a little over 24 hours since my procedure. I’m going to go in depth as far as what these past 24 hours have been like but here’s some info about me first:

29 years old, 105 lbs, 5'4, "moderate" level of cellulite. Cellulite since the age of 11.
Area treated: back of both thighs, from just above my knee all the way up to just below my butt
Time of procedure with laser: 1 hour and 15 minutes (from the time Dr. Petti started and finished)
Other treatments tried: lipodissolve in 2007 (really painful injections that were supposed to help treat cellulite..so much for that!), creams, massages, etc.

So yesterday at 8AM I checked into Dr. Petti's office for my procedure. I was on her "operating table" by 9:15AM, and they started treating me around 9:45AM (it takes around half hour to prep the area, let the vicodin sink in, etc). I was done at 11AM. Although I did not fall asleep during the procedure, I was extremely relaxed, but aware of what was going on at the same time. Also, I should mention that I started getting a sore throat/minor body aches the day before my procedure (cold/flu, probably from the stress of everything) but it had no affect on anything at all.

The first 15-20 minutes were the toughest/most painful part of the procedure, which was when Dr. Petti began to numb the area. I wouldn't exactly call it a 10 on the pain scale but maybe a 7 during a few moments. I have a low tolerance to pain though and am a complete wimp when it comes to anything painful. After the numbing part was through though, I was a happy camper, and the "laser" part felt like a massage to me lol..I’m not kidding haha. And that of course is the bulk of the procedure, so I was extremely content with how easy the procedure part ended up being.

Not to mention..Dr. Petti was so gentle and caring throughout the entire procedure..as were her nurse (Jennifer) and her tech (Sharon). All three of them were so kind to me from start to finish, even when I started getting choked up a little when I said how much I hated being in a bathing suit or anything that showed my legs because of my cellulite. They were so sweet and so caring, I cannot tell you how blessed I feel that they were the ones looking after me before/during/and after my procedure. It was kind of fun hanging out with them haha.

My boyfriend picked me up, and still no pain at all yet. He set me up on his bed where I ate and slept. I also recommend by the way bringing crackers, a sandwich and some other snacks with you to eat right before the procedure. I had breakfast, but by the time 9am hit, I was pretty hungry and did not want to take the vicodin on an empty stomach. My stomach is very weak and get nauseated quite easily though, so I know for me I need to have a decent amount of food in it in order to prevent any nausea. And as soon as my boyfriend picked me up after the procedure, I chowed down on another sandwich lol and ate a bunch more once I got to his place. Also, I have been LIVING off of pineapple juice for over a week now, so I drank a bunch of that too. And had a really big dinner.

Dr. Petti called me in the evening to check up on me and I was feeling great. At around 8pm though, that’s when I started experiencing my first bit of pain while walking around the house. I couldn’t really walk anywhere without me feeling A LOT of pain in my thighs. But the pain was very minimal, if not non-existent while I was laying down or sitting…so I tried doing that as much as possible.

The second problem that came up yesterday night was when I realized I needed to go to the “bathroom” after eating all that food lol. Going pee isn’t that much of a problem through that hole in the garment (although the only way I can do it is squatting because I don’t want to get anything on the garment..yet another hassle I guess). But anyway, for the life of me, I couldn’t bring myself to go to the bathroom through that hole in the back while sitting down. :( I was too afraid it would get the garment dirty, but I also didn't want to pull it down at all since I remembered Dr. Petti saying not to remove the garment at all. So needless to say, I never went to the bathroom that night. Dr. Petti mentioned today though that it’s ok to pull it down a little, and man that made it so much easier! For those of you guys getting cellulaze done to your thighs AND butt..I’m not sure how that would all work. Also, getting front and back of thighs done also seems like it would be extremely difficult to go to the bathroom as well (number one) since I have to squat when I go. I feel for you guys!

And lastly, I had a similar problem like the previous poster LaurelC did. For some reason, I started crying uncontrollably and couldn’t stop, for about 15 minutes. Maybe it was the vicodin in combination with my level of sadness for having to go through this procedure to begin with, and me feeling hopeless about my bathroom situation lol. Like I said before though, I’m a total wuss, and kind of overly emotional at times.

24 hours later though, I am feeling pretty dang good! :) Dr. Petti saw me this morning and although I am very swollen, she was pretty surprised by how little bruising I had. Pinneaple and those bromelain supplements really work I guess! She also removed the little drainage sheets I had underneath the garment and on them was a little bit of watered down blood, but that was it. I had no leaking through my garment except for a little bit of blood on the back of it, but that was all. No crazy amount fluid or anything like some of the other posters.

Dr. Petti, did end up using foam pads and she put them underneath my garment, and she said they are for “smoothing out the skin and contouring it" not for the purpose of soaking up any drainage. She said I should rotate them from horizontal to vertical and back and forth 3 times a day. I felt soooo much better with the pads in though! I feel like they allow my thighs to move less when I walk and also provide additional padding when sitting down/laying down. And 24 hours later, I also have permission to take a shower, but I think I’m going to hold off on that until tomorrow or maybe even the day after that because it is extremely painful putting the garment back on once it’s taken off. And as far as me rotating the pads..haven't really gotten to that yet lol.

So although as of right now I am totally walking like I'm 99 and I feel like I’m in a world of pain when I have to walk around..when sitting/laying down I hardly feel anything at all! Just a little bit of tightness around my legs, but that is it. Another note: unless I was hopped up on pain meds, there is no way I’d be able to go to work today based off of how painful it is to walk around. So hopefully you guys can take a few days off if you are planning on getting this procedure done, because I definitely wouldn’t say you can go to work the same day or the next day without being extremely uncomfortable.

So anyway, those are the pros and cons in a nutshell. I have my next follow up appointment in 7 days, next Thursday May 24th but I will keep you guys in the loop if I learn anything new or my status changes. Much love!