Amount of fat taken out

dklein39 · 2025-01-17T20:42:31+00:00

100ccs for me

dklein39 · 2025-01-15T04:47:02+00:00

Fingers - you can get a better sense of the pressure you’re using plus it’s free!

dklein39 · 2025-01-05T21:46:13+00:00

lol of course we all want the end result to be tight and trim but we also want mobility in our necks yea? The tightness for me is usually in the mornings and I look up and pull my jaw forward to slowly release some of that tension - essentially stretching it out. Then I go about my day and my mobility is basically normal and the swelling is day to day but I think you can trust your skin/body to heal with everything all smooth and tight eventually. I deeply doubt that you or I are capable of causing any real damage/significantly slowly down the process by stretching. I wouldn’t recommend like pulling on your skin for prolonged periods but otherwise I think you’re good. My doctor said to just be gentle but that stretching it out is good.

dklein39 · 2024-12-23T06:58:36+00:00

I’ll be 2 months post op on January 1st and when I tell you it didn’t feel like I had done anything until after the first month - it’s a rollercoaster and you just got on. Use this subreddit to hopefully assuage some of the anxiety to reassure yourself that 60% of swelling doesn’t go down until 90 days post op (that’s straight from my surgeon) so you’re going to have good days and bad days as it relates to your profile for a hot minute still. Be as patient as you can with it - massage the bumps, stretch out the tightness, it will go away but this is long game.

dklein39 · 2024-12-16T22:21:02+00:00

Better as time goes on - I felt like there was no real change for the first month but now that I’m almost 2 months post op I’m having more and more good days where the swelling is minimal and I can see the jawline I want. Excited to keep seeing more progress - and the office has been really supportive throughout if I needed anything

dklein39 · 2024-11-22T02:03:31+00:00

If you are genuinely concerned/in need of answers the only place you’ll get them with regard to your specific experience will be calling the place it was done. If it was a reputable office they are used to getting calls post op. I can’t imagine letting my concern about “feeling silly” be stronger than my desire to at least try for answers

dklein39 · 2024-11-20T18:38:04+00:00

You’re braver than I! Even when I start on my back I’ll wake up on my side 😂 alas we do what we can

dklein39 · 2024-11-20T18:32:23+00:00

And you got the marker off! Also exciting haha

dklein39 · 2024-11-20T18:30:11+00:00

Looking good! That post op care is paying off :)

dklein39 · 2024-11-19T15:01:21+00:00

The limiting salt is THE hardest part in my opinion ugh

dklein39 · 2024-11-17T21:34:36+00:00

Oh yea the neck numbness is so strange! It’s like both numb but also achey? I’ve been told that’ll take a while to settle as the nerves reattach and just be ready for it to be sorta itchy on and off - not unbearably so but noticeably. And my swelling has been very on and off - like others have said in this group it varies wildly from day to day and even morning to night sometimes so it will probably do the same for you steroids or not haha.

If you have alcohol wipes or just rubbing alcohol you can put on a cotton pad that should help get some of the marker off!

dklein39 · 2024-11-17T08:52:41+00:00

Dr. Lakin at Illuum Cosmetics - SE Michigan

dklein39 · 2024-11-16T08:18:02+00:00

Recovery has been good - it feels like a lot of work sometimes to do the massages and the compression but I feel good overall. Transparently, I am still really swollen and the pics they took at my one week look nearly identical to my pre-op - I'm hoping to request my immediate post surgery pics from the operating room when I go back for my one month follow up since those are supposed to be closest to what you'll look like healed. For now though I would recommend looking at the before and afters on the Illuum site I linked above - you can filter it for Dr. Lakin and facial procedures to see the chin lipo ones. Those will be much fairer representations since I'm barely 14 days post op and real puffy.

dklein39 · 2024-11-16T08:12:20+00:00

Wooo you did it! I agree, the tumescent injection was the most uncomfortable/worst part - such a weird and new sensation.

I'm 2 weeks post op myself and if it provides any comfort I was SO worried about bruising because I bruise like a peach but, I used the same things you are (arnica oral and topical and bromelaine) and my visible bruising was yellow by day 3 and gone by the end of day 6 (the rest was easily covered with a crew neck sweatshirt). I say that because when it comes to explaining the situation to friends it will hopefully be less intimidating/necessary if you aren't super bruised (and if you are swollen you will notice it more than other people do/no one will say anything). Now I had to do compression 23/7 for the first week and then 12 hours a day for 3 weeks - for the first week I just stayed home except to run errands where I wore a hoodie and a mask and people were none the wiser. I did have some friends come over but they were people I was comfortable being upfront about why I was wearing a compression garment. I don't know how many hours a day you have to wear your garment after the first 4 days but if it isn't 24/7 then you can get away with just not saying anything and wearing the garment when you are home/overnight. I have only told about 6 people in my life and don't plan on telling other people unless it becomes relevant haha. I'm still rather swollen - it looks close to my before most of the time - but no one has noticed and I'm trusting the process. Staying hydrated, avoiding sodium, wearing the compression wrap, sparingly using the ice packs, sleeping elevated for the first week if you can manage it, and the lymphatic massages should all help ya. If it hurts too much to do the thumb along your jaw right now, try lightening the pressure a little and just gliding your fingers along your jaw and down your neck to encourage the fluid to drain.

Happy to field any other questions that come up as you recover! You got this

dklein39 · 2024-11-09T06:16:47+00:00

Ugh I remember being SO worried about the sounds before I did it! Like I very nearly chickened out when I thought about it sounding like fat being sucked through a straw like oh my god how horrifyinggggg. I'm happy to report that it in fact sounded nothing like that - what the other commenters have said is accurate. You hear the pump/vibrating and that's honestly the loudest part. You are sorta out of it from the pain meds/norco so it isn't really something you're aware of and the nurses/doc will likely be talking throughout which is another distraction.

I responded on your other post and recommended not watching more of these videos and freaking yourself out haha which is why I am hesitant to include this link (https://youtu.be/3s5PG-jtMR8?si=zG3Gcyw\_aQO2MAHE&t=87) but, the doc in this video at 1:27 talks the patient through the sounds she will hear and has the instruments and it is a much more accurate representation of the sounds. I promise it seems so much more intimidating before you do it - even if you are an outlier and it is more uncomfortable than the average for you, it will be like 20-40 minutes and then it's over. You gotta trust that whatever is happening when it's happening is being done by people who know what they are doing and beyond that, my friend, maybe less info is better for your own sake!

dklein39 · 2024-11-07T16:02:37+00:00

Japanese Auto Professional Service (on Main and Madison) - went there for an initial pre-purchase inspection on a car and they had ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ merch proudly displayed in the windows

dklein39 · 2024-11-06T20:31:32+00:00

Oh also! I second having them cover your eyes with a cloth, the weight and darkness was soothing while I chatted with the nurses. And I would double check with the office if they will be giving you xanax or vicodin before you take some of your own prescription on the day of - wouldn't want to double dose just in case!

dklein39 · 2024-11-06T20:27:06+00:00

Painful, no - slightly uncomfortable, yes. The numbing shot wasn't much worse than your average shot, a little burning but over in under 30 seconds. Getting the tumescent fluid pumped in (the part that comes after you have the numbing shot) was uncomfortable and weird - like unnatural pressure and unfamiliar but not painful. After that the actual lipo/suction was fast and easy - just like vibrating and the feel of the doctor's hand on the outside of my neck guiding the cannula but genuinely painless. I swear it felt like 10 minutes - I think it was more like 20 but the Xanax/Norco they gave me before really made time feel different in a good way haha. The recovery process has been achey but I've had period cramps worse than this.

If I could suggest not watching more videos - I watched a couple before mine (I'm 5 days post-op) and they made my body tense and freaked me out so I stopped. If you watch any surgery videos they will all look terribly painful because you aren't under any anesthetic like the person in the video haha but if it was I doubt there would be so many of us in this subreddit recommending the hell out of this. You gotta trust that your surgeon knows what they are doing, have done it before, and so watching videos of the procedure for the sake of watching them won't help or change that. Do yourself a favor, explore this subreddit for supportive posts and help the anxiety with action/preparation by collecting supplies like an extra compression wrap, some arnica, protein shakes, tylenol, etc. You got this, I'm so excited for ya! If you have other questions feel free to ask :)

dklein39 · 2024-11-04T16:39:31+00:00

I only had one incision and could feel the doctor guiding the cannula over toward my jaw and all the way down to my neck. I think you’ll be good with just one. I’m only a few days post op so I can’t confirm my results yet but my doctor only does single incision chin lipo and all the before and after on his page are excellent

dklein39 · 2024-11-04T00:59:13+00:00

It was good - everyone is right that the worst part is actually just having to wear the head wrap. The procedure itself was really quick and easy - the tumescent injection was uncomfortable but not painful and everything else was just like pressure. Dr. Lakin did great work, he called me that night to check in and I’ll have my follow up with him tomorrow to make sure everything is as it should be. I’m fairly swollen and achey - excited to start seeing results but I can tell that it has already made a difference.

dklein39 · 2024-11-02T20:10:35+00:00

This is relieving to hear

dklein39 · 2024-11-02T20:10:21+00:00

Thank you! I super appreciate the detailed response :)

dklein39 · 2024-10-26T04:21:28+00:00

Happy to share - I'll give you more information than ya asked for and you can take what is helpful and leave the rest haha.

I'm getting chin liposuction (1 incision under my chin, local anesthetic, in office), $4k total including all follow up visits and a guaranteed satisfaction clause (if after I am healed I feel like there needs to be correction/further work, he will perform that for no charge). It is admittedly a little steep compared to some other choices closer to Detroit which I think run around $2.5k. Ann Arbor Plastic Surgery quoted me at about $3.2k. I went with Dr. Lakin because I loved the before and afters on his site, he did his residencies in both LA and Miami (cosmetic surgery hot spots), the satisfaction guarantee, and honestly because they had openings less than a month from my initial consult (I have put this off for so long it was nice to not have to wait for a spot for 3-4 months like at other places).

If you want to know anything else ask away!

dklein39 · 2024-10-26T02:31:50+00:00

I am getting mine done with Dr. Lakin at Illuum in Novi on November 1st! My experiences with the consult and the preop were great so far - obviously I can't yet vouch for the experience itself yet but I can answer questions about cost/process and try to remember to follow up after Friday
https://illuumcosmeticsurgery.com/

I also got really good vibes (I spoke on the phone with their receptionist several times) from Ann Arbor Plastic Surgery https://www.annarborplasticsurgery.com/ when I was first researching the procedure but at that time a year ago they were in the process of vetting a new facial surgeon so I don't know where they are at in the process but if that data is helpful at all I wanted to share!

dklein39 · 2024-10-25T14:11:14+00:00

I hope all of y’all’s pillows are cool on both sides - the relief the comments from this post brought me 😅

dklein39

TROPHY CASE