scarring from lipo? - Pensler

[robert06]

hey guys,

i had surgery yesterday. haven't peeked yet, but chest looks MUCH flatter through the vest.

I had lipo plus excision. The lipo incisions were near the armpits, but, not IN the armpit. I'm concerned that the scars will be visible.

Anyone have any experience with this or advice? FYI, my surgeon was Dr. Pensler in Chicago.

Thanks.

[mcbane27]

The incisions they make there are so small that even if they were permanent scars i doubt they would be noticeable.  I just had surgery with Pensler today =) it will be nice to see how your recovery goes along side mine.  I believe he told me they would most likely heal and would not be noticeable.  On the other hand, surgery is never 100 percent on anything so there is always a chance, however small, that the scars will not heal entirely.

[lafilip]

Hey guys,

I had my surgery yesterday (2-8) with Pensler.  Maybe we can keep this thread open and use it as guide to see how we are all doing?  

Thanks guys and good luck.

[mcbane27]

Got to shower yesterday for the first time and finally see early results...I had no brusing at all which is something I've seen on others...nipples were still sore and stitched up but I am bascally feeling little to no pain at this point.  The compression vest is starting to irritate my skin once in a while.  How are you guys doing?

[lafilip]

Hey man,

I get to shower tomorrow morning! So, this will be my first peek at the results.  The vest is also starting to itch my skin, but they told me this would happen ahead of time.  We you pleased when you took off the vest? I thought the whole process went smoothly!

Keep me updated

[lafilip]

Hey Guys,

I got to take a shower this morning which offered my first look at the results.  I was very bruised (as expected) a little swelling, but I will be damned it was well worth the money.  I can wait for some time to pass and my body to adjust.

A couple of questions, did you guys leave on the gauze pads? Also, did you ask or did he mention if he takes the stiches out or are they suppose to fall out at some point.

Thanks again for keeping this thread alive and keeping us updated.  As always good luck with the healing!

[mcbane27]

I left the gauze pads on until the first time I could take a shower and then they came off (which is what they said to do)  The stitches I believe they will take out on your 1 week post op appointment...I was supposed to go tomorrow but Dr. Pensler is stuck in New York and with the snow couldn't get back until tuesday...sucks but oh well

[unisys]

Will you have a full update for us in your previous thread after the stitches are out mcbane27?

[lafilip]

Hey Guys,

My one week post-op is tomorrow with Pensler.  The recovery is better than I thought.  Not too much pain at all, but as with any surgery there is a little.

My only issue is that the insicions by my arm pits are very sensitive.  In addition, one of the stiches caught caught on a gauze pad and it hurts like hell, but other than that I have no complaints.  I just will deal with it till my one week tomorrow.

Thanks again for keeping this alive.

Louis

[lafilip]

Hey all,

I just got back from my one week (actually it was only six days, but I couldn't get of work!) w/Pensler.  He said everything looks great there is some swelling and as I stated earlier I have brusing.

To answer your questions about stiches, Pensler stated he only uses dissolvable stiches.  So they should fall out on there own.

Once the brusing is down I will post some pics.  I have to scan in the before/pre-op pics that Pensler printed for me.

Good Luck.

[elio2]

alright.

I have surgery on friday with Pensler.
somewhat nervous but looking forward to getting over this.

may post some before and after pics

E2

[lafilip]

Hey man,

Don't be nervous he is a great surgeon with a great staff.  The whole process is quite painless.  They will put the IV in you and then you will wake up in 2 compression vests (A larger one w/a smaller one over it).  

I will be posting pics one week from today, I know this doesn't help you much, but by that time my brusing should be gone.  If you have any questions before or after your surgery feel free to post and ask.  Wed (2/22/06) will be the three week mark for me since surgery  so the whole process is still fresh in my head.  

Good luck.....

[robert06]

Hey guys,

I'm at just over 3 weeks now. The bruising is gone, and the scars on my nipples are practically invisible! It's pretty amazing.

My left side looks really good. The right side seems a little bit fuller, but I'm hoping that is just due to swelling.

I had a lot of bruising initially, and for me it was pretty painful for the first 3 weeks. My chest is still sensitive to the touch, but it gets a little bit better every day. I had about 3.75 pounds of tissue and fat removed--sounds like kind of a lot, so maybe that's why I was so sore!

Anyway, the scars seem to be healing pretty well. I'm using Mederma scar cream 2x a day. It's supposed to make scars heal faster and also be lighter and flatter.

Question for you guys: are you kind of lumpy around the areas that were treated? Dr. Pensler said this was  normal and that it would go away in time. Is anyone else experiencing this?

I'm going back on Thursday for my one-month appointment. I'll try to post pictures after I get them.

Hope you are all healing well. Summer is right around the corner.... I plan to go shirtless a lot this year!!!

[lafilip]

Hey man,

I had surgery on 2-8-06 with Pensler so, I will be three weeks wed. Actually, I am in quite a similar situation as you.  I had real bad bruising and still have a bit left, but not too much.  My left side looks great while my right side is a bit larger (thinking swelling), however every day seems to get better.  My only problem with pain was i had a stich from the armpit get caught in gauze, so, that hurt pretty bad.  On Friday the scars healed and i finally don't have that pain.  I am also going to start using that Mederma scar cream, I bought the bottle yesterday.

Good luck and keep us updated.  I will be posting pics as soon as I get Pensler to email me the pre-ops!

[CLaSH]

How much did Pensler end up costing for you guys?

Were your cases mild, moderate or severe?

Would I need to see him first before he would schedual a surgery with me?  Because I live like 3 hrs away, and i cant afford to drive back and forth all the time, thats precious money that I could use for the surgery.

One more thing, after the surgery, do i have to stay in town to see him for a follow up, or can i just travel back to WI to stay?

Appreciate you guys answering

Thanks