There must be something wrong with me. I read everything I could get my hands on re: smart lipo, including before & after photos submitted by unhappy patients, and decided to proceed anyway. I had my procedure on June 12th & am happier than I could imagine with the results after only 1 week. I am a 55 year old female, size 2, 105 lbs - who have had a lower belly pouch even as a 85 lb ballerina. The pain during the procedure was hardly noticeable (I even drove myself the 26 miles home); however, when the lidocaine wore off, many hours later, I had a rude awakening. The pain was more of a stabbing & tight burning sensation when I first stood up or upon sitting down. I spoke with the doctor and he asked me to take Ibuprofen and "voila" the pain was almost completely gone in an hour. My Dr was totally upfront about the length of the procedure, none of that "lunch hour lipo" hype from him; and he insisted I wear the compression garment 24/7 (yes I shower in it with no problem). I would encourage anyone contemplating Smart Lipo for any area of their body to go to a real Doctor who has a real office - not a med spa that has "medically supervised" technicians. If anyone is located in or near Southern Nevada, I advise them to seek out Dr. Peter Vajtai. My abdomen is flat and lump free, can't wait to see the results as the weeks go by.

I had 3.3 liters of fat removed from my midsection area 2 weeks and 5 days ago. I stopped wearing my compression garment sometime around post 2 weeks as the thing drove me nuts. I don't really hurt any more and can move and sleep pretty much as I please. The noticible problem I have is painful lumps, everywhere!! They feel like knots in my stomach and they are quite tender. I have also noticed what I think to be uneven swelling reduction. Part of my belly has gotten smaller while parts have remained swollen. I hope this isnt an indication of whats to come! I knew I wouldnt come out of this looking like a swim suit model, but I am hoping I at least can wear normal fitting clothes at some point!

Hi girls,
I had my 1st smartlipo done full abs and back and inner thighs a year and 1/2 ago December 2007. I had a revision done in July 2008. I had my last I can't take it anymore revision done in December 2008. I had fatty unevenness the Dr. corrected. Now its May 2009 and I guess this is it what its finally "supposed" to look like. My abs have scar tissue which looks lumpy and uneven. I look sexy in clothes flat stomach but naked my tummy is lumpy. no repair for scar tissue unless you want more scar tissue. I still have small back rolls. oh well i guess. my inner thighs look good in clothes but also kinda lumpy and slightly uneven. I can't complain too much because I look much better than when I first started. It was painful as HELL. The compression garments hurt like a bitch to put on and take off for about 3 weeks. I was swollen and bruised the 3 times (including revisions) for about 1 month each time. I have to honestly say despite the pain of the procedure I was lied to about and despite my lumpy tummy and inner thighs I feel I look 100 times better and if need be I would torture my self 100 more times if I had to. I say go for it but don't expect to be flawless. Everybodys body heals differently so yeah you won't know 4 sure till like 6 months that's true. I think I would go "twilight" next time. The pain fluid wore off way too quick. All together, 3 times, they extracted 6 liters of fat. yucky. One thing I do notice is my upper stomach area under my breasts tends to get gassy and bloated when I eat a meal and poofs out. I tend to have to eat really small portions for that not to happen. I wonder if anybody else that happens to ?
Izzy, 30something

Hello. I too had the smart lip done 4 weeks ago and yes it was pretty painfull. I wear the compression garment 24/7 for at least six more weeks. I don't mind that at all. It helps the swelling to stay down. I did not have any brusing at all. The doctor told me it would take at least 6 months before you see the final result. I am pleased with the outcome so far. I can't wait to get back into my excersice.

I had a great experience with my smart lipo. I knew what to expect--body contouring, not a significant amount of fat loss. In other words, I wasn't expecting to lose 10 pounds, and I already had a low body fat percentage. I researched doctors heavily and went with a doctor not at a medical spa. I got an excellent price on it and am incredibly happy with my procedure. It wasn't that painful, but more uncomfortable. I felt like a stuffed sausage in my garment for about a week, then the swelling went away, bruising replaced it, and a flat belly emerged! I needed a touch-up (as is commonly needed), but my results are so good I've talked a lot of my skeptical friends into it who wanted to see how mine went before they took the plunge. It's all about your doctor and what you can expect for results. If you need a lot of fat removed, go with real lipo. The procedure itself was mildly uncomfortable--the lidocaine injections were the worst, then it was over. And again, some more pain as the lidocaine got sucked out. But I winced and bit down, it was temporary, you know? And they gave me a shot to chill me out, too. It was definitely NOT unbearable! So happy I did it, but I feel so badly for those who got bad results. Everybody deserves to be happy with their body.

I had smartlipo done 2 weeks ago. Except for the lidocaine wearing off too quickly and the doctor not being able to suction all the fluid out, everything went smoothly. However, I have had to go back 3 times to get the fluid manually suctioned out with a syringe. I still have more fluid....like a ziploc baggie full of water in my lower abdomen. It jiggles like Jello! Last time they made another incision to try and get the rest to leak out but it didn't. One of my original incisions still isn't closed after 2 weeks but I'm not leaking out of either the new or the old one much. I am still really bruised and swollen and itchy. I can see my whole stomach now though ...even my C-Section scars which were hidden beneath 2 rolls before....so I know the surgery did something for me! However, you can't tell a change in my overall size because I am so swollen. I look like I am pregnant in my upper abdomen. They said it would take up to 6 months to heal, so I am going to be patient. I don't like the extra fluid and the numb feeling in my skin. My stomach skin feels alien, like it doesn't belong to me either. I feel some lumps and bumps, but don't really care what I look like since I did it for health reasons. I plan on starting the South Beach diet and a regular exercise program (Winsor Pilates) tomorrow after I see the doctor again and they hopefully drain more fluid. I agree, I could have never gone back to work the next day, but possibly the day after. But I went back 5 days after just fine. You just have to watch out and not hit your stomach into something. I took off the garment for the first time tonight (other than the shower) in hopes of alleviating some of the itching, but I feel like I need to wear it longer than 2 weeks too like some of the other ladies mentioned. How long is the swelling and itching and numbness suppose to last?????? Has anyone else had complications with the drainage?

I love working out and challenging myself with weights, cardio, everything possible. At 35, after 2 children, nothing helped. I was growing frustrated, as working out, didn't seem to work anything off. Smartlipo has been my dream that saved my sanity. Yes, for the first week, I felt like I had the hell beat out of me. Bending over, well, didn't bother for the first week, cuz I couldn't. The swelling, even with that,I could tell Smartlipo had done something positive. So glad I was off work the first week. I did my procedure New Year's week. Best resolution I ever made. Research your doctor, though. Make sure you know they are good and detailed, mine was. I went to Reflections MedSpas in Coeur d' Alene, ID. I had my upper/lower abs, flanks and bra hangage done. The bruising lasted 2 1/2 weeks. Used Arnica gel. The sculpting and contouring has left me with a sleek, attractive, curvy look that I always tried to achieve. I will have my 4 wk. f/u in a few days. The deep sunburn stinging is starting to subside. For itching, I found Benedryl spray at Walmart. I went back to gradually working out just before my 2 wk follow up with a light walk on my Gazelle and very light weights, as the stretching felt great. Pilates feels good too. I have now been doing my elliptical and have increased my weights to what I was lifting prior to the procedure. My advice is, go for it, as long as you have the right doctor, and the best time for yourself to rest and hide out and re-cooperate, you will be fine. P.S. I'm also a nurse.

If you are thinking of getting "smart lipo" and reading blogs for assurance, like I did... heed this message. Realize why you are really doing it? Psychological reasons are tough enough as we tend to think badly about our bodies. I went on to some blog sites and found that they must delete the bad reviews because I could not find any before I went in. This site is 50/50, so I am on the negative side.
I was pulled into the "sales pitch" from my doctor whom stated that it could be done on your lunch hour and that I would miss 1 day of work. This was not the case.
I had my calves, lateral thighs, and butt done. I missed 3 weeks of work, had to beg my doctor for 3 refills of percecte because over the counter was a bust in my condition. I was in constant pain. The experience was awful. Yes they give you 2 shots in the arm before surgery, but I work up during surgery and the rod went through my leg. They had to administer another shot for me. I drained for only 2 days at the most.
Now, I am in physical therapy since my calves have not regained full feeling and I now have lumps. Here’s the kicker... My butt (that I hated so much that I paid $10k to get rid of) still looks the same as it did before the procedure. Wait, actually, one side droops lower than the other side. So it is not the same. It is worse.
If you are contemplating this procedure… please… listen to these ladies. Your doctor will give you several stories after surgery and they will put off seeing you after if you are not satisfied. There is not much you can do.
Read about self esteem instead and go to the gym. I have to quote another blogger here, “do not fool around with “Mother Nature”.

I had lipo about 6 months ago under MAC anastesia. This is the best thing to do because you dont feel pain, and you wake up after procedure and after 40 minutes of recovery are able to go home. The whole recovery takes a month, a had horrible bruising but became better in 2 weeks, especially when i took a warm bath. It's better to wear a garment for 4 weeks. i have great result and im very happy that i did it

You guys are freaking me out. I had smart lipo on my abs love handles and under my chin 3 days ago. I'm 35 years old and I wasnt big to begin with a size 6, 5'8 and 129, but my figure wasnt the same after my kids. I only had a very small amount under my chin and did it as a preventative, this is the part Im most worried about wrinkling and getting lumpy as you are saying. That would SUCK on top of everything else I went though. If I don't at least get good results I will be pretty frustrated. I am VERY bruised it looks like someone tried to strangle me. Of course my stomach is as well but I can hide that. I really hope it doesntlook saggy and uneven in the future! I decided to write and just let everyone know this procedure can be a bit dangerous despite everything I had read before so you could all be aware.

I have a very high pain tolerance (he said the highest he had ever seen and I've been told this before) so the doctor said he was going to do a bit more on me than he normally does because I was so "well behaved". The surgery itself was easy and went as I expected. I was a little tired when I got home so I took a nap and then decided to get up and clean the house and make myself a cup of hot tea. As I was walking across the living room I got that feeling that I have gotten before I pass out where the blood leaves my arms, so I sat down on the couch and told my husband I didn't feel well. The last thing I remember was him getting up. He said he went to get a glass of water for me and when he looked over at me on the couch I was passed out and I was blue/white and I was making funny noises. Apparently I had stopped breathing so he called 911 and was going to do CPR but when he sat me up to move me down I took a breath and thats when I remember him saying "stay with me" over and over. I had a hard time not passing out again but he was so afraid it made me try harder, but for some reason when he tried to lean me back again I started going out again. Anyway when the fire truck and ambulance and all sort of folks came none could get any blood pressure reading on me, they carted me to the hospital and gave me an IV . After that I was fine. They said they couldnt find anything wrong with me, so I dont know what happened. I guess my body just didnt like it. Overall it was embarrassing and my husband and kids are still freaked out. For my part, I still want to get my thighs done! hehehe, but I'm not sure thats the best idea.... I fell pretty let down because Im not sure I would have paid that much for just one or two areas but knowing I could get all additional areas done after that and if I didnt like it alter a little here and there was what made it worht it for me. Im sure my body is just weird and this is not normally for most people, gggggggrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. My blood pressure is pretty low. Knowing what I know now I think I should have had an IV putting fluids back in me. If you have low blood pressure think seriously about asking for this and dont be alone afterwards for at least 24 hours. I really dont think I would be alive today if my husband wasnt right there.
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I had smart-lipo done two weeks ago today and I will have to say that I am very pleased with the results so far. I had my upper arms, back, abs, inner/outer thighs, chin, and the famous buffalo hump done. The doctor said she took out more on me then anyone else she has done so far. Hopefully that's a good thing. I am still sore, but I can function. Yes, it is uncomfortable and yes it's definitely NOT the "lunch lipo" as people say. My stomach looks amazing. I am still swollen, but I definitely don't have any flab there any more and I now have an hour glass figure. After 10 days, my bruising went away. My doctor made me take arnica pills and rub arnica gel/cream on the bruising. You can get those at your local GNC. I will have to say that it definitely works. I also rubbed vitamin E oil and cocobutter cream on my body to help with the dryness and bruising. I am also taking Vitamin K, Vitamin C and Zinc to help with the swelling and to help quicken the healing process. I am itching like crazy, and now I'm starting to form the hard lumps. I have been, with great pain, massaging each area. My doctor suggested using a rolling pin and rolling upwards on my legs towards the lymph nodes located near the groin area and downwards from my upper stomach to the groin area. For my back, I have been rubbing my sides inwards towards my stomach and down to my groin area. For my chin, I have been rubbing it towards my throat. For my arms, I have been rubbing them towards my armpits. These are where your lymph nodes are located and it suppose to help with the lumpiness and swelling. My doctor also suggested wearing garments for a very long time to help speed up the process. You can find garments at Kohls for cheap. I started walking after day 3 of my surgery and I think that's also helped me heal faster. I did swell up and still swell up on my hands, but I'm sure it will be worth it in the end. Now I'm walking about one hour a day and I've noticed a significant change in my inner thighs (which had this weird indention - but is slowly going away). Have faith ladies! It takes time! Good luck to you all!!

I had smart lipo on my knees last week and I just wanted to let people know that I've had a really positive experience. I had my first treatment in November last year and it took about 6 months for me to see the final result, which was fantastic! Significant improvement in the shape of my knees. I was advised at the time that I would probably need a further session to get the results I desired so decided to do it again last week. Yes, it's painful, I certainly wouldn't want to do it during my lunch break but a week on and I'm recovering well and already with the swelling and bruising the appearance is much improved. I would definitely recommend this treatment although I can't agree that it's virtually painless!!

I'm glad I'm not alone reading some of these comments. I was also lead to believe this was a 'walk in the park' proceedure and I'd look like new in a week or two. NOT!! It's four weeks ago today that I had the SmartLipo proceedure done in 5 areas. Upper and lower abs, flanks, thighs and inside my knees. I was wanting to fit comfortably back into my size 10's again that had become tight. I'm not seeing huge results yet, I'm still swollen and sore to the touch in most areas. The inside of my legs are still brused and very tender. The compression garmet was complete and total torture, although I understand the need wear it. My M.D. told me to wear it 24/7 the first week, then just at night the second week. If and when I wanted too after that. I still put on the abdominal wrap at night to try and accelerate the healing and decrease swelling. It's been a month for me and now I'm already thinking about a tummy tuck because I'm not thrilled with the results. My doc told me I need to wait a full 6 months to see total effect. If that's not the case I can honestly say that this was NOT worth the $9K and I should've gone straight for the tummy tuck.

I had the treatment done last week. First it is painful which is why you take a valium before you get to the procedure and then they do give you two shots one of which is very painful.

I went home in the compression girdle feeling no pain. Of course I used my painkillers over the next few days along with a lot of Tylenol, three at a time.

The incisions heal up pretty well but there is a lot of bruising and swelling. I had upper and lower abdomen and sides done. With four live births I hoped to get ride of a lot.

The hardest part has been living in the compression girdle. It restricts your movement and really slows you down. It has taken me almost a week to sleep well at night. I am loosing weight because you cannot eat big meals in a girdle. It will be a long time before I see results. Right now I just hope to feel like me again anytime soon. I paid $7,000 in US, which is the going rate.