Frangipani

Hi Lynn, Wow! Thanks for that feedback!!! I've been thinking of you. I looked for your thread the other day and couldn't find it -- I'll look for it again. SO glad to hear you use the word "hot" regarding your legs. Hot is good!!! Posting pics is tough for me -- although I do have a few up. If you are up to posting a few pics of the legs, however, I would love to see them. Thanks -- it's really good hear from you and to see how happy you are with your results :mad2::smile::wink2:!

Thanks again Dr. S -- great info and most helpful :smile::crying:!

Thanks Dr. S! If you don't mind, I have another question for you. Have you ever done the lipo and then the actual thigh lift as separate surgeries spread a few months (or several weeks) apart? I have read that some doctors approach it in this manner as they feel it gives consistently better results. Do you see any advantage to doing this if the patient is willing to accept the extra time and expense? I haven't run this idea past my own Dr. as of yet, but I plan to. Thanks :smile::crying:!

Hi SanDiegoPhotog, I was not at goal when I had my TT, nor do I think I would have gotten there without PS, due to the weight of my excess skin. I would have to look back at my own threads (as the brain cells are dying rapidly these days ), but I think I was 15 pounds away from goal, or so. One thing you probably already know, but I thought I might mention anyhow, is that there are two different types of fat -- subcutaneous fat which is fat just below the skin, and visceral fat, which is fat that surrounds the internal organs in the belly region. Due to genetics, some people will have more visceral fat than others (the traditional "apple shape" is often an indicator of higher levels of visceral fat). It is my understanding that plastic surgery can only remove the subcutaneous fat whereas the only way to reduce visceral fat is by diet and exercise or (as in our case) bariatric surgery along with diet and exercise. I think the advice you have been given is excellent. Start seeing some plastic surgeons now -- you might be much closer than you think! I was pleasantly surprised to find this when I started my PS journey. Good luck :crying::smile::ohmy:!

Hi Sue, Congrats on your continued success! One thing I've noticed from reading the threads is that some plastic surgeons manage to do a full TT at no extra cost to their patients when the patient only has approval for a panniculectomy. I'm not exactly sure how this is done, but it probably has something to with with the surgeon adjusting/reducing their fees for the full TT. Good luck with your consults -- I look forward to hearing more about this :smile::crying:!

Hi Dr. Schulman, I am planning to have an inner thigh lift sometime next month -- though I have not scheduled as of yet because I still have some concerns. My Dr. assures me that all will be well and he has done an excellent job so far, so I'm good with that. However, as I read postings on the web from people who have this procedure done, it seems to me that there are more people out there who are unhappy with their results than with any other body contouring procedure. I have also read about several instances in which a revision surgery was required. I was wondering what your thoughts were about this procedure. Also are your patients generally happy that they did it and feel that the pain, expense and scar is an acceptable trade-off for the improvement they gained? Thanks for any feedback you might have.

Hi GLI, Just do a Google search for "plastic surgery average cost" and you will pull up several websites that have very detailed cost info. Hope this helps and good luck with everything!

Hi Karey, Hope you're have a great weekend! I keep forgetting to ask you..... Did you have end up having lipo around your knees done? If so, are you happy with the results? My Dr. thinks I will be happier with the groin incision as opposed the vertical incision for the thigh lift BUT he tells me that the trade-off is that I (might?) still have an issue with a bit of saggy skin around the knee area after the lipo -- so I was just curious to hear how yours turned out.

My problem areas have always been the same fat or thin, with the only difference being that I had a lot more skin that needed to be removed after gaining (and losing) a significant amount of weight. Looking back at photos from when I was in college (and had a normal BMI) I have always had a "problem" (i.e., less than my ideal) with "top-heavy" thighs, saddlebags, and loose skin/muscle in the lower belly -- along with breasts that I never really liked the shape of. I truly believe that I would have wanted to tweak these areas at some point whether or not I had gained weight. However, after working so hard to lose a significant amount of weight, I felt much more entitled to treat myself to plastic surgery -- and I am much more appreciative of my new body! So my best guess for most would be to say that whatever body part(s) you have been most dissatisfied with all along is probably the area that you will want to finally take care of once you reach goal. Hope this helps at least a little.......

LOL Karey -- isn't that the truth!!! Thank you for the nice comments!!! Yes, almost everything here socially revolves around skin-baring activities year-round -- such as beach parties, pool parties, boat outings, etc., etc., and it can be very awkward if you are wanting to cover yourself up all the time. I am still avoiding the beach because I don't like the way my legs look, but I just had a long conversation with Dr. M and he assures me that he can get me all fixed up. Because he is a very careful and cautious type who usually doesn't give such strong assurances, I'm feeling pretty good about the whole thing now. My goal is to be able to confidently wear a "skirted bikini," which I figure will give me decent coverage for any potential scars. I emailed Dr. M a photo of what I'm shooting for and he tells me that my goal is realistic and doable. Trust me, I will be VERY happy if I can wear that type of a suit and I don't see myself ever wanting anything more than that............

Hi Cmcc, I am a bit late in responding here, but I was off the board for a time. Last June I had an open myomectomy (i.e., removing the fibroids from the uterus as opposed to removing the uterus itself), a full Tummy Tuck and a breast lift with implants done in one surgery. I ended up saving little over $4K in fees (your mileage may vary). Insurance covered most of my hospital costs and my entire hospital stay. The plastic surgery portion (as our very helpful doctors have already pointed out) was not covered by insurance. I had five fibroid tumors removed and an ovarian cyst, and all went just beautifully. My GYN surgeon told me that doing what he needed to do was so much easier because the TT incision is much larger than the incision he is usually able to make (and therefore he had a lot more room to move around ) Because of the open GYN procedure I got to stay in the hospital for three nights, and was given plenty of pain meds -- so it all worked out very well for me. I would highly recommend combining a GYN procedure with a cosmetic procedure, if your doctors approve of you doing so.

Thank you for your kind words Karey, and you look incredible! It is amazing what can be done -- isn't it? I'm trying to get myself psyched up for the medial thigh surgery. My purpose in fast-tracking this whole thing is to get this body done and healed up in the shortest period of time possible, because frankly, I am getting tired of hospitals, and bandages, and flesh and wounds. In a perfect world, I could probably benefit from an arm job as well, but once I'm done with the thighs, I plan on calling it good.

Shalee (Kelly), You look gorgeous!!! I'm sorry I missed all of your struggles with you wound. When I checked out for a while, you were having a problem, but it wasn't all that bad at that point. I'm sorry to hear that it worsened, but very glad to hear that it's closed up now. Rest assured, the revision will do the trick for you and it will all work out just fine. As I mentioned in my thread, having a second shot at this can be a very beneficial thing. I'm really happy with my booty revision. I like it even better than the first time around, and I'm sure it will be the same for you. That said, you look wonderful -- and those breasts, darling, -- WOW!!! DH must be very happy!!!!

Karey, Look at you girl!!!! You look AMAZING!!!! Congratulations :thumbup::crying: I'm sorry to hear that you are having so much trouble with your Band and I hope it resolves without needing to remove it or undergo any additional procedures. Kudos to you for being so helpful and posting your photos. It takes a lot of guts to put yourself out there they way you have, but in doing so, you have helped many. Big hugs to you -- you are a truly wonderful lady!!!

Hi Lulu, I've missed you too! How are you doing? Hi Kelly, Don't worry!!!! Your Dr. will clean everything up beautifully once you have the revision. My scar healed very unevenly too -- and it never filled in completely after the wound dehisced. I thought about posting photos of the whole ordeal (I definitely have them), but to do so I think might just create some unnecessary fear, as I strongly believe my case was rather extreme due to my (boneheaded) flurry of activity post-op. Unfortunately for me, my excellent tolerance for these surgeries and nearly complete absence of pain worked against me. I learned the hard way, though, and my number one piece of advice to others is to REST, REST, REST, for several days after surgery -- even IF you feel just fine!!!! The wound needs time to pull itself together before you go putting a lot of stress and strain on it. That said I look like a new woman after the revision, and the scar is just beautiful (if you can describe a scar that way......). This whole plastic surgery journey is really a process though and I'm realizing that when you have this much work done, it is often not a "one shot deal" -- and that you might indeed end up needing to have things tweaked here and there........ So great to hear from you sweetie! Big hugs to you!!! Thanks for the lovely compliment Sexylips! I had my Lap Band placed in August of 2007, and while I did (and still do) eat carefully and exercise hard 5-6 days a week, it took me about 10 months to hit goal and a little over a year to reach my current weight. The plastic surgeries were responsible for approximately 15-20 pounds of my total weight loss. Hope this helps and let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks everyone -- talk soon :smile::scared2:!