Levick 'fixed' me on 26/3/14 - 7 week update

[gj94x]

Yeah had mine back but been unable to post them until they've been resized and I don't know how to do it lol, he got a lot out of me too, it'll inspire me to lose weight and get back into shape too

I'm gonna swap to the vest tomorrow as this binder is doing my head in. I adjusted it this morning and was amazed how good my chest looked though

[ian89]

Yes i had swelling above the binder, quite a bit, and i'm 5 weeks on Wednesday and on 1 side there is still some, but it is def reducing just very slowly, so don't worry too much when you first see and feel it, it does take ages to go.

i was the same as you about the "reveal" it's the uncertainty of the result that puts you off, but when you see a different body, that's nice and flat, you'll get excited then.

You def haven't made a mistake, and on Wednesday you'll realise it. Your nips will be tiny, i have no puffyness at all, they are at least half the size they were, always look like i'm cold if you know what i mean, however hot i am.

[Donut]

Glad guys are taking my advice about a compression T under the vest - it really made a huge difference to comfort for me as I too had all that swelling out of top of binder/under arm, and the "arm holes" of the vest really dug in and made it worse.

This morning I'd had vest off for 48 hours, put it on again as doing a bit of physical work today, tried it without a T underneath, and I obviously have a bit of swelling there still as it soon all bulged out again in the underarm area! - so back to compression T and vest during the days I think, and maybe off at nights.

Will be resizing GJ's pics for him shortly, they're impressive!

The size of nips is an interesting one... mine reduced quite a bit in the first couple of weeks, I remember commenting how pleased I was! - but they seem to have gradually got bigger again - probably now as big as before surgery again (just flat now instead of puffy). Hoping that it is all part of the 'recovery roller-coaster' and they'll shrink up again soon!

[Squire]

Here we are then....7 days post op.

Despite the nerves and expectations I've just taken the binder off to reveal my new chest and I must say that I'm absolutely thrilled at this point. It's given me the masculine chest that I'd hoped for. It has a nice profile but I can't be sure how this will change with swelling. There is some impressive local bruising but very little compared to some.

It's nice to get the binder off and the macom vest on. It feels quite comfortable but time will tell. I'm a little concerned that there is not enough compression but I'm sure that is because I have literally just changed over. It hides really well under T shirts and work shirts, which is good news.

Scars are healing as expected and movement has once again improved. No pain, apart from what you would expect from bruises of this nature.

I'm one happy customer so far!

[gj94x]

Looks very good to me mate!

[ian89]

Excellent, no loose skin in sight. Have you got a compression top to put under your vest? That helps tighten things up more than just the vest.

[Squire]

Cheers guys. Yeah I've got a compression t shirt on under the vest right now. I've worn the vest for the majority of the day without the t shirt but it feels better and under much more compression with the t shirt on. I'm not sure about sleeping with the t shirt under - any advice on what works for you guys?

It feels perfectly natural wearing the vest out in public in comparison to that binder.

[Donut]

I wore compression t and vest 24/7 for 10 weeks basically... Now sleeping in either just compression t or nothing at all depending how in feeling.

Mr Levick told me it was impossible to have too much compression or for too long! - those who keep it up get best results, generally.

[Squire]

I can't sleep in the compression vest. I'm wearing the binder at night and the vest during the day. Neither are really bothering me. I think the initial issues with the binder were because I couldn't take it off and I had bruising and swelling under my arms but this has now gone. At this point I'm happy to keep the compression on past the recommendations but it will get more difficult when we get into the hotter weather.

[gj94x]

I'm actually finding it easier to sleep in the compression vest mate. How you getting on now? How's it all looking, starting to feel some lumps and bumps now I'd imagine?

[Squire]

2 week post op update.

It's true time flies....

Here's some photos taken today. I'm really happy with my results but I'm starting to experience the "recovery roller coaster" spoken about so often and have a few lumps and bumps.  Here's my general thoughts and observations at this point.

1. I  have a fair bit of swelling that has appeared since removing the binder. It is fairly consistent across the whole chest but I gather that this is quite normal (?). I still have swelling at the very top of the pecs where they were not under compression from the binder. I'm not worried about this because it seems consistent with other peoples experiences.

2. The most noticeable area of lumpiness is on the RHS at the very bottom. I think this is an area that was not as tightly in compression when the binder was originally set. I'm not worried about this but it is clear to see on the photos.

3. It's worth commenting that I'm happy with the reduction in the size of the nipple. (Look at the photos of what I started with). I'm happy with the profile of them also, they do not look inverted.

4. I'm happy with the profile. My chest is not flat and does not look out of place with the rest of my body.

5. Incisions are healing up nicely. They are not visible with my arms by my side and will be really easy to conceal int  the future if they don't disappear completely. They are really small considering the size of the lumps of 'burger' pulled out of the.

6. Bruising is as good as gone.

7. There is no pain, only discomfort if something is jabbed into my chest or I overreach. The only pain is checking my bank balance....!

8. Compression vest is comfortable in the day and easy to conceal under a work shirt, unless I'm wearing a white compression t shirt underneath it when it flashes through. I cannot wear the compression vest in bed, it drives me mad. I wear the binder but have it set a little looser than Mr L's setting. I still think that this gives more compression than the vest when laying down.

9. Mobility in my arms is 95% and is not really even in my thoughts. Although that '5%' is enough to stop any physical training or gym for a few more weeks.

10. It still looks and feels like I have some fat at the top next to the arm pit that he said he could lipo, but I'm not sure that this isn't swelling. I'll sit on it for a couple of weeks and see how it goes.

11. No sign of the feared loose skin.

12. First day back at work today. No issues at all.

I'm still a happy customer and feel the money spent is an investment. Surgery seems almost an anticlimax now and a distant memory. When I look back at the pre op pics, I appreciate what a difference this has made to the rest of my life. I'm also happy with the time of year chosen for the surgery, I'll be ready for summer but will not have to wear the compression vest in during the hottest period.

I hope that covers both my issues and gives an update to anyone considering surgery.

[Squire]

Here's a pre op against a two week post op.

[gj94x]

Looks really good mate, have you started to massage yet? I've started this week and noticed some of the big lumps and bumps going down

[Squire]

Cheers. No , I've not started yet but did notice a couple more lumps and bumps this morning. I was going to check with you today but you've saved me a job! Did we get given any guidance on how to massage because I'm not too sure what to do?

[Donut]

Re massage:

Mr Levick says 5-10 mins couple of times a day, gentle but firm (which sounds like a contradiction!)

I found that 5-10 mins didn't really do anything, so I do 30-60 mins, in front of the telly, then it isn't a chore - you just forget you're doing it after a while and it becomes natural.

I use variety of finger tips / palms, in kind of circular motions, firm enough to feel like I'm doing something, but not so firm that it hurts - if it hurts you're doing it too hard. Try a variety of different movements, different directions etc. - your aim is to break up any scar tissue that is trying to form, and it helps reduce the lumps and bumps, which at this early stage are almost certainly just swelling, not hard scar tissue.

Don't waste money on expensive massage oils, or bio oil (that is for reducing external visible scars and stretch marks - won't be any better/worse than anything else for internal scarring like we may get) - I just use a bit of baby oil gel (gel is better than normal oil as it doesn't run everywhere!) - tried various "body lotion / moisturiser" type things, but they dry out very quickly and you get a build up of the parrafin wax, which is their main ingredient... baby oil gel works by far the best in my experience - and leaves you nice and soft lol.

Hope that helps a little - there is very little written anywhere on the subject unfortunately, I don't really know why - you just get told to "massage" and left to discover exactly how to do that all by yourself it seems! - but I believe it is important, and those who stick to it seem to get better results and a lot less/no scar tissue forming in a few months time.