Welcome back to The Savvy Adventure and my Plastic Surgery FAQ about my recent Tummy Tuck and BBL in Miami post-VSG weight loss surgery!
I’ve written in detail about my week-by-week experiences thus far, but wanted a quick reference post for people who just wanted a high level overview and maybe not all of the dirty details.
Question 1: What is a BBL?
A BBL is a Brazilian Butt Lift (Augmentation). Essentially, they lipo fat from other ares of your body (back, stomach, chin, thighs, arms, etc) and then inject it into your butt/hips to help shape a new figure for you. It is becoming incredibly popular and there is now a similar technique for breast augmentations as well.
Question 2: Which tummy tuck did you get?
There are many different kinds of tummy tucks, but I got the extended tummy tuck. I have a scar from hip to hip that dips below my bikini area so I can wear a two-piece swimsuit. I also got a new bellybutton!
Question 3: Can you have kids after a tummy tuck?
I am not planning to have children (I have PCOS), but yes you can get pregnant and have children after a tummy tuck. Everyone’s bodies are different so depending on how your pregnancy goes you may or may not need a revision after childbirth.
Question 4: How long is the recovery?
Each portion of the surgery is a little bit different. The tummy tuck is about 6 weeks for recovery. For the BBL you feel normal sooner, but you cannot sit or lay on your butt for about 8 weeks post-op. Both will involve you wearing a compression garment (faja) for at least a few months afterwards since liposuction was involved. My doctor recommended that I wear mine for 6 months, but it varies doctor to doctor.
Question 5: How much did it cost?
I booked my surgeries together and during a special promotion my doctor was running so for: surgery, a compression garment, 3 lymphatic massages, 1 week staying in the hotel, transportation to and from the surgery center from my hotel, 30 hours of nurse care, BBL pillow, lipo foams, scar cream it was about 11k.
That is NOT including: flights, hotel before surgery, airbnb after 1 week of included hotel stay, food, car/transportation, other compression garments, 30+ lymphatic massages during Miami and back in Dallas, random other things I bought to make recovery more comfortable.
When booking your surgery realize you not only need money for the actual surgery, but you probably need somewhere between 3-5k extra for travel/incidentals/post care costs. You can choose to pay all in cash, put it on a normal credit card, or get a CareCredit credit card that can be used for other medical purchases for other doctors as well.
Question 6: Why did you pick Miami when Dallas has plastic surgeons as well?
Miami has a much higher and more skilled concentration of surgeons who perform BBLs on a consistent basis. They are used to this type of surgery and have done thousands of them, whereas in Dallas they are more used to boobs/faces. I wanted someone who was amazing at BOTH a BBL and a tummy tuck. In Dallas I found people who were good at one, but not necessarily the other. I am incredibly pleased with my experience and my results.
Question 7: What are the pros and cons of doing both surgeries at the same time?
Pros: Downtime is combined, costs are lower since you don’t need to pay extra fees, less risky to be under anesthesia multiple times, you will only need to wear the faja for that downtime instead of wearing it for awhile and then having to start over later after the second surgery
Cons: The recovery can be a bit tougher, longer surgery time, you may mess up your BBL since you will have to lay on your back due to the tummy tuck.
Question 8: Why did you choose to have a tummy tuck and BBL?
I lost over 100 pounds a few years ago after having VSG (vertical sleeve gastrectomy) weight loss surgery. I was left with a lot of loose skin on my abdomen and the little amount of butt I had before the weight loss totally left me. I wanted a BBL even before I lost all of the weight so I was very interested in combing the surgeries so I could create a new and cohesive shape for my body to show off all of my hard work.
I hope this was helpful and gives you a better understanding of what all goes into making a big decision like plastic surgery. Please let me know if you have any other questions or want to chat about my experience.
Happy Reading!
-Savvy
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