Levick, surgery completed 12/12/12 (pre & post pictures included) & revision

[3rdTimeLucky (Dave)]

Results so far looking really good, you basically had what I had - puffy nips.
Do you still have any tenderness even now?

[Pez2]

Not really. If I was to sporadically put my arms up above my head then I may get abit of a twinge, but nothing major. The massaging really helps loosen it up.

[Pez2]

Not been on here in a Long time.. So here's an update.
I had revision surgery with levick yesterday - exactly 1 year after my original op and I can't speak highly enough of levick and everyone at the hospital, I was very well looked after both times.

I'd basically been upto see levick for a few post op consultations to discuss my progress this year. Decided to go ahead and book in for some revision as the RHS of my chest was all good and flat once healed from the original but the LHS was just abit fuller. 6-8 months post op the healing process had finished and no massaging or anything was going improve it's appearance so following levicks advice booked in.   I couldn't really squeeze my RHS with my fingers it was that flat whereas the left you could really feel and pinch together this fluid.

So yesterday had some liposuction under local anaesthetic. The injections to numb the area were the worse bit but it wasn't too bad. Was in and out of hospital in a few hours. Come out wearing one of levicks new compression vests, the whole new no drains and bandages thing is awesome. Will get some pictures up on here once it's all healed.

[Ricardo7]

Pez - could you give a detailed discription of what it's like under local anaesthetic?

I'm almost a year post op myself and may need slight revision, so it would be good to hear an account of your experience.

[Pez2]

Hi Ricardo. Yeah more than happy to share my experience with you. Levick explained to me at consultation (8 months after op) that I could benefit from revision surgery and that because it would only be a minor procedure involving liposuction to the chest, I wouldn't need general and only local anaesthetic. As a result I was a day case and in/out of hospital in 3-4 hours. The procedure itself only took about 30 minutes as I was only having revision to the LHS of my chest, obviously this will be longer if you're revisions going to be more substantial.

So got there early, had a meal in the cafe an hour before (as there are no restrictions on eating/drinking) then got shown to the day care unit and my room with a bed. It's not the same rooms as you have for your original op, more like being in a public hospital with plastic sheets for privacy, other patients all around etc. Levick came and took me to the theatre - spent a few minutes injecting all around the area/nipple, waited 5 mins to take effect then tested with a sharp pin and thankfully I felt nothing   The injections are the most painful bit (sharp and sudden) but after that obviously the areas numb and you only have the notion that there's something going on, it's abit weird. He did say it can sometimes hurt to the outer edge where the area isn't numb but I didn't have any concerns. Levick also said when he had his own Gynecomastia surgery it was all under local so a lot more injections than I'd be needing, made me feel better in a way.

As for the procedure itself I can't actually say in too much detail what he was doing or using because I didn't want to look at the time but he explains and shows this at consultation. He made a small incision just below my nipple and using this thing like a hoover sucked out some fat/fluid, you can feel (wrong word) or sense this kindof scraping where he's moving this hoover thing around the area, it's not very nice but it's over before you know it. He had two assistants in the theatre with him, one male and one female who tried to keep me distracted with conversation looking at my chest immediately after, it looked flat and so hopefully after the healing, it'll be all good and il finally have the flat chest I've always wanted. I can definitely see why people have liposuction as the results are pretty instant, it's amazing really. As for the incision and scarring, as it's so small levick said there won't be one and my scars from the original op (armpits) aren't even noticeable anymore. You can shower after 24 hours, just take the vest off and put it back on again and as it's velcro on one side, it's really easy to do.
 
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3 days post op now, chest is bruised - nice and yellow and still abit sore. Back to work tomorrow but not lifting anything heavy and taking it easy. I have to wear the compression vest for a week but I don't mind as it's a lot more comfortable then the previous one I had.  Il try and get some pictures up of the vest and my chest in the next few days. 

[Ricardo7]

Cheers for that, it's good to know it's pain free! (should I go for revision myself next year - still don't know yet).

Do you need to take the week off work as you did with the full operation?

[Pez2]

I wouldn't say pain free, the injections were pretty damn painful but honestly revisions not a major thing, nothing compared to the original op really. I had the op on Thursday, luckily got work off on Friday and back to work Monday as normal and I've been fine. I have to climb a ladder at work but taking it slow and steady, could feel my chest hurting abit at times and probably not ideal for the healing process but I couldn't get anymore time off

[AchillesUK]

I wouldn't say pain free, the injections were pretty damn painful but honestly revisions not a major thing, nothing compared to the original op really. I had the op on Thursday, luckily got work off on Friday and back to work Monday as normal and I've been fine. I have to climb a ladder at work but taking it slow and steady, could feel my chest hurting abit at times and probably not ideal for the healing process but I couldn't get anymore time off

Hi Pez,

What fluid was it that was left behind on the LHS? As at my consultation, Mr Levick said he removes all the gland AND fat. (He does leave behind fascia, which is a fibrous tissue, but this shouldnt be fluid like).

Also, if you dont mind me asking what happened to your right nipple? Looking at your post-op pictures, my first thought was your left hand side looks fine but there's some kind of indent/incision type mark in your right nipple. (I know it's not an incision as Mr Levick operates from the armpit). But overall, much improved from pre-op of course, and hopefully even better after this revision.

[Pez2]

Levick said he probably hadn't taken out enough fat from the LHS in the original op. It's to my understanding that obviously the glands are removed but some fat is left behind to ensure the countor of the chest. Take too much fat you risk the chest becoming indented, don't take enough then revisions the solution but pretty sure it's better to be safe than sorry on this one.

The gland removed from the LHS of my chest was significantly larger than the right - 22gm LHS and 14gm RHS. Which explains why the LHS was always abit larger. The post op pics you question just show my bodies reaction in healing. The RHS didn't swell as much and therefore probably looks flatter/indented in comparison to the left in that picture.  After massaging it eventually levelled out however the LHS didn't become as flat as I'd hoped (hence revision)

I cant remember what time of day I took that picture but I think anyone who's had this surgery will tell you, your chest can look very different from day to day when healing. If you analyse your chest immediately after taking off the compression garment, it'll look different to after massaging for 30 mins. Nipples vary in size as the chest heals as well, which is evident in some of my pics.

It's obvious but sometimes forgotten - your chest is two different areas and is treated as such and as a result each will heal at different rates. It's annoying but it's the way it is. It's a long, frustrating and often strange journey of recovery. But levicks awesome with the aftercare in follow ups and answering you're questions.

* Tomorrow I'm a week post op (again) and can take off the compression vest.  

[AchillesUK]

Levick said he probably hadn't taken out enough fat from the LHS in the original op. It's to my understanding that obviously the glands are removed but some fat is left behind to ensure the countor of the chest. Take too much fat you risk the chest becoming indented, don't take enough then revisions the solution but pretty sure it's better to be safe than sorry on this one.

The gland removed from the LHS of my chest was significantly larger than the right - 22gm LHS and 14gm RHS. Which explains why the LHS was always abit larger. The post op pics you question just show my bodies reaction in healing. The RHS didn't swell as much and therefore probably looks flatter/indented in comparison to the left in that picture.  After massaging it eventually levelled out however the LHS didn't become as flat as I'd hoped (hence revision)

I cant remember what time of day I took that picture but I think anyone who's had this surgery will tell you, your chest can look very different from day to day when healing. If you analyse your chest immediately after taking off the compression garment, it'll look different to after massaging for 30 mins. Nipples vary in size as the chest heals as well, which is evident in some of my pics.

It's obvious but sometimes forgotten - your chest is two different areas and is treated as such and as a result each will heal at different rates. It's annoying but it's the way it is. It's a long, frustrating and often strange journey of recovery. But levicks awesome with the aftercare in follow ups and answering you're questions.

* Tomorrow I'm a week post op (again) and can take off the compression vest.  

Thanks for your reply. I guess dreaming of a mens health cover type chest will always just remain a dream for us folk. But we can only try our best whilst being realistic as you mention.

Would be good to see some pics post 2nd op when you're ready

[Pez2]

4 years on now.... 1 year after I had Some revision lipo to the left hand side for some stubborn fat. A year after that I had a injection for some stubborn scar tissue in the same area.

I'm now very happy with my chest. Both sides flat and look very natural. I can't imagine how it would look now if I hadn't have had it done. Absolutely No regrets. Life changing in terms of confidence. It takes time to heal for sure and  there were times I wasn't happy, times my chest looked very different through the healing process but the wait was worth it. I'd say it took me 3 years to be fully and completely healed. No scars visible after a year.

Levick has now retired as we all know, I must say he is a true professional in every sense of the word. His dealings with me from start to finish and through aftercare were amazing.... I once came from London to Birmingham for a post op consultation and due to a unfortunate admin mix up he was unaware it was scheduled. Upon receiving the phone call, he came in especially to see me, I don't think anyone else would do that.