Young mom of 2 pleased with Tummy Tuck results + scar treatment methods

I knew I needed this procedure after I saw what my stomach looked like a few weeks after having my second (and final) child. After searching on RealSelf for months for a doctor who could give me a low scar and a relatively "normal" looking belly button, I found Dr. Sugene Kim in The Woodlands, Texas. I'm so happy I did the amount of research I did.

Dr. Kim gave me a great deal. She offered to give me lipo free of cost! Everyone in her office is extremely friendly, welcoming, and understanding. I had a little freak-out shortly after surgery and I ended up calling the office late on a Saturday night. Dr. Kim called me right back to reassure me and offered to see me before my 1 week post op. It ended up being nothing, but Dr. Kim and her staff didn't make me feel bad about anything and always urged me to call if I had any more questions.

I definitely recommend Dr. Sugene Kim for a tummy tuck procedure. She is kind of known around town for producing great breasts, too (that's her "specialty"). I've seen a lot of her pics and I hope after I'm done paying for the tummy tuck that I'll be able to go back for the girls :)

My swelling has gone down significantly (thank goodness!) It is definitely still there, but I am starting to see my shape and how I'll look in the next few weeks/months! All the pain and suffering was well worth it.

Now, I'm focusing my energy on how I can get the best looking scar possible and how to get rid of some of the lipo lumps in my flank areas. For the scar I've looked at countless videos, research papers, and reviews (mostly youtube), and came to the conclusion that silicone sheets/tape was absolutely necessary. Then I looked at prices on Amazon and decided to rethink silicone sheets--$85 for a box that will last 5 days? NO THANK YOU. So I searched some more. Any way, I found out a little secret by reading tons of Amazon reviews--Mepitac tape. Basically, it's the same as silicone sheets except it's a tape (and not marketed for scar treatment). It's also drastically cheaper ($13 for a huge roll). I decided for $13 it was worth a shot. The Amazon reviews convinced me, especially after reading a few from Tummy Tuck veterans. I included a picture of the Mepitac box and roll and what they look like on. So far I've been able to keep them on for about 3 days. I read that some people actually save the tape for later use and I believe it. They'll take the tape off and lay it on the counter before a workout or shower. I haven't tried that yet, but I can add that the tape is extremely sticky. I wore my tape for 3 hours in the swimming pool and it didn't come off or lose its adhesive effect. AWESOME. I'll let you know how I feel about it in a few weeks.

I also included the other scar treatments I was given/bought. Dr. Kim gave me the SkinMedica cream. I will definitely use it, but I thought the silicone tape would be better off in the beginning. I also bought liquid silicone cream. I'll use it, too. Again, tape + silicone= best treatment. Paper tape alone is supposed to reduce scar thickness so the fact that I found a tape and silicone treatment combined is amazing! I hope it works. Otherwise, I may purchase the expensive stuff.

Lipo lumps??

I've been pretty diligent about giving myself (or making my husband give me) back massages to "smooth away" the lumps in my flank area. I've been going at it pretty hard. So far, I don't think I've reduced my lumps a whole lot. I'm hoping this goes away. I'll keep massaging, but I'm getting discouraged that the longer I keep feeling them the more likely the scar tissue will be here to say. Any advice?

That's it for now!

My swelling is still pretty awful (as you can see in the pictures). I'm wondering if my compression garment isn't tight enough?? My belly button is also taking a odd-form which is starting to worry me. I know I need to wait until I'm more healed, but to me my belly button looks like a coin slot. My current navel is the one I was born with...but I had a lot more skin around it pre-tummy tuck than I do now. I hope it turns into an innie but at this point I doubt it. I'm going to ask my PS about it at my 6 week appt.

So far everything else has been pretty normal. My scar is laying very flat which makes me pretty happy. I am very happy with the silicon tape! I can't wait for everything to turn white :)

I've been swimming and trying on new clothes; I've waited so long for this procedure and it's so nice to shop/be like a normal person who doesn't feel conscious about how their belly looks in certain clothes!