Journey Vaser-Lipo Cankles

I'm writing this review because this website really helped me understand this process, and I wanted to give back by giving my own review, in particular my treatment will be on the Knee, Calf, "Cankle", Ankle area which is difficult to find reviews online. I hope this will help other ladies in my situation :)
I am a healthy 28 y/o woman living in London, no health conditions, 163cm tall 60kg weight with the problem of unmovable "mass" in my lower leg area, having tried Exercise, Diets, Monitoring my Water intake, even becoming underweight I realised this "bulk" in my lower legs was not going to budge. It has affected my life as I feel uncomfortable wearing skirts, dressing, I can't comfortably wear knee-high boots and my general confidence. Also I don't have lipedema, I just have certain genetics that causes this (it runs in the family)
I researched many solutions and discovered "Vaser Liposuction". If you haven't heard of it, please research it yourself, but basically it's a more "gentle" form of removing unwanted fat with quick recovery time and good results.
I had my first consultation actually with Dr Puneet Gupta who pinched my legs and told me there was nothing to be done. I was gutted! Luckily I tried again and discovered Dr Dennis Wolf also from the Private Clinic London who confidently told me he had done this procedure many times before and that because he offers "Vaser Liposuction" he can target this annoying un-traditional area of fat.
I confirmed I wanted to go ahead with the procedure, and had another consultation with him, including a "pre-op" sessions which included:
-Blood Pressure Test
-Blood Test . I'm squeamish but Dr Wolf was very quick, painless and gentle extracting the blood, I recovered quickly.
-Covid-19 throat swab. (if you're reading this from the future, right now "Covid-19" is a big world pandemic issue so we needed to do this for safety)
-MRSA (In the groin area - glad I wore roll up trousers)
We discussed the compression garden that I would wear:
- first 2 weeks: 24 hours
- 2 weeks after: 12 hours (during daytime)
There will be "leaking" in the first 48 hours so I must wash the compression garment daily, and also must shower after 24 hours to remove the leakage gunk!
Dr Wolf also issued prescription for me to collect at my local pharmacy (cost £35) this included tablets like: Antibiotics for the first few days, anti-inflammatory tablets, pain killers and a sleeping tablet for the night before if desired.
I was informed I may not need the painkillers, but I might as well take them for the first few days just to make life easy for me.
Here's what is expected for the procedure:
I will arrived at designated time
I will go through & sign consent forms
There will be time for any last questions
Dr Wolf will mark out the areas on my legs and take pictures
I will go to the operating theatre
A tiny cannula will be inserted to the back of my hand to deliver the sedative (Twilight Sedation)
Local Anaesthetic will be applied to the surgery areas
Vaser Liposuctions is performed and will approx. take me 2 hours
I will be padded up in dressing & compression garment
Cup of tea/coffee in the recover area (30-45 mins)
Ready for my chaperone to collect me.
Post 1 Day: MLD Massage
Post 2 or 3 Day: MLD Massage
Spaced among the next week or two, more MLD massage.
I should make sure to have small 30 odd minute walks post-operation in the following days to help my recovery also. Any other stretching/ gentle passive exercise (like walking or yoga) is fine.
Here are some questions I asked in relation to this:
Q:What is "Twilight Sedation like? Will I be awake"?
A:I was informed that I will be awake, however I will be very much "away with the faries" so to speak! My mind will be in a happy relaxed state.
Q: is the cannula painful?
A: It is tiny and I shouldn't experience any pain.
Q: Will I be leaking a lot afterwards?
A: A "bed plastic sheet" will be provided for when I go home as well as all required dressing/garment that I need. It shouldn't be a lot of leaking and only for first 48 hours.
Q: What will my mind be like after the procedure (I wanted to prepare my chaperone who is a friend of mine)
A: I should be a little sleepy / groggy , but otherwise in my own mind and fully aware of my surroundings.
I lastly attached some photos of my lower legs (apologies for the weirdness of them!) I will also update once I've had the procedure with more photos.
What you will notice with my photos is that I don't suffer from "overweight" health issues. What I suffer from is that my legs lack a nice "silhouette" and "contour" you can't see my calf muscle and there's no tapering down to the ankle. I feel it makes me look flat and heavy. It's hard to show with these photos. I also have some knee-flab.
Look forward to adding more to my story post-op!
Feel free to leave any questions, I'll try to remember to check once every so often!

As explained before, my strong desire is to have more of a calf definition, whenever I try to wear skirts of dresses I just lose confidence to go out in public, my lower legs appear much heavier. Its hard to tell in these photos because when you see the full leg it doesn't appear as bad...

Day of procedure: in 9:30am, out 1pm
Upon entering I was taken to the basement to sit in a small but functional side room adjacent to the operating room
I filled out forms, checked my blood pressure heart rate etc, peed in a pot (pregnancy), asked questions, read consent forms, then the doctor marked up the areas in pen & took photos before & after marking up
Being a squeamish person I soon felt overheated and dizzy, my face was sweating, the room felt hot, so I sat down & drank a sip of water, went to the loo until the feeling passed and came back in with my best confident face! I am going to get through this!
I then changed into surgery clothing (apron, cloth underwear, kept my bra on (my bra is loose comfort home bra with no wire frame!)
The anaesthetist had a fun lighthearted chat with me, was very good at keeping my mind off things - all doctors & nurses were very gentle, smiling & positive people
I asked the nurse about how many patients have the calf area lipo, she says it does happen, it’s not a rare procedure, although a lot of women have flanks / thighs including ladies yesterday. I also asked her if as a nurse she’s seen though much vaser lipo before, she said oh yes of course and reassured me. she is also interested in the calf procedure herself, and had seen through other ladies calf vaser lipo which reassured me a lot. All in all if I remember correctly there were 2 nurses, 2 doctors (vaser & sedation?) and 1 other professional. So a good sized team!
I went in to the room wearing the clothing and was told to lie down face first, had a little head rest & faced my head towards the door Away from the hand that wasn’t going to have the cannula and feet hanging off the edge of the bed. All the while they talked to me & kept my mind off things.
I was really worried about how painful the cannula would be in the back of my hand, then had a tie around my arm elbow to help cut off the blood flow raise the vein I guess? And I clenched/ unclenched my hand to help. Then they tied around my hand. When they did inserted it honestly I felt very very little, not at all painful or unpleasant, very normal. For those who are nervous I promise you this is nothing to worry about! At all!
First the pain relief was applied into the hand - I felt nothing, shortly after they applied the iv twilight sedation, again for a short time I felt nothing... and somehow... miraculously... I just dropped off!! Not even a slow transition like going to sleep, click your fingers and I was gone! Apparently I didn’t even talk, totally out! I have no memory of the procedure at all, I assume the nurses put on my clothes at some point but I have no memory of that either! I can’t believe it!! I totally lost time! When I woke up it was just like waking up at home, I felt a touch sleepy but I was able to get up and move myself to the other room np. No pain at all.
I had the Vaser insertion by ankle, calf, up top by my knees - again felt nothing
I asked them to take a photo of the fat which they did, I’m surprised at how little blood/fluids there is to the ratio of fat, They really are professionals!
Mobility - straight away I was a bit ‘drunk’ like when you’re having a drink and you’re convinced you’re not drunk, but then you bash into a wall and feel like an idiot! haha! I was waddling around bit but able to go up stairs, if you have many flights of stairs at home I don’t know if it would be wise. Maybe just once. My mind was totally ‘me’ I had conversations in the taxi with my friend & the taxi driver about the black lives matter movements going on at the moment - no nausea at all! No headaches! Just a bit woozy, but it passed! I also normally get car sick, but again I was fine!
I came back with a friend and was able to sit & have tea with her on the balcony and chat about old times, she left after an hour which was good timing because my legs were starting to feel stiff & starting to leak.
I sat in bed with many towels & one of the 2 padded plastic covers I was given for the bed with legs elevated on pillows (I wasn’t specifically told to do this or not do this, but why not)
It’s now 5pm, I’m actually not hungry but eating anyway, there is leakage so far by my left knee only. Everything feels ‘tight’ like I’ve been to the gym & now all the muscles are tight to the skin - that kind of feeling, plus my toes are cold so I’m wiggling them to keep the blood flowing! No pain, just a tightness, was able to wobble & get myself a jug of water and frequent toilet trips. Drinking LOTS of water, then frequently peeing through a convenient opening in the garment, still wearing surgery underwear which easy to manoeuvre. As for my hand, no pain at all, even when I brush over the opening (which is a tiny needle point!) & apply pressure. Maybe a light red ‘bruise’ but very faint I expect it will go in the coming days
Because I’m so padded up naturally I can’t see any progress yet, so I will keep you guys updated as the weeks go by :)
I was told day 1 take it easy. Later on it’s now leaking by the knee both legs where the stitches are, day 1 post op before the mld massage i will push down the skin on my leg in a downwards motion to encourage leaking at the ankle opening first. As opposed to the mld lady who will push up towards the groin. I will also remove the leg compression for this mld massage as well as shower & change into the second garment & fresh padding provided , I was lucky my mld lady visits homes, £80 1 hour I also will ask her to show me some technique for self mld also.
Now as I head towards late afternoon I’m sitting in bed. Netflix, eating food & waiting for any noticeable pain to hit me... I don’t count this minor ‘discomfort & stiffness’ as pain because it’s really nothing .... so far so good! No headaches, no nausea, no ill week feeling. I can’t believe I’ve actually gone & done it! It’s the first medical procedure I’ve had, never been in hospital, I’ve not even had sedation at the dentist! So many times I questioned my decision, i questioned my ‘vanity’ & spending so much money instead of say, charity, but it got to the point where I felt so low, I stopped socialising, I stopped taking care of my appearance, diet & exercise, I was just ‘existing’. And I know that puts a lot of pressure on the vaser lipo doctors! But in all honestly I just want them to give the best they can, that’s all I ask for, some improvement will go a long way for my confidence I know it!! I feel happy, a weight is lifted off my chest. I’m 28 years old and I’m going to start living!
6:30pm
Now there is more bleeding on the right knee underneath. I’m shifting around so there’s not too much ‘leakage’ in one area. More foot movement to help numbing cold feeling in the feet. Still no pain or great soreness. Pulled the compression garment up a bit so it doesn’t get bunched around the knees
8:15
More bleeding on right side
More ‘sore’ / stiff but totally manageable. A little more wobbly on foot with ankles less willing to bend but can still hobble around the flat at a slow pace. I was told to take it easy today, and also tomorrow but with some small walking but I find a gentle 2 min walk to bathroom feels good on the legs post op
I was told to start the pills in the evening, here’s what tablets I’m taking now at 8:15pm:
Cefalexin 500mg- antibiotic (take 2 spread out day before, and day after (4 total)
Celecoxib 100mg, one twice a day for 5 nights - anti-inflammatory (I took one on the first evening)
Co-dydramol (dihydrocodeine tartrate & paracetamol) 10/500 mg - pain killer, I have been warned this one may make me feel drowsy, nauseous & constipated but so far so good no symptoms
9:30pm I’m going to have an early night, even if I don’t sleep straight away I’m going to just relax it’s an unusual day after all, a little more bleeding (see photo) slightly itchy on what I assume is one of the openings (going to ignore it) hope I can sleep in this odd position!
Overall: I'm surprised Dr Wolf doesn't have many more reviews, he is a true professional and was also rated by the MLD massage therapist. His team made me feel safe & relaxed and I'm so happy I chose them! Its very early but so far I'm in love with my new legs!
Useful Bits if you're going through this experience:
Buy Travel washing up liquid
I wore my flappy summer elephant print trousers for after the surgery, but of course they have some small blood/fluid on them so I’m glad I was able to throw them in the sink & quickly wash the stains away & hang to dry
Preparation
Put everything you need on the bed- food, drinks, cushions, meds, kindle all within arms reach
Bin Bag on the bed
The food I’m eating, the wrappers I’m able to dump in the bag instead of waddling upstairs to the bin
Paracetamol
I was told paracetamol is better to use than ibuprofen, and if I need it I will use it after the surgery pain relief Medication is used up
Big comfy Socks
I was lucky the team gave me some surgery socks because the garment does not cover my toes & they are a little cold!
Leg warmers
This is something I bought without recommendation, to help capture blood I’m wearing cheap stretchy black leg warmers on top of the garment - I have a lot of cream coloured carpet in this flat and I don’t want to ruin it!
2 towels
1 towel on top of the bed duvet, followed by a cushion or two to rest my legs, followed by (what I used) which was a bath mat, followed by the padded plastic covering Dr Wolf & team gave me. Ain’t nothing going to ruin my bed sheets!
Water bottle/ jug of water
Have as much water within arms reach as you can, so you don’t have to travel to the kitchen so often (I even carried mine in a bag to the kitchen in case I spilled it!)
Berocca
I’ve bought some berocca tablets to dissolve in my water just to help get some extra goodness/ vitamins as I hydrate post-op! Again this is me taking initiative I wasn’t told to do this
Bin bags
As my bedroom is carpet I’ve laid him bags on the floor where I first stand up in case of any drips