A big hello and a few questions, please...

Hi Everyone!
I've been avoiding this board b/c I didn't want to be as obsessive about this surgery as I was about my WLS.   I planned on just taking my doctor's advice, but I'm just not wired that way!  So here I am! I need the input of people who have had extensive plastics.

My surgery is set for December 15.  Sorry I don't know all the abbreviations yet, butI am having an lbl with tummy tuck. My second surgery will be inner thigh lift, breast lift w/o augmentation, brachioplasty and lipo and sculpting ot my upper back (forget what it's called). 

Anyway, I have been wondering if I should do all my lower body work first, which would mean adding the inner thigh lift to my dec. 15 surgery.  Any opinions on how much more difficult/painful that would make recovery and movement?  Also, I'm ambivalent about the scarring that the inner thigh lift leaves behind. Any advice on whether or not the procedure is worth it?

I'l be devouring past posts for good info.  If anyone has bookmarked a particularly informative post, please post the link.

Thanks!

Leah

Many surgeons prefer not to do the lbl and inner thighs at the same time. They feel that by doing the lbl in the first stage and inner thighs at a second stage, it is easier to get the inner thighs to do what they are supposed to do and to look how they are supposed to look without any labial splaying. If you are looking to combine procedures, a common combination (including mine) is a lbl with breasts. The second stage could include inner thighs and arms. 

Thanks!  The dr. felt I might not even need the inner thigh lift after the lbl. I will wait and see how my inner thighs look after surgery. 
I have so much to learn.  What is labia splaying?  Definitely sounds like something to avoid.

Hi Leah,  (My hubby had the sleeve with Dr. Alvarez in Sept.2009).  I had my plastic surgery done in Mexico so I was able to do everything at once.  I did have local consults and both doctors advised to get the lower body first but I wanted my arms done the most.  Your not having augmentation done so it shouldnt make any difference for you.  (Something about the size of the augmentation being off because after the tummy tuck or LBL your waist is smaller and the breasts look larger).

My 2 cents on the thighs is I probably wouldn't do them if I had to do this over.  The scars are pretty bad and the outcome just wasn't improved enough to warrant having the scars. Honestly I was one of the lucky ones I really didnt have much pain at all and was taking ibuprofen or tylenol after a week.  Again I had everything done at once, Tummy tuck, brachio, full thigh lift/lipo and breast aug and lift.  These boards are so wonderful and full of nice people and awesome info.  Learn everything you can, knowledge is power right??? lol  I also have tons of pictures on my profile.  The best one to look at is one of the blogs is a link to a smilebox.  Its a collage of before and afters that you can click on.  Once I took the time to make the collage I realized how much better things looked.  Good luck

Your pix look great!  Must be awesome to have a bikini body!  The scarring on my arms and thighs worry me the most. DH doesn't like the idea of the vertical breast scar, but I want a firm set for once in my life. Concerning the arms and thighs, I have to see if I'd rather have hanging wrinkly skin or the scars.   I don't have to decide for at least 6 months. Thanks for your input, it was really helpful.

My surgeon won't do the thighs w/ the LBL. I had my LBL done along w/ my arms and didn't have any issue w/ the recovery. If you are wanting to combine them that's an easy one to do. I also had my thighs done at the same time I had my breast lift w/ augmentation. Again both easy to handle together. I do have a long scar on my inner thigh but it is very light and thin so it's not extremely noticable. I would do it again in a heartbeat even though the thighs was the most painful recover of all my surgeries.

Sonya

Thanks, Sonya, good to know.  I'm not sure how I'll scar, so I'm waiting to see how the lbl scar turns out. My laproscopic scars from WLS 2 years ago are still noticable, so I'm worried about the arms and thighs.  I don't envison a thin, light line.

My surgeon also didn't want to combine inner thighs with my extended tummy tuck. I did extended tummy tuck and breasts at the same time. Second round was inner thighs and arms. Those were a *****allenging as far as recovery. I have pics on my profile if you'd like to look.

You look amazing! Thanks so much for sharing your pix.

I'm having a TT with LBL along with an arm lift for my first surgery. My second will be breast lift and medial leg lift. This is how my surgeon prefers to organize the surgery.

The LBL will lift a small amount of skin in the leg, especially the outer thigh - maybe that will be enough for you?