Can anyone recommend a dr in Rio De Jeneiro? I am thinking of going there for a full body lift.

I would recommend that you look for a doctor that has a lot of experience with weight loss patients. I had an amazingly good experience with Dr. Sauceda in Monterey, MX.

I don't know any doctors in Brazil but I lived there (Sao Paulo) for 2 years and they do amazing work. It is a culture where beauty is taken to the next level. There are legendary plastic surgeons in Brazil. I have lived in 8 countries and there is nothing like Brazil in that respect. In fact, when I see pictures online of full body plastic surgery in the US, I am very disappointed. I knew someone in Brazil who had a neck lift and her scar line was invisible. Unfortunately, I lost touch with her or I would ask. Keep researching, if you find someone please share. Do you speak Portuguese? I would start with all the major hospitals first and the most upscale neighborhoods. If you narrow it down to three, I will be glad to read their websites in Portuguese for you and check for any red flags.

Someday. I will be doing this and Brazil would be my first choice. Also consider Thailand. I didn't have any experience with plastic surgery but during the time I lived there I was very impressed with the level of medical care. We used Bumrungrad Hospital. They saved my 2 year old's life there after accidentally ingesting an entire bottle of cough syrup with a bronchodilator. The bottle was not child proof, but that's another story.

I hate to sound so crude but plastic surgery scars are in many ways about the stitching. The best are lots of tiny little stitches and a most smooth line. Eye/hand coordination!

Good luck

Although scars are affected by the stitching techniques of the doctor, so much more depends on where the incision is located, how the tissue is handled, how the opposing tissue is approximated (matched together), and how an individual heals.

Small, tiny stitches are generally not used in body surgery because they don't serve a good purpose. The body surgery is mostly internal sutures and then a running stitch to hold the tissue together at the surface. Some surgeons may use tape instead, but there are drawbacks to each choice. Body incisions have a lot more tension on them than face incisions, so the closure method has to be able to resist that tension so that a larger scar doesn't form. Tape is less strong than stitches and can cause skin irritation so for those that are having skin removal surgery after massive weight loss, it may not be enough support if you have more swelling (swelling is more likely with massive weight loss patients).

Make sure you look at a doctors' photos for the type of surgery you are getting. Face incisions will almost always heal nearly invisible because they don't have tension on the incision.

Here's my LBL incision after 7 weeks. It was closed with a running stitch and the stitches were about 1/4" apart. The stitch marks are already fading and in a few months will be gone. I'm lucky that I scar pretty well.

You make an excellent point on body versus face stitches. The ones I saw where on the face near the ear.

By the way your scar looks really good and as you point out they fade.

Good luck.

I was one who had all of the stiches done internally with the final stich being done internally with tape also. Although I did have a reaction to the tape, it made me itch so I itched it (not good) but that side effect was gone in a matter of weeks and today at 4 months out I have the faintest thin scar, which should be not even noticeable in no time. If I could figure out how to post a picture I would... My surgeon believes sewing is the key to a good outcome and literally spends hours finishing up his LBL's with his sewing. Of course proper cut lines must come first, if you can have that and then a great finishing of detailed sewing you will have a great outcome. I too gave thought to going to Brazil, since they are known for their excellence in Plastic Surgery, but since it was so far away (and costly to fly there) and I didn't have any good referrals, I went to a great surgeon with great referrals for the WLS community close to home in Tijuana, it was just a quick flight to San Diego where I was picked up and taken down to the clinic just minutes from the border. And since I didn't have to wait for stiches to be removed, I was able to fly back home a week later. My healing was great too, even back to work in a couple of weeks..

I think it is also important to consider your own personal tradeoffs. I too had an amazing experience with Dr Sauceda and love my results. My boyfriend told me that it is by far the best "boob job" he has ever seen or felt... very natural compared to many. I was scared of having fakey looking boobs, a flat ass and horrible arm scars. My arm scars are amazing (hardly noticably 11 months post op), my boobs have zero scars and like I said get good reviews and my ass isn't half bad for a girl who had a LBL and no butt work. I told Dr S my goal was to look feminine, not boyish, but to look natural. I feel like he achieved my personal goals to a "T".

i think I would have gotten "tighter" results if I had been willing to do my work over 3 surgeries by a very good local surgeon where I live - I wasn't. I am pleased to be just DONE with body plastics anyway and honestly look better than I have since I was like 22... I am 50. I am thrilled with my results and frankly can't imagine going through body plastics again. It disrupted my life a great deal (recovery time, emotional adjustment etc). My goal in all this was just to be normal, I am way BETTER than normal (for my age)... haha... so thrilled beyond expectations.

Anyway I don't know anything about Brazil, but I just want to share the perspective of not only finding a good, experienced with massive weight loss (we need way more than a mommy makeover ladies!) but also being very aware of the consequences of decisions and tradeoffs.

Someday I will get the neck wattle addressed, so always wanting to hear about face work. I am worried about scars of course, but also about numbness. I do NOT want a numb face and don't understand why some face surgeries result in that and some don't.

Israel is also a place that has the best plastic surgeons and medical training. My surgeon is Dr Victor Gutierrez and he received his plastic surgery training there, and now practices surgery in Tijuana Mexico. It makes a huge difference where the plastic surgeon received his training as well. Incisions and sutures does make a huge difference in skin healing. I had all internal sutures and my results are unbelieveable. I guess it is something you have to experience inorder to believe.

Brazilian women have pigment in their skin and beautiful shapely bodies naturally due to their mixes african hearitage that happened hundreds of years ago due to the slave trade. Due to this fact, I am sure plastic surgeons has to be very careful with incisions and sutures because of pigmentation. Plus they know how a women with curves should look. I encourage you to keep searching there. Choose well and I bet you will have wonderful results.

Can I ask what the lift cost with Dr. Sauceda?

I can't answer that because I had all at once.... LBL, breast lift/augmentation, arm lift and "small" thigh lift. his prices are pretty much all inclusive, include the time at the clinic, hotel, compression garments etc so it is easy to budget for. If you email him (and other surgeons) you can get quotes for your particular situation