One patient who underwent body transformation surgery with Sydney plastic surgeon Dr Kourosh Tavakoli says the surgery has given her a new lease on life.
Diet regimes and exercise programs are sometimes not enough to conquer stubborn pockets of fat and return the body to a healthy weight. The psychological effects that come with being overweight can mean other solutions, for example surgical body transformation, become viable options in re-contouring the body and removing excess fatty tissue.
One patient, named Alyssa for the purposes of this article, approached Dr Kourosh Tavakoli seeking abdominoplasty surgery to slim down her tummy. She had been considering surgery for many years and, after no success with numerous weight loss methods, decided to go ahead with the operation.
‘I’d been looking at it for a few years,’ Alyssa says. ‘I tried various diets but was just unhappy with my body. I did my research and spoke to friends of mine in the medical industry. Dr Tavakoli’s name came up a number of times and he was highly recommended.’
Though Alyssa had done her initial research into the abdominoplasty procedure, she still had some concerns about the downtime involved and the eventual results. during her initial consultation with Dr Tavakoli, he showed her several before and after photographs and explained what he thought he could achieve.
‘I was concerned about the surgery itself, the downtime was an issue and obviously I wanted to be sure about the results before committing to such big surgery,’ she says. ‘During the initial consultation I was able to communicate these concerns freely and ask any questions I had openly. Dr Tavakoli spoke to me about what the procedure would involve, we discussed my feelings going in, and he outlined the results he thought were possible.’
Abdominoplasty is an extensive procedure that involves an incision that runs from one hip to the other, near the pubic hairline. Excess fat is removed and the stomach muscles are tightened via this incision. Loose skin is excised before the incision is closed, and often the navel is repositioned during the operation.
On the day of her surgery, Alyssa found Dr Tavakoli’s nurses comforting and soothing. she said they helped alleviate any anxiety before the operation.
‘The nurses were very communicative, they were knowledgeable, soothing and caring,’ Alyssa recalls. ‘After the surgery I woke up in my room and there was a degree of pain but the nurses were very helpful. I was on pain medication for about a week post-operatively but had no difficulties – I always knew Dr Tavakoli was on call, no matter what.’
Following her operation, Alyssa experienced minimal bruising and some swelling. The swelling lasted around one month and, as it started to go down, she felt her body had settled into its newly defined contours.
‘After around one month I felt like I was back to normal,’ Alyssa says. ‘The third week I was back at work full time, and after four weeks it was all systems go.’
To help reduce the appearance of scarring, Alyssa has been using Vitamin E and Bio Oil lotion on the incision. ‘The scar is healing beautifully,’ Alyssa says. ‘it’s very discreet and the results are really worth it.’
Looking back, Alyssa is pleased with her decision to undergo body transformation surgery and is happy about the results.
‘I’m extremely happy with the outcome of my surgery. I have no regrets whatsoever,’ she says. ‘It was worth the money – the results are life changing and I was really quite stunned at the change to my overall body.’
‘Dr Tavakoli is a gem and a great surgeon, and his team have the same comforting, professional and soothing manner,’ she concludes.
