Plastics: Before & After (post your pics here!)

[Sweet Pee 349]

@@bayougirlmrsc You have a long list of surgeries. I do to. (Smile:-) It seems like I have had so many surgeries, when it is time to list them all, I always forget at least one or two, or just leave them out so I will not have to list them all.

I am happy I did not have to have Lipo. I did not have enough fat.

[AvaFern 3,516]

@@MichiganChic

You make a great point about the potential issues with healing. Like you, I have a background in the medical field so the fact that recently the entire medial part of my posterior body lift ripped itself open and left me a 6 inch hole in my back hasn't really freaked me out like it would have if I hadn't had plenty of experience dealing with wound care on others. Logically I recognize that I'm not diabetic and I have no other health issues so it has to heal eventually and that since I'm getting new sutures next week, that will expedite the process, but between my new hole, a seroma after the Tummy Tuck, pulling my drains only to have one drain hole spew out exponentially more than it ever did with the drain in it for over a week, and the other lovely disgusting things you go through after surgery, had I not been comfortable with wound care, I would have found the experience far more unpleasant.

Plastics are awesome and I was lucky that I recovered easily after all of them. The first week was the worst because you are uncomfortable and feel like you can't really move very well and then after that it is mostly just a process of things getting better everyday. For me, it was worth the tens of thousands of dollars and the scars, but it is something that requires a bit of thought before going into major body contouring procedures.

[MichiganChic 3,262]

LOL @AvaFern. Yeah, it's way better to be comfortable with all the holes than be freaked out by them! The last hole I had in my leg was super impressive, as far as holes go. Sorry to hear about your problems, but I think it's more common than people realize.

I still agree that it was worth the misery and money. I have swelling in my foot and lower leg that I didn't have until after the seroma in my leg was cut out. If that is permanent I might be recanting, but for the moment I think it's temporary, and my results are a major improvement.

[BethinPA 305]

I'm not ready to say that this has all been worth it, it's too early for me. But my incision opened in the back too, and I had stitches for a good while. It healed, but there is a lump of scar tissue there in its place, so I'd like to hear how things go with you, @avafern. I feel like I have this little tail now where the scar tissue is! Hopefully you will have better results!

[NewSetOfCurves 1,553]

Well, hopefully all the obstacles will be worth it because I just booked my surgery for June 9th. Getting a lower body lift, spiral thigh lift, Tummy Tuck and augmentation. Whew! It is going to hurt!!! I have tried to mentally prepare myself for the pain and complications and will continue to do so until then. Despite having somewhat of a grasp of the negative aspects of these type of surgeries, I am definitely excited about the potential figure I will have once I am all healed up.

[JamieLogical 8,684]

@@NewSetOfCurves Congrats on setting your date! You will definitely have a long road ahead, but a year from now, you will be looking and feeling great! Try to stay confident in your decision through the ups and downs. I am a firm believer that a positive outlook will make the recovery much easier.

[NewSetOfCurves 1,553]

Thank you @@JamieLogical! I am definitely excited and I DEFINITELY agree with you about being positive. I too believe that your perspective can make a huge difference in your experience. When I was sleeved I bought the books, read the articles and testimonials, and did as much research as I could to mentally prepare myself. Every time I thought things were getting tough, I just reminded myself that it WAS going to get easier and that the end results were WORTH it. When I had cravings or "mourned" foods, I just had to remind myself that I had taken many years of pleasure eating whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted--did I mention for M A N Y years. That mentality and preparation made my journey smooth sailing because I did not freak out at every turn. Hopefully, it will aid me in this next venture.

[Sweet Pee 349]

@@NewSetOfCurves Many people that have plastic surgery know there will be some amount of pain. I was prepared for the worse, but after surgery, I was surprised that I had very little pain. Many women are surprised by this fact. Yet others who undergo plastic surgery do experience quite a bit of pain. I know for each person it is different and each persons pain level is different.

When I am asked for my pain level from on a scale from 1 to 10. —

I am always a 10 - 10 being the worse. I do not handle pain very well at all!

However, that was not the case after my plastic surgery. I had a doctor who is very delicate with the body and the skin during surgery, and that contributed to me not experiencing much pain afterwards.

@@JamieLogical I agree with you that having a good positive outlook will help the body heal both physically and emotionally. Both are equally important before and after surgery.

[NewSetOfCurves 1,553]

Okay ladies...so what compression garments do you all most highly recommend? Scar creams or anything else?!

[JamieLogical 8,684]

Your surgeon may supply you with garments, but you also may be able to save some money by getting them yourself.

You will need a surgical bra, ideally one with a band that goes across the top of your boobs to hold them down. And obviously one that hooks in the front. Something very sturdy with several hooks. Something like this:

http://www.hourglassangel.com/marena-surgical-bra-with-built-in-implant-stabilizer-by-comfortwear-b-isb/?c3ch=PLA&c3nid=B/ISB-Beige-L&gclid=CN246-yCjcUCFaRi7AodzjQARw

Not advocating that specific bra or brand, mind you, just that style. You can also buy the stabilizer band separate, but when I did that I found that it moved around a lot. Having it actually attached to the bra was a better design.

With everything you're having done at once, you'll need pretty much a full body compression garment, or one that at least goes down to your knees or capri length. I had Lipo in my calves, so mine went all the way to my ankles. I HIGHLY recommend something that has fasteners all the way down the sides. My first garment went on kind of like pants and then only had fasteners from about my hips up. It was IMPOSSIBLE to get into and out of. It was literally a 3-person job getting me into that thing! When I got a lighter garment a few weeks post-op, I got one where the fasteners went all the way down to my knees and it was MUCH easier. Make sure you get one with a very large whole in the private region that you can put your underwear on over top of. That way you only have to take down your underwear to use the bathroom, not the whole garment. Oh! Get one that has shoulder straps so you don't have to worry about it sliding down.

Something like this maybe: http://www.makemeheal.com/mmh/product.do?id=10013

Make sure you ask your surgeon about whether they think you should get something that goes below the knee. I think the type of thigh lift you are having doesn't have the incision down the inside of the inner thigh, right? If not, then knee length is probably fine.

For sizing, you want/need it to be TIGHT, but remember, there will be a lot of swelling.

[NewSetOfCurves 1,553]

Oh my goodness, THANK YOU @@JamieLogical for taking the time to respond and for the helpful links. You are correct, I am not getting the leg lift that has the vertical incision. Fortunately, my problem area is the immediate upper thighs. You can actually see the muscle definition from my quads and hams (I work out my legs hard core!). So, my doctor said I was a perfect candidate for the spiral thigh lift. Did you use any creams to aid in healing and lightening your scar?

[Julie norton 2,850]

My doctor and many others recommend a silicone scar gel or bandage. You can order on line or drug stores carry a lesser quality, but useful brand.

My doc had me wear a binder he supplied after my TT / plication 6 weeks ago (a lot) it seems to help. Check out target and kohls... Someone said Kmart had some girdle like, and corset type articles for later down the road

I wear those for work...

I think get a dear friend or two to alternate to help those first few days, and your return dr. visit... Usually days after surgery.

You can do this!!2 months later you will be so glad.., but to me there is some pain involved ... Worth it !!

Best of luck and keep posting????

[JamieLogical 8,684]

My surgeon prescribed Mederma for my scars (it was cheaper and in larger tubes in Mexico than what you find in states. I tried to be good about using it daily, along with moisturizing thoroughly every day with lotion. My incisions healed up well and my scarring isn't terrible. I don't know if it would have been any better or worse with other methods of tending to it. It is what it is. I didn't help matters by gaining 80 pounds post-op!

Just like with WLS, every surgeon seems to have a different post-op plan when it comes to compression garments and how long to wear them. My surgeon was very strict. I had to wear my surgical bra with band and my full body stage 1 garment 24/7 except when showering for 4 full weeks. I was then allowed to move into a stage 2 garment (a little lighter and less compression) for weeks 4-10, but still had to wear my surgical bra through week 8. Then I was allowed to move to a more normal, but still "heavy duty" kind of bra and start sleeping without a bra at week 8. At week 10 I was allowed to move to just some high-wasted Spanx.< /p>

Wearing a bra 24/7 is THE WORST, btw. You know how you wear a normal bra all day at work and then maybe have to run some errands or go out to dinner after work and then by the time you get home, you can't wait to take off that damned bra? Well, imagine having that feeling every single minute of every single day for 8 weeks!

[NewSetOfCurves 1,553]

Lol! Maybe I will start practicing now so I will be used to it by then!

[BayougirlMrsS 3,933]

I only had the TT. My garment was something like the attached photo (long tan one). it was nude in color with bra type hook and zipper down each side. I wore it 23 hours a day for 8 weeks. I only took it off to shower and wash/dry it... and i put it right back on.

I drank a lot of pineapple juice... i heard it helped with the swelling and i have to admit, it seemed to work for me. I also bought the large maxi-pads... you know the type your grandma and mom wore... and i taped them together over laping and put them across my incision. After my dr. said it was ok to start, i started with strivectin SD. Only because i already had it.... but after, my dr. said any lotion good will do. The key is to keep it moisturized.