Total Lipedema Care Plastic Surgery Center

I was not able to attend the conference but I saw that Dr. Schwartz had experience with removing a lot of excess skin, so I scheduled a consult. At my consult, we discussed various options and problem areas and Dr. Schwartz, Sasha and Nicole were all very professional and helpful in answering any questions I had. During my consultation, we had gone over various (typical) medical questions, past surgeries, ailments, past medical diagnoses and I expressed that I had recently been diagnosed with fibromyalgia (but didn't feel that was an appropriate diagnosis). You could see the lightbulb in Dr. Schwartz's head and he immediately started asking questions about my thighs, hips, stomach and arms and mentioned that he'd lost count of how many of his patients have been "diagnosed" with fibromyalgia who, in fact, have Lipedema. I felt a sense of relief (and happiness that I declined the fibromyalgia treatment that was suggested by my rheumatologist). He expressed that I was not the typical lipedema patient because most of my issues were in my hips. thighs and stomach. He asked about past weight and if I was able to lose weight in my lower extremities (my response: no, it was very difficult) and some other questions (does this hurt, etc) and he expressed that I was in the very early stages of Lipedema and that I had Lymphedema in my left foot. Knowing that Dr. Schwartz is a Lipedema specialist I felt a bit of assurance when he said he was confident that I would feel so much better once the "bad fat" was removed. We went over a few surgical treatment options and I was told that the best option would be to break up the surgeries into two steps to allow for optimum results.
I finally decided that I would have an extended Fleur-de-lis abdominoplasty with mons-pubic lift and Lymphatic Sparing liposuction on my thighs, hips and stomach first, and then later down the line would undergo a thigh lift to remove the leftover skin and excess tissue.
I had my surgery on 3/5/20 and my surgery was about 6-7 hours long. It has been one month and I could not be happier with the results so far! I weighed myself prior to surgery and I was 174, and when I got home I was a little over 164 pounds. He removed about 10 pounds of skin and bad fat tissue, and when I asked him (because I was still in disbelief I had lipedema) if there was really nodules, he replied: "Oh yeah, there was a lot and I took as much as I could! We'll get the rest in the next stage."
Thankfully, I did not require any drains and the office staff and Dr. Schwartz have been more than accommodating with any questions I have had thus far. I am healing beautifully and can't wait for the scars to really start fading.
It's weird that I was once able to grab huge handfuls of skin that were hanging over my stomach and now I cannot even pinch two fingers together. What made it even more surreal is seeing my surgery on his Instagram page/stories and Dr. Schwartz was holding up my (removed) skin.
I am so happy with my decision and happier that Dr. Schwartz was supportive and knowledgeable every step of the way. THANK YOU, DR. SCHWARTZ and TOTAL LIPEDEMA CARE!

Dr. Jaime Schwartz is amazing. I have had two surgeries with Dr. Schwartz. He has done a bra line back lift, mastoplexy, fleur de lis extended abdominoplasty, mons lift and extended thigh lift for me. He listened to my concerns and gave me great advise on what procedures to do in what order. He and his staff provided caring and thorough care before, during and after my surgeries. They make me feel like I am their only patient. Have had no complications and the results are fabulous. He is the only surgeon I will ever have work on me. I will always go back to him. I trust him so much. Thank you Dr. Schwartz!

Dr. Schwartz and his team are incredible!! I lost over 120lbs and was left with excess skin all over my body. When you've lost a significant amount of weight, it's almost impossible to see beyond the skin to the body that might be hiding underneath. Dr. Schwartz is not only able to see the future you that's possible but he's also able to help you see it as well.

His office is so welcoming and they really want to help you become the best version of yourself. Dr. Schwartz performed a bra line backlift and a breast lift + augmentation for me. I was nervous about my recovery and Dr. Schwartz assured me that my recovery would be smooth and that I would be incredible happy with my results. Both were absolutely true!

If you're considering skin removal/reconstructive surgery, I highly recommend seeing Dr. Schwartz and his team. He treats the body with science and the mind with heart.

I am likely not a typical patient for Dr. Schwartz. I suffer from lipedema and lipo-lymphedema that surfaced after I was 50 years old. It then took nearly a decade to obtain an accurate diagnosis, during which time my body ballooned. Some good portion of that gain was due to my disease, which is not amenable to typical weight loss strategies. Unfortunately, this disease is often not recognized by most physicians, so I spent ten plus frustrating years being told to just go on a diet and take better care of myself. Thankfully, I finally identified a medical expert who actually identified and then created a plan that addressed the root cause of my disease. The plan that my specialist doctor identified noted the appropriateness of liposuction as a means to address my lipedema (adipose) fat.

In pursuing this plan, my specialist directed me to two doctors in the Los Angeles area, one of whom was Dr. Jaime Schwartz. I was heartened by the collaborative approach that Dr. Schwartz took with his colleague, who is a renown specialist in liposuction for lipedema sufferers. The two conferred together with myself and my husband, identifying what steps were warranted medically within a programmatic approach; the order in which such these steps should be pursued; the ways in which each of their efforts would complement the other's; and extensive collaboration and follow through as we pursued my program.

Dr. Schwartz ensured that prior to his surgery on my abdomen, an MRI was performed to ensure that no hernia was present. This level of care and concern paid off immediately when it was determined that I had an umbilical hernia that needed to be repaired. This was uncovered shortly before my surgery was scheduled. Dawn handled this literally last minute challenge in a remarkable way, reworking the surgery center and identifying an excellent surgeon who could repair the hernia in the same session with Dr. Schwartz.

Dr. Schwartz performed a panniculectomy on me as scheduled. He closely monitored my drainage and when he observed that my drainage was not abating in the manner that he felt optimal, he deferred a second liposuction and brachioplasty that had been planned in order to surgically address the issues associated with this drainage. This was a significant change in plan, driven by Dr. Schwartz's concern for my personal readiness for the planned second surgery and a desire to ensure that the best possible result could be achieved with the original surgery. It was clear throughout this period of time that my health and well-being were his primary concern. In fact, beyond daily interaction and care between the visits, Dr. Schwartz actually came to our hotel room (we live in the Chicago area, so came to the Los Angeles area for the surgery) over the weekend to verify proper drainage and overall health and progress of my healing. This continued during the following week with several further office visits to confirm everything was proceeding smoothly. Throughout this entire time, the personal concern and attention to my health was evident and greatly appreciated.

Since my return home, there has been follow up discussion and monitoring of my recovery on a regular basis. I have a commitment to continue my program with Dr. Schwartz. I have full confidence in his expertise, his personal concern for my well-being, and the care and attention to detail that he manifests.

I put on some extra pounds during college. All of a sudden I looked in the mirror and didn't recognize who I was. I changed some habits and got back down to my pre-college weight. After losing all the late night snack weight, I ended up with a lot of loose and hanging skin around my tummy and arms. I was still embarrassed to wear certain clothes or dare put on a bathing suit. After doing some research, I decided to go see Dr. Schwartz for a consult. From start to finish, everything was great. The entire staff was so kind and attentive. Nicole was so welcoming and helped walk me through all the paperwork and how my consultation would go. Erika made taking photos fun and not so painful. Then Dr. Schwartz came in! Dr. Schwartz is very welcoming, very informative, and I felt like he the treated me like family. He walked me through every part of surgery and taught me a lot. He is all about safety, which made me feel at ease. I met with Dawn after the consult. She was the cherry on top of the whole visit. I was so nervous the week leading up to my surgery, but Dawn was always there to hear me out and help calm my nerves. The day of surgery, Dr. Schwartz and I went over the surgical plan again and did some markings together. He was so kind and patient and made sure I was happy and laughing. The recovery was easy. Dr. Schwartz and staff were there the whole way. The whole staff was so kind and caring, it made the entire surgery process feel like a breeze. Even now, months after my surgery, they always call or email to check on me. It's really rare to find a Doctor who cares about his patients like they were his own family, but Dr. Schwartz does.I am so excited to put on a bikini this summer and not be embarrassed about my belly roll or arm flaps. I can't thank Dr. Schwartz and his staff enough for transforming my body into the girl I used to be! Go see Dr. Schwartz today, it will be one of the best decisions you make!

I am a mother of 4 wonderful kids. The havoc they put my body thru is crazy. I gained over 100 pounds over the course of having all of them. Of course I have to take some responsibility for the food I put into my mouth. After deciding to get myself in control and start on a healthy path, I ended up with a lot of excess skin around the abdomen, thighs, and arms. My breast were huge before pregnancy and GIGANTIC after breast feeding. I had size G breast. They hung to my belly button, and when I laid on my back they went into my arm pits. They were so heavy. My back hurt, I had shoulder grooves, major headaches, and they didn't fit into anything. As much as I disliked seeing myself in the mirror with no clothes on, I sucked it up and went to see Dr. Schwartz. Everyone there is so nice. The office is absolutely beautiful. I felt so comfortable during the consultation. Dr. Schwartz gave me so much information. I felt like he really cared. We decided to break down my procedures into two stages. We started with Thighs and Arms and for the second stage we did the Abdomen and Breast. Dr.Schwartz and his team were amazing thru my whole journey. My husband was a rock star as well. Thanks Babe! I cannot thank them enough. Nicole made sure I had all my appointments in place and always returned my frantic phone calls. The photographer Erika talked me thru all the photos (which I hated at first) and then I would look forward to laughing with her.Dawn visited me at the after care facility to get me up walking, and change my bandages. I would text her nightly with questions and she always got back to me ASAP.
Dr. Schwartz is something special. It's rare to find someone who really cares, listens, takes his time, explains everything to the fullest, and makes sure you understand what you are signing up for.
It feels so good to be able to put on a pair of pants and my stomach isn't falling over the top. The skin on my thighs aren't rubbing together. I no longer have to put baby power on them so I don't chaff. My arms fit into jackets.
I love the outcome of each procedure. My favorite was the LipoLift Breast Reduction. I hated so many years of having my breast lay against me. When Dr. Schwartz took off the bandages and I didn't have the weight, the pulling, and I didn't feel them against me, words cannot explain how happy I was. I had no nipple sensation before surgery. Now I'm hyper sensitive. It is truly amazing. I didn't even need to have drains.
My outside now matches my inside. For that, I will be eternally grateful for the most wonderful experience and help during my journey.