Plastics?????

  Hi Guys-

The time has finally come to complete my plastic surgeries and I wanted to ask your opinions?

My choices are a local board certified surgeon who is competent and has done a fair amount of post bariatric work.  He would complete my plastics and two stages.

Stage 1 Arms, Chest (gynecomastia reduction with free nipple grafting?), so the nipples are actually removed and then put back on as grafts.  and lower face/neck lift

Stage 2 Medial/lateral thigh lift, revision of abdominal scar from previous lower body lift, and liposuction of flanks/lower back.

The other choice is to travel to Dr. Rubin at the University of Pittsburgh where they will complete the same procedures above with the exception of the face/neck lift, in one operation.  They would also be preserving the nipples by rotatin them upward and performing a z plasty on my lower back to the flatten it out following the lipo.

Total cost is almost exactly the same either way, $20,000 out of pocket.  Any thoughts, suggestions or comments are welcome.  Am I being unmanly to care about the feeling in my nipples?  just seems like it's gonna feel weird to have no sensation there.  Any of you had these procedures in stages or at once, please let me know.  Thanks

Just my opinion, and I have only had a LBL but I would do it in two stages if the surgeons are both equally qualified and if the out of pocket is going to be the same... reason being the recovery, how will you take care of yourself if you do it all at once, you would be miserable!!!! and under for sooooooo long.

Just my opinion, good luck!

Stella

I was all for getting as much done in one procedure as possible as I only wanted to do this once and didn't want to keep taking off of work ... having periods of recovery etc.   ONLY if I felt the surgeon was qualified and had good results I could see and hear about ... vs. just being told they could do it!

I think one thing that stood out to me in your post was "with the exception of the face/neck lift".    Is this something you WILL want done at another time if they do it the rest?   If it is then you are getting 2 procedures with either surgeon right? 

Another question .... what does upward nipple rotation mean / do?      I had an upper body lift, male breast reduction with nipple grafting.   They were "removed" and placed back correctly.   They were never really fully removed but still attached and just moved.   How is the rotation different?      It sounds like they plan a  Free Nipple Graft which is not used much now over the Pedicle Method I described I had.

My nipple sensation 3 months after is still slowly returning but it's coming back.

Tom

 yes, I guess you're right, with the face/neck lift it would end up being at least two surgeries either way.  The surgeon here in Florida advocates a free nipple graft, where the nipple is completely removed and then placed back as a graft, all sensation would be gone.  He claims this allows the flattest contour over the pectoral muscles.  Do you mind if I ask what your total out of pocket was?

I'll send you a PM on the costs.   I don't think I would agree to a free nipple graft.    Not having feeling is weird.   

So you didn't answer what this nipple rotation thing is.  

Thought I'd give an update.  My insurance covered my revision, so I went with Dr Samson at The Cleveland Clinic in Florida.  They were supposed to revise the migrated scrotal/thigh webbing from my former medial thigh lift and complete the lateral thigh lift along with a revision of the jagged uneven abdominal scar from my mons lift.  I wish I could report a good outcome, but it is horrible.  My thighs are uneven and completely loose, all this despite of the long incision running from my groin halfway down my leg.  I'm almost at the end of my rope, my insurance has now covered two thigh lifts and it's just as bad if not worse than I started with.  When I went for my post op and asked about a revsion, I was told that these things take time and multiple procedures and they won't even talk about a revision for six months and wouldn't commit to it.  I hope all of this saves someone else what I've gone through.