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FDL Regrets
I had a 360° body lift TT with FDL in April 2022. I voiced my concerns with Amir Sadr about how easily I scar and that I was concerned about the vertical incision. I was told over a video call with Amir that unless I was a bikini model I shouldn’t worry and that I wouldn’t be happy with the results unless I had the FDL procedure. FDLs are usually performed when morbidly obese people lose a lot of weight and have vast amounts of skin to remove. I’d had twins but didn’t have the layers and layers of hanging skin. But I went with Bella Vou as I’d been told they are the best of the best, their customers scars were always amazing and they made sure you were happy with your results.
Looking at a few examples on social media, what about Millie, Amanda, Ellie and Tina? They all had loose skin like I did and none had an FDL. I’ve attached a couple of screen grabs.
Posts like “It’s all about the scar” made me choose Bella Vou.
I chose Bella Vou. My first 8 hour surgery was on 25th April 2022.
The lack of communication about the late running on the day of my procedure - I could have spent 2 more hours with my twin babies at home that morning. I wasn’t going to be able to pick them up for 2 months afterwards… I was really disappointed - it was heartbreaking for me knowing I missed out in having that extra time holding them. I lived close by, which the team knew. Of course sometimes procedures can run late. I would have appreciated the heads up to wait those two hours at home rather than sitting around waiting at the clinic.
Such awful food after the op - was actually much worse than in NHS hospitals. My surgeon’s recommendations of “protein importance” wasn’t considered at all, which surprised me. I was expecting perhaps a chicken dinner and eggs for breakfast. I was given some dreadful tinned vegetable soup for dinner and soggy toast for breakfast… when you’ve been NBM for hours and after an 8 hour operation you presume you’ll be given a healthy and nutritious meal. Both meals after the procedure were massively lacking in the “super high protein” post-surgery plan Amir had quite rightly recommended.
Getting used to compression in the run up to a tummy tuck would be hugely beneficial advice to new patients. My binder was so tight I could hardly breathe when I woke up. I kept asking for it to be loosened, just so I could at least go to sleep, but nobody would help. I was actually told (in quite a condescending way) that I needed to distinguish between pressure and pain. (I will add that after the two following procedures I had at BV, the recovery nurses were absolutely lovely and helped with pain medication as soon as I needed any).
The repetitive vomiting was horrid, causing a great level of stress on my stitches. This came regularly unfortunately, despite the anti nausea medications prescribed. I had mentioned prior to my procedure that I’d had extreme sickness after my C-section. The violent vomiting continued once I was home the next day and into the following night. Medications provided unfortunately made no difference.
I was surprised to have been given a garment which fastened with metal hooks right over my new vertical scar. And the tape from all my incisions needed to be removed after the first week, due to a glue allergy from the dressings. I was offered no alternative tape, nor a side opening garment to prevent the metal hooks from pushing into my raw incisions…
Unfortunately with the tape removed due to my sensitivity to it, the vertical incision started to open, spitting out several stitches and stretching out so it was an inch or more in width down my belly. This wound breakdown meant the scar healed really badly and the swelling over the area popped my belly button out, making it look like a “cats anus” as one of the Bella Vou staff members amusingly described it!
I had scar revision surgery in April 23 and then again in November 24. I’m not sure Amir tried different methods / techniques or products / materials but the same thing happened after both subsequent operations, which were carried out under general anaesthetic as the scarred area they needed to operate on was too large for local anaesthetic. Due to the complications with healing, I once more missed out on numerous swimming lessons with my toddler twins and swimming with all four of my kids on family holidays too.
When I went in for my most recent check up I was told that perhaps I had something not right with the physiology of my skin. Not enough collagen perhaps he said (I take collagen supplements and regularly make batches of bone broth to drink for the collagen health benefits). I was told I could try laser treatment on the scar to see if that might help. After being cut open three times the skin on my stomach is thin and sore. I can’t have clothes too tight over it and even the thought of putting protecting silicone scar tape on it makes me wince!
After spending thousands of pounds trying to correct some of the damage my pregnancies had on my body, and to try and boost my mental health, I’m disappointed to have been told I’d need to spend even more on putting something right which I wasn’t even sure about in the first place. In other similar situations where one is unhappy with a service, devastated by the results, left scarred, emotionally too, wouldn’t you expect a refund or compensation of some sort?
Looking at a few examples on social media, what about Millie, Amanda, Ellie and Tina? They all had loose skin like I did and none had an FDL. I’ve attached a couple of screen grabs.
Posts like “It’s all about the scar” made me choose Bella Vou.
I chose Bella Vou. My first 8 hour surgery was on 25th April 2022.
The lack of communication about the late running on the day of my procedure - I could have spent 2 more hours with my twin babies at home that morning. I wasn’t going to be able to pick them up for 2 months afterwards… I was really disappointed - it was heartbreaking for me knowing I missed out in having that extra time holding them. I lived close by, which the team knew. Of course sometimes procedures can run late. I would have appreciated the heads up to wait those two hours at home rather than sitting around waiting at the clinic.
Such awful food after the op - was actually much worse than in NHS hospitals. My surgeon’s recommendations of “protein importance” wasn’t considered at all, which surprised me. I was expecting perhaps a chicken dinner and eggs for breakfast. I was given some dreadful tinned vegetable soup for dinner and soggy toast for breakfast… when you’ve been NBM for hours and after an 8 hour operation you presume you’ll be given a healthy and nutritious meal. Both meals after the procedure were massively lacking in the “super high protein” post-surgery plan Amir had quite rightly recommended.
Getting used to compression in the run up to a tummy tuck would be hugely beneficial advice to new patients. My binder was so tight I could hardly breathe when I woke up. I kept asking for it to be loosened, just so I could at least go to sleep, but nobody would help. I was actually told (in quite a condescending way) that I needed to distinguish between pressure and pain. (I will add that after the two following procedures I had at BV, the recovery nurses were absolutely lovely and helped with pain medication as soon as I needed any).
The repetitive vomiting was horrid, causing a great level of stress on my stitches. This came regularly unfortunately, despite the anti nausea medications prescribed. I had mentioned prior to my procedure that I’d had extreme sickness after my C-section. The violent vomiting continued once I was home the next day and into the following night. Medications provided unfortunately made no difference.
I was surprised to have been given a garment which fastened with metal hooks right over my new vertical scar. And the tape from all my incisions needed to be removed after the first week, due to a glue allergy from the dressings. I was offered no alternative tape, nor a side opening garment to prevent the metal hooks from pushing into my raw incisions…
Unfortunately with the tape removed due to my sensitivity to it, the vertical incision started to open, spitting out several stitches and stretching out so it was an inch or more in width down my belly. This wound breakdown meant the scar healed really badly and the swelling over the area popped my belly button out, making it look like a “cats anus” as one of the Bella Vou staff members amusingly described it!
I had scar revision surgery in April 23 and then again in November 24. I’m not sure Amir tried different methods / techniques or products / materials but the same thing happened after both subsequent operations, which were carried out under general anaesthetic as the scarred area they needed to operate on was too large for local anaesthetic. Due to the complications with healing, I once more missed out on numerous swimming lessons with my toddler twins and swimming with all four of my kids on family holidays too.
When I went in for my most recent check up I was told that perhaps I had something not right with the physiology of my skin. Not enough collagen perhaps he said (I take collagen supplements and regularly make batches of bone broth to drink for the collagen health benefits). I was told I could try laser treatment on the scar to see if that might help. After being cut open three times the skin on my stomach is thin and sore. I can’t have clothes too tight over it and even the thought of putting protecting silicone scar tape on it makes me wince!
After spending thousands of pounds trying to correct some of the damage my pregnancies had on my body, and to try and boost my mental health, I’m disappointed to have been told I’d need to spend even more on putting something right which I wasn’t even sure about in the first place. In other similar situations where one is unhappy with a service, devastated by the results, left scarred, emotionally too, wouldn’t you expect a refund or compensation of some sort?
Provider Review
Specialist Registered Plastic Surgeon
45-47 The Pantiles, Tunbridge Wells, Kent