Would you consider liposuction for those pockets of fat that don't vanish?
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netitheyeti wrote: »I'd love to get my lower stomach fixed.. there's a big pocket of fat that does NOT go away even if I hit bordeline underweight for my height (been there, done that), tho I suspect it's mostly loose skin vs just plain fat. It legit hurts when I work out unless I wear super tight clothes and I've had my skin/the fold under my stomach get painfully inflamed in summer even with super regular showers - it costs too much tho, skin removal is considered cosmetic
Have you discussed it with a doctor? I've known of folks who got insurance coverage if the loose skin was causing physical problems, like fungal or bacterial infections. Don't know where you are, either - whether it's private insurance rules that are the barrier, or public health service.
EtA: Here, the rules seem to be analogous to breast reduction. With that, if breast size is documented to be causing (for example) back problems, some insurance companies will cover. Not an easy documentation process, though - patience and persistence, in the cases I know where someone succeeded.1 -
As long as someone is fully aware of the risks involved and has realistic expectations about the results then only they can decide if the procedures are right for them. Always research the doctors and go to a certified and experienced surgeon. What I’d do is write down any questions I can think of before the consultation appointment so my mind doesn’t go blank when I see the doctor and forget to ask any important questions. I think you will have a better idea of whether or not you want to go through with it after the initial consultation.
Personally so far I’ve only had 2 considerations for plastic surgery: one I didn’t go through with and one I did:
My “almost” plastic surgery experience: Years ago I considered a breast reduction and had a consultation with a surgeon. After he explained the procedure to me in detail I lost my interest in the surgery because it just seemed too brutal a thing to do to my body at the time. I’ve never regretted not getting the surgery either. A couple years later I lost weight and even though my breast size remained exactly the same, my back fat went away so my band fit better and supported the heft, not to mention I finally found (cute and affordable) bras that actually fit my size online from the UK (they don’t sell my size in regular US stores) Once I started (barefoot) running regularly my posture improved 100% and that greatly improved how I carry my chest weight and made everything so much more manageable, I’m so happy I didn’t get the reduction because in my case it was actually unnecessary, I just needed to fix other things and that consequentially fixed my breast issues.
My lipoma removal experience: a couple of years after my weight loss, I began having pain on my right side lower ribcage, I had a lipoma there I never noticed, it was probably uncovered after I lost my excess weight and had grown in a way that was now pushing against the nerves on my ribs. It was the exact size, shape and firmness of a hard boiled egg. My insurance wouldn’t pay for it to be removed (they consider lipomas purely a cosmetic issue) so I had to pay myself. I ended up going to a very experienced dermatologist and plastic surgeon and she removed it by excision under local anesthetic. I will say that I seem to be the kind of person who needs an extra amount of anesthesia to not feel pain (even for dental procedures) so I did feel some of the procedure while it was happening. She gave me the maximum safe dose of anesthetic but it was still quite a painful experience in my case, I powered through but it was bad. The ribs have a lot of nerves so that probably contributed to the pain. After it was done, I had to pack the area with gauze and keep light pressure on it so the area wouldn’t fill up with fluid (like blood or lymph) for a few days. She did some internal sutures (that would later dissolve) to help keep the newly empty space from filling up with anything. I had to put a waterproof bandaid on it for every shower for the next 2 weeks and clean the area and change the dressing daily. Once it healed I no longer had the constant rib pain the lipoma caused me. She advised me that the scar would continue to “remodel” over the next 1-2 years and that was exactly correct. After a year the scar was much improved and after 2 years it was barely perceptible. Now, unless you were specifically looking for the scar you wouldn’t even see it. She did a fantastic job, the scar is not raised nor puckered in any way, completely smooth against the surrounding skin and doesn’t pull or distort with movement. It takes a skilled surgeon to achieve this so if scarring is a concern make sure you discuss this with the doctor. I had to refrain from exercising for about a month then start with only walking the next month and gradually work back up to my regular running schedule. You definitely want to ask the doc what you can expect for recovery time. I remember looking into liposuction for my lipoma but I think I remember it not being the best way to remove lipomas because they are more prone to grow back if the lipoma is not completely removed, if they miss a little piece of it. That’s why I chose to have it excised. Also, an important thing to ask the surgeon would be how to expect the skin to react after the liposuction, is it going to be loose and stretched out? Will it tighten up on its own? Will it need to be removed later? Personally I kinda find liposuction scary because just by it’s very nature it’s a blind procedure, it’s completely up to the individual doctor to calculate how deep and how far to insert the cannula (and in what movement pattern) not like excision where they can clearly see what they are cutting into. It’s also routine to have a sample of the lipoma sent to a lab to screen it for any abnormal cells just in case, since it is technically a tumor, albeit nearly always a benign one. Not sure if they do that with liposuction. All good things to ask the surgeon at your consultation. Whatever you choose to do, good luck7 -
What about coolsculpting?0
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netitheyeti wrote: »I'd love to get my lower stomach fixed.. there's a big pocket of fat that does NOT go away even if I hit bordeline underweight for my height (been there, done that), tho I suspect it's mostly loose skin vs just plain fat. It legit hurts when I work out unless I wear super tight clothes and I've had my skin/the fold under my stomach get painfully inflamed in summer even with super regular showers - it costs too much tho, skin removal is considered cosmetic
Have you discussed it with a doctor? I've known of folks who got insurance coverage if the loose skin was causing physical problems, like fungal or bacterial infections. Don't know where you are, either - whether it's private insurance rules that are the barrier, or public health service.
EtA: Here, the rules seem to be analogous to breast reduction. With that, if breast size is documented to be causing (for example) back problems, some insurance companies will cover. Not an easy documentation process, though - patience and persistence, in the cases I know where someone succeeded.
Guidelines for insurance tend to build off some of the same guidelines - I think they maybe based on the WHO ICD. There's panectomy for abdominal flaps of a certain length - reaching the pubic bone area - and having issues with skin infections that don't go away.
Panectomy is pretty much the only skin removal that seems to have guidelines that I've seen.
I had two different insurance carriers between consult and removal. Neither one went anywhere with coverage for any of mine - I had issues with chafing and pain when sitting because of how much loose skin I had in the glutes: I had a period where I could literally have to start shifting sides while driving my car for more than 10 minutes. No dice at all - they just kept sending back guidelines for when panectomy is covered and saying I didn't meet the requirements.3 -
I had it also............................got it from barbell squatting believe it or not. I had it removed once, but the general surgeon didn't get it all and it returned. But the 2nd time I was sent to a cancer clinic for removal. There's a small scar but it hasn't returned.................and I still barbell squat.
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MikePfirrman wrote: »As someone that had a huge Lipoma grow on their back and had to have it taken off by a plastic surgeon, heck no. Not much fun at all. And two years after that huge one was taken off, I had another grow up near my neck, just below the shirt line. Not that noticable until I take my shirt off. It's around two inches in diameter and protrudes around an inch off my back. I've had that one for nearly 10 years. It's grown a bit lately and starting to get uncomfortable, but it's also near my spine, so I'm not in any hurry to take that one off.
I'm not a fan of elective surgeries for vanity and I have a very good reason to have a vanity surgery and I'm not doing it.
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I have had plastic surgery for reconstruction of one breast. It was due to a birth defect I was born with call Pollands Symdrome. It did not affect my functioning so really a cosmetic procedure that was done to make me feel like a 'normal' woman. I have had the operation twice, once at 15 and once at 30 yrs old.
My advice to plastic surgery (however, it was a different procedure)
- If want you want to change something that is affecting your quality of life either mentally or physically then getting surgery is an acceptable option. However, it carries some risk so it needs to be weighed up which is more acceptable to you; the pain (mental or physical) from what you consider to be your 'imperfection' day-to-day or the cost, short-term pain and potential complications of surgery. Personally, unless my quality of life is seriously impacted by whatever I want to change it would not be worth it.
- To a certain degree you get what you pay for. Do not go for a cheap option that seems too good to be true. Think of it as a price per wear and you are wearing your body every day for the rest of your life so worth saving to get the very best.
- Go see more than one surgeon for a consultation before deciding which surgeon you want to use. First consultations are usually free or for a small fee. It is really worth finding out what they are about before trusting your life with them.
- Plastic surgery is painful and the recovery can take some time.
- It will take you time and work to come to accept your new body. It will feel fake and potentially alien to you for a while.
Hope that helps0
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