Smartlipo Laser-assisted Liposuction

I’m a 54-year-old female, 5’5-1/2 and 135 pounds.  If you saw me, you would think I was thin; that’s because I am small in most places. I have skinny legs, small hips and a little bottom.

For the past 10 years, I worked out twice a week with a trainer and stayed in shape. My 40’s were probably my best body years. But even during those good years, my trainer pointed out my challenging areas – my back fat/bra overhang, and my muffin top/flanks. No matter what I did, they just wouldn’t go away. I’m sure if I starved myself and worked out 5 days a week, they would, but I’m a small business owner, and love to eat and drink wine, so those chafllenging areas just continued to get worse with age. Once I turned 51 and menopause struck, I became more frustrated when my large investment of cute clothes didn’t look good on me anymore. I wore compression garments with everything, and bought loose tops.

During the summer of 2016 I was having my annual check-up at Dermatology Affiliates and glanced through the brochures on fat reduction procedures. When I inquired about options, the nurse told me there was a small group seminar conducted by Dr. Abbott and Dr. Forney a few weeks later. I attended the very small group session and heard of all the advances and modern techniques to look and feel better.

I remembered hearing about Liposuction back in the 90’s. but I always felt it was too drastic for someone like me. Now I was hearing about Smartlipo, the modern-day procedure for the average size woman, that heals faster and is less invasive. When Dr. Abbott told the group that she had it done on herself in several areas and showed us the barely noticeable scars, I asked to find out more during a one-on-one. After a quick review of my body, some squeezes of my fat and further discussion, I received a quote and went on my way.

Over the next few months I continued to think about Smartlipo and when it turned out I had a week off work and home for the holidays, I decided to book the procedure. The plan was for Dr. Abbott perform Smartlipo in two areas, each procedure one week apart. First up, my flanks to remove fat around my side and lower back and then my bra fat one-week later. Even if I wanted to do all at once, I was told you can only do a certain amount at one time in consideration for the patient AND Dr. Abbott! I was so happy to find that the timing worked perfectly – it was just meant to be.

I arrived early morning December 23rd and pictures were taken as my “before” shots. Dr. Abbott marked my body with a magic marker. For my flanks, she marked a pinpoint at the very top of my legs at my bathing suit line and a pinpoint on either side on my lower back right below each hip. After taking a pill to relax we went in for the procedure. The entire team made me feel very calm and comfortable. After having the area numbed, Dr. Abbott used lasers to melt the fat and then sucked it out through the 4 small incisions that she had marked as entry points. She even showed me my “fat-be-gone” moving through the tube (you don’t have to look but I was curious). It looks just like thick melted butter! We all talked throughout the procedure, we had on holiday music – there was nothing painful about it. Afterwards, the nurse put bandages on the 4 stitched incisions and gave me a one-piece compression garment to wear for one week, 24 hours a day.

A week later, I went back again for the second procedure, so it was a good time to be able to check-in and talk about my recovery from the week prior. I showed Dr. Abbott and the nurses my bruises. Although not painful, I bruise very easy so I was black and blue around my flanks and bottom. The incisions were a little sore, but I learned I shouldn’t have been using Neosporin. Once I quit using that (use Polysporin instead) the incisions felt better.

The second procedure went just as smoothly. There were entry points in my back above and below my bra line. This time I came out with only one small bruise. The only challenge was not really being able to find a compression garment to cover that area; instead I wore a sports bra. The only discomfort was the incisions being around the bra strap area, you must be careful not to get them irritated. I kept bandaids on to protect the cuts. Over the next few weeks all my stitches dissolved, so the incisions healed up nicely.

Lymphatic massage is an important step in the healing process. I didn’t really understand it at first and waited for 2 weeks to start, but once I did, I I saw and felt a difference in getting the swelling down and making sure none of the treated areas hardened. Plus, it’s a relaxing procedure and covered by insurance.

I just went back for my 3-month check-up and gave Dr. Abbott a big hug. I shared with her how happy I am with the results. We agreed that I look smaller, and my bra fat is gone, with no fat hanging over my pants. My clothes fit better and I feel better. Only my husband knows I had Smartlipo done and he loves the results! I took it as a compliment when my husband said “remember that big roll of fat you used to have? It’s not there anymore!”. He meant it in a good way, I had to laugh, and still give him a hard time for that “compliment”!

Dr. Abbott says that she won’t take pictures until my next appointment in 2 months – that you continue to see a reduction for 5 months! I’m so happy, and now thrilled, that I could even look better than I do now. Maybe I’ll share my “before and after” pictures since they are anonymous!

I offered to share my story because every part of the process has been easy and a pleasure. Dr. Abbott and her team are the best! I would recommend this procedure to anyone with problem areas. And a final note – you don’t need a week off to have this procedure. I could have gone back to work the next day. Who knows…I may do my stomach next!

Join us for our Fat Seminar “What’s the Skinny” on April 27th at 1PM in  our Midtown office.