Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery

2,848 topics in this forum

Hi I had my full TT on August 26, and to be honest the worst part was the UTI I got from the freakin catheter. Pain was minimal - more discomfort than anything My JP. Drains were removed after 7 days with no issues. Had a small part above my pubic bone that wasn't right - dr had me try antibiotics & bacitracin. Had to go back in once a week to have Fluid removed for several weeks Wound still wasn't getting better 3 weeks ago- dr debrided it and had me put a cream in it and pack it. Saw him last week and wound is shrinking & healing AND no fluid for the first time NOW - here's my question. Did anyone else have pain like right near hips weeks after TT? I am…

Hi well I am back, Tomorrow is my pre-op and I am trying hard not to get too nervous and start to doubt my decision. Not to mention the cost of 12K that I will have to give them, but part of me says I am worth it other part says I should learn to accept myself and the hanging flesh etc. Thanks for all who have shared so far on my other posts, guess I am just getting anxious and sure it will get worse before it gets better, guess looking for some encouragement as I take this next big step. Thanks Rosstheboss

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Ever since I was 14 my hips have looked weird. They look like I have a double set of hips if that makes sense. I could have Lipo on them to fix them but would I get lasting results or would fat just build up in those areas again?

Hi, I have not been on this website in a long time. I was banded, in Mexico, 4 years ago and I am now looking to have a tummy tuck done. I had a consultation yesterday with a Plastic Surgeon and although he seemed to know what he was doing and had great pictures to show....he has never done a tummy tuck on a band patient. He has done plenty on gastric bypass patients, which to me is not the same. He told me that he does have experience with Chemotherapy ports and assured me that he could handle it. I also ask him if "minimal lipo" was included in the price of the tummy tuck and he said that he doesn't do the lipo during the surgery and if I wanted lipo done I would h…

I saw my Plastic Surgeon and he said that because I have a scar from a gallbladder removal 20 yrs ago, that I couldn't have a full TT. He said that the lower hanging tummy could come off, and how would I feel about losing my belly button. Anyone else been there? What did you do or What would you do?

Okay guys I had a me Breast lift with Silicone implants surgery on 9-28-2011. So far I am feeling good. I only take my pain medicine/ muscle relaxers at night. I tried going all day and night without it a couple days ago and when it was time for me to get up I felt a pain out of this world. I was all stiff and sore. so I would like a little advice. How long did it take for you to sleep on your side? My boobs are beginning to itch like crazy. I try to lotion them but either I am not doing it enough or it is just not working. I try not to do it too much because I don’t want my incisions to get lotion on them. Also I know it is too soon to worry about putting anything on my…

Hello Banders I need your help. I live in Houston Texas and saw about 6 doctors and have decided on one doctor. I was told that I need a breast lift with implant. I wanted to get saline implants because if they leak I will know and it is less of a risk of getting scared tissue and hard breast. But my doctor said I lost so much weight and you can see my chest bone my doctor said if i get saline I will get ripping so he wants me to get silicone. So my question to you guys is what did you get saline or silicone. And did you hear the same thing my doctor told me? How was your healing? Any info you can give me would be great. If you have gotten work done in Houston pleas…

Ok, so I'm not at goal yet but I began having this problem when I began working out 18 mths ago! I get boils! I've tried to research them and see if it's something I'm maybe just genetically prone to, if it's because I have the excess skin, or if I'm doing something wrong. They are painful, embarassing and hard to get rid of. I get rid of 1 and another one comes up. I've been told by a dermatologist that I'm prone to in-grown hairs...but I can't conclude if boils are a result of that or not, I don't think they are. (And no I haven't seen a dermatologist for the boils because I haven't had insurance, I was told that about my skin a few years ago, I will have insurance in …

I had my band placed in 2009. My health insurance did not cover it but I did have health coverage. After I lost my job I lost my health insurance and now NO insurance will cover me as an individual with a lap-band. Any sugguestions?

Hey all! So, I had a TT and breast lift about 4 weeks ago. I feel GREAT! About two weeks post op, I was able to start getting out and slowly exercising a bit. Walking, etc. Last week (3 weeks post op) I started walking about 3-4 miles a day. In the last couple of days, not quite four weeks out, I'm able to go for my runs again. I've taken it slow and have only started running about 2 miles, planning on working up to my regular runs of about 4 miles over the course of the next few weeks. Recovery was not as bad as I had thought, but definitely not easy. The first three days were the worst, but at day 5, I was able to walk to the bus stop with my boys in the morn…

I've always had huge upper arms. It's always bothered me and I've never been able to comfortably wear sleeveless clothing in public. I know that I'll eventually have to get a brachioplasty (I'm fine with the big scar if I can wear the clothes I want). I'm thinking some type of a upper arm compression garment would help. Anyone else use one? I'm hoping it'll minimize the extra skin. I'm just thinking that while I'm working out and just going through my day it keeps hanging there and bouncing around (gross lol). I'm just thinking it might be getting worse. I'm 27 so I hope it'll get a little better, but let's be realistic. I've been overweight/obese my entire life, so it's …

I saw a cosmetic surgeon to get an evaluation on a number of things I need done. Most concerning to me is my stomach and the insides of my thighs (around my knees), where large fat pads have settled. The doctor was reluctant to do the lower lift (stomach and mons) because he said I was still too heavy. I weigh 220, down from 335, and am not interested in being much smaller. I wear a 16, am off all meds and feel great. I was surprised by his reluctance. I have had a knee replacement and there was no concern about that surgery at this weight. Has anyone else run into this? Also, has anyone had a thigh lift? What was it like? The area is so dense that he said I would need …

To my surprise she wasn't shocked at all. She didn't try to talk me out of it and she said that she is the week of my surgery and the week after so she can come stay with me and help me if needed. Of course I didn't tell her that I'm getting breast implants at the same time, I didn't figure she needed to know that just yet. LOL

I had my first consult with Doctor Calvert in Newport Bch. I am interested in brachioplasty, tummy tuck, maybe a breast lift and perhaps, something done with the extra skin on my neck. I want my arms done first so we r researching arms with breaat lift. I am hoping some, if not all, will be paid for by my insurance. The surgeries will be scheduled appriximately 6 months apart. First arms and bl in December (hopefully) then tummy tuck in June. I want to lose at least another 30 pounds before the tummy tuck so hopefully I can get down to my goal weight by my 1 year anniversary in Feb. 2012. I will keep everyone posted when I find out about my insurance. The dr's office sai…

I have made an appointment with the ps for Tummy tuck and Huge Hernia repair. My appointment is on Oct 17 and I can't wait. I have already talked to the office staff and my surgery will be in November I don't get the date till I go in on October. My insurance is paying for the hernia and have already paid my part for the full tummy tuck including muscle repair. I still have 15 pounds to get off by then but I'm not worried with the exersice I do each week I'll make it. My dr goal for me is 180 thats what the lapband dr set it so thats what I will be. If I go below 180 with my bone structure I start to look kinda sikly. coutning down the daYS

I go for a consult for a full body lift on Monday to see a plastic surgeon. Can anyone tell me if there are specific questions I should ask related to the lapband? I've seen some people say they had their's repositioned so exactly what question(s) should I ask? Any advice is appreciated!

Hello all - I just had a full, extended tummy tuck on 9/2/11 and am VERY pleased with the results. I'm still recovering, but it's going well. I was banded in 2008 and had a heck of a time finding a surgeon who had experience with moving the lap-band port (if necessary) and who was easy to talk to and would work with me on doing one procedure at a time so I could more easily manage the financial burden of multiple procedures. Other surgeons were also a little smug and business-like for me. The PS I chose is very personable and put me at ease immediately. Hearing about his experience with bands & ports is what clinched it for me. This is one of the best decisions…

Okay so my PS says he can do my tummy tuck for $5000 total. That includes all expenses, a pain pump and moving my port so that he can tighten my upper abs. When we were discussing results he said that some people have expectations that are really high and then they are dissappointed if they are not met. So he told me to stand up straight and relax and let my belly hang out. Then he told me to suck it in really tight. He said that would be the minimum result I would see. Then he said that the result would be even better with the extra skin taken off. When I sucked in he said imagine, that is what your stomach will look like after I tighten your muscles and you won't hav…

I am about to get United Healthcare Insurance at work, and I don't yet have all the documentation and resources to figure out what they may or may not cover. I had Blue Cross Blue Shield a few years back that paid for my Lapband surgery. I'm wondering if United pays for plastic surgery, and if they do what do they consider medically necessary??? Here's the situation: -I have backpain because of my chest, even after losing 75+ pounds. -I get rashes, spots, sores, boils, etc on my inner thighs because they got WORSE after losing weight, just sag and rub! -I get rashes and "acne lookin' spots" under my lower stomach "hang". I have not told any doctor about these probl…

I was banded in Feburary of 2010 and by Feburary of 2011, I had lost a little over 100 lbs and for me, my dangly neck skin was the worst side effect of having lost the weight. I felt thinner all over, but when I looked at myself in the mirror, all i could focus on was the extra neck skin. From the side, I looked like a turkey with the waddle hanging down. I consulted with Dr. Ross Clevens here in Melbourne, Florida and after seeing the computer generated estimates of what the results would be, I knew it was what I needed to do. Admittedly, recovery hurt like a son of a biscuit, but I am a major wuss and for a normal person it probably would have been that bad, but the…

how did you feel after surgery? Did you have any problems?

Hi everyone, I'm considering Brachioplasty. Had anyone had it done? Can you tell me about the cost, scarring and pain involved? :thumbup: Thanks!

I would love to hear form anyone who has considered or even had a great experience with lipo on their cankles and calves. I'm doomed with poor genetics and have horrible heavy and shapeless legs. I'm tired of hiding them year-round and would love to have something done to them. Any suggestions would be so appreciated! Thanks!

I am 24, no kids yet, and pre op. At this point I am saving as much $ as possible for the surgeries I may need post-op (i.e. tummy tuck, boob job, hopefully wouldn't need body-lift). I am going to stick with the 1 year post goal weight obtained before I would get surgery, but do I need to wait even longer....as in weight for any surgery until after kids. Would it be okay to have breast implants and go through a pregnancy? What about a tummy tuck? I have my fingers crossed that my youth, lotion, and exercise will help me through the worst. But just fyi, I am a pear shape but I with a C/D cup. What do fellow pear-shaped ladies out there think about their thighs/hips/butt po…

So I am 26 years old and I am about 2 weeks post op. I plan on following a great low carb protein packed diet....once i am able to eat . And i plan of excersing . I weigh 280 now and I would like to get to about 130 ( I dont even think I would recognize myself) My question is will i have a lot of loose skin. Im affriad of losing weight and still being unhappy. And pre op and post so far iv only lost 25 lbs but i drink allllll day long...is this normal ???? or not enough weight. Any input would really help. Thank you !

I RECENTLY READ THIS ARTICLE ON HOW TO POSSIBLY PREVENT TOO MUCH EXCESS LOOSE SKIN WHILE LOSING A LARGE AMOUNT OF WEIGHT. DON'T KNOW IT IT COULD REALLY WORK OR NOT BUT IT SOUNDS INTERESTING. WHAT DO YOU THINK??? http://www.bodyfatguide.com/LooseSkin.htm

Well, my tummy tuck and port replacement is tentatively scheduled for July 13. My choice to wait a bit because of a vacation at the beach. I admit I am a little nervous. I know it is not an easy surgery/recovery. But I am looking forward to being rid of the rolls that are continuing to make me self-conscious regardless of my weight loss

Along with your doctor and cosmetic surgeon decision to have skin removed, what was your visit like?

Im wondering if when i lose my weight if my insurance will pay for a boob job cause they will still be way to big for a small figure

I was just wondering if anyone has had their upper arms done? I'm not at goal yet but I KNOW once I get there my arms will need a lot of work and would like to see before/after pics of yours, and advice....

Has anyone used this surgeon? I've heard he's the best in Houston. Just wondering if anyone has had any experiences with him.

I see soooooo many topics about breast implants but not everyone goes into the details I am looking for. I am considering this since my boobs have changed a lot and are now very uneven and it just makes me depressed ( my nipple rings, pierced at two separate times are not even in sync) Anyways now that I have looked into it there are so many things to consider so I am wondering for people whom have had implants what did you have done? Silicone or saline? Under the muscle or over the muscle? What cc are your implants? What incision did your doctor use? (underarm, crease etc) What did you wish you did differently? (ie lift as well, no lift, bigger, smaller etc…

I would like to know if anyone out there has had a breast lift with an implant in Houston. Any recommendations for plastic surgeons would be great. I found a doc in pearland that would do it for 6500 which i think is a good price but i dont know anyone that has had work done by him. Also If you have pix you wanna share that would be great as well. Thanks in Advance, Liz

This is not for me, but I would like some info for my Wife. She has not been banded, but is on a medical supervised weight loss program. She has mentioned the desire for breast reduction, and a tummy tuck in the past. Now that she is loosing considerable weight, it may be something we should pursue. So, I have some questions: What type of Dr. do you contact for the consultations. A general Plastic Surgeon or is there a different field? Is this something Insurance will cover? We have excellent insurance. I have never seen a single bill for my band surgery, Dr. visits or fills. Although I did have to do 6 months of pre-requisite consults, etc. What is the cost?…

So I've gone to a couple of plastic surgeons for consults and one Dr I was really really impressed with. He was actually really impressed with me as well. He stated that a full on tummy tuck might not be necessary because my abs are solid. I guess with tummy tucks they also do some lipo but he told me I have no fat to lipo, even though another Dr wanted to lipo and I was wondering where and what she was going to suck out. I'm very bony just have excess skin hanging in the tummy area and my tatas have so south and not just for the winter. I was a 42 DDD to a 42 F depending on where I purchased my bras and now I'm a sagging 36C. My main priority right now is getting m…

How do I create a tracker for my weight?

I'm wanting a tummy tuck and boob job and possibly my upper thighs done. There's a plastic surgeon about 45 miles from me that accepts credit cards, cash or Care Credit. (I may have to finance a portion of my surgery) Anyway I made a consultation appointment with him but I don't know anything about him at all. It's a free consult though so I figured I'd go and just see what I thought. Well in the meantime my hairstylist and the owner of a local business here have both had plastic surgery recently and they are both Lap Band patients so I asked them about there experience. They both used this doctor and have nothing but AWESOME things to say about him. They also gave me …

I won't be having my surgery until November (really frustrated by the wait!), but I wanted to put my 2 cents in and hopefully, help some of you! For many years, since I've gained weight, I have suffered with awful rashes (maybe even yeast infections) under my stomach where skin touches skin. I also get rashes in my groin area and sometimes under my breast. For years I have used one product that clears it up fast. -- really fast! It is Gold Bond powder (not the cream). Recently, while in the dollar store, I saw a copycat of Gold Bond and decided to try it -- and it worked great! I know that many of you have this problem and I hope you try it. Let me know how i…

My surgeon also does laser lipo. I really haven't heard a lot about it. I am still early in the game, just sleeved at the end of July, but I can tell that there is going to have to be something done about my belly. I have lost about 50 pounds and there is just this big pouch hanging there. Being a guy I can pump up my arms and legs and hide stuff there, but there isn't any six-pack on my stomach, it is an entire cooler! So back to my original question, what about laser lipo??

So, I have my tt and breast lift scheduled in about a month. I'm 18 pounds to goal and I've got some decent hangover, lol, in the stomach area. Preliminary estimates from my Dr are about 10 lbs of skin/flab/fat will be removed. I went to my surgeon today for my regular check up and told him I was scheduled. Which he already knew because I told him at my last appointment. Anyways, when I brought it up today, he gave me the third degree. Saying that when I lose the remaining weight, I may get "flabby" again. I can see his point, that is fine. However, I feel that this mid section spare tire is completely hindering me now. I want it gone and I seriously do not thi…

If so who did you use? Was it a good experience? Would you use them again?

My panni is tomorrow! I am so excited and nervous! I will post pics as soon as I can!!

Hi, I am looking for some recommendations for a Plastic Surgeon in the Upstate NY area (Westchester/Rockland/Orange/Dutchess County) if anyone has some experience with any in those areas. NYC and Northern Jersey/Western Connecticut are other areas which would be acceptable. First and foremost I am looking for someone who has alot of experience, and knows their stuff. Cost is also something to consider. Thanks in advance.

After my first son was born (via c/section) my stomach was obliterated. I have stretch marks from groin to less than an inch below my TTs and as an additional parting gift he left me with a "fat pouch" (grade 2 pannus) "anchored" at the point of the incision. It has not budged since then. At one point I lost 23 pound and several inches from my waist and still wore the same size pants. One doc said I will likely need a tummy tuck to remove it But other have said that once I lose weight it may snap back. What has been the experience for you all? If you had excess skin to begin with did it snap back or did it have to be removed? I just hate it SOOOOO much. To this date my …

Hi All, I just wanted to post in light of my bandiversary which is coming up on 19th August. I am 3 years post op, lost all my 84 pounds, went from a UK size 22 and am now a size 6 and have just had my plastic surgery all in one go. I had a breast uplift, tummy tuck and medial thigh lift. I had an infection in the thighs but its all coming good now. My boobs are amazing and I love my new belly button. I'm still a little leaky and juicy but I have a major night out in 2 weeks and I'm using it as my celebration for finally reaching the end of the weight loss journey. I have a hair and beauty appointment, am going to splash out on a new expensive outfit and am going to get a…

i am 19 and just got banded my biggest concern is excess skin and that i will lose my boobs and then theyll b ugly too:( i am about 5'9 close to 5'10 and my starting weight was 275 before my surgery i was very active im a cheerleader andd i love to swim i have fairly nice size boobs and its my favorite pre -op part of my body im scared that i will lose them and i scared about my arms and ....well all of my body extra saggy skin is like one of my worst nightmears.

My surgery was 4/14/11. I was 293 lbs and I'm not down to 230. My arms are horrible already, and I still have at least another 60 lbs to go. I've been reading different posts on here and it seems that insurance doesn't cover arms, but is there anyone out there who has gotten them done via health insurance? The hanging skin isn't necessarily a discomfort yet, but I can imagine if it continues, it will be. I try and tone them every time I'm at the gym, but I really haven't seen any results. They actually look bigger than before my surgery due to the hanging skin. Any comments or ideas???

So I've been researching cosmetic surgery for about 3 years. I started when I was closer to my goal weight with the lapband. I think I was about 220 lbs at the time. The first surgeon I met wanted me to be closer to 200 lbs and at a stable weight for approximately 3 months before proceeding with a tummy tuck. After I had our 2 children and breast fed each for about 10 months, I started researching a breast lift. I have a friend who had a tummy tuck and she didn't get her breasts done, even though the dr. recommended it. She is maybe a size 6 or 8 naturally and has a great body without surgery IMO. She had the tummy tuck and now regrets not having her breasts done. So I st…

When they do the tummy tuck does it also raise or flatten the skin in your pubic area?