The Real Skinny on Lipo: Living through it and Loving the Results!

OK, fess up ladies… Liposuction… most of us have thought about it at least once or twice in our adult lives. Even if you feel pretty good about your thighs, with modern society’s eternal quest for a better appearance being so ingrained you’d have to be living on the moon not to at least wonder about whether it could actually work for you.
About six months back, I started to wonder about it for myself. You see… I have lousy genetics. No matter how much I exercise and/or diet, I’m cursed with massive thighs and upper arms. I’m not even exaggerating--they really are disproportionate. Since the age of 14, none of my clothes have fit. Pants are always too loose in the waist or too tight in the leg. Sleeveless dresses and blouses are impossible. And it’s not just about feeling self-conscious over the way I look, it’s that I never feel entirely comfortable in my own skin or my clothes. It impacts so many aspects of my life—from how I am at work, to meeting new people—even my posture by the end of the day. I started to think, “What if I could feel more comfortable in myself every day? What would that be like? What other things would it make room for?”

I decided to do some homework.

First the basics… What exactly is liposuction, again? Simply put, liposuction is a surgical procedure to remove excess fat. The surgeon makes a small incision in the skin, inserts a specially designed tube that excises and vacuums excess fatty tissue out of the body. At the same time, fluid containing anesthetic and a blood-clotting agent is injected under the skin to reduce bleeding, alleviate pain, and make the tissue easier to work with. In fact, in most cases, putting the patient to sleep isn’t necessary.

Who is the ideal candidate? (Am I?) For Lipo to really work, you pretty much have to start in a good place. Liposuction is not a substitute for weight loss. When it comes to straight up obesity, diet and exercise is still the best solution. Liposuction is most appropriate for someone who is of normal or nearly normal weight with areas of disproportionate fat accumulation. In my case, I would probably never be considered overweight—just misshapen with excess fat in my hips, thighs and arms. The other thing you have to be, for Lipo to work, is young(ish). Those under 35 years of age, who still have elastic skin, tend to fare better than older candidates, as the skin needs to conform to the new body shape. In my case, I’m 32—but a girlfriend of mine who is in her 40’s needed to combine her Lipo with a tuck because of the elasticity factor.
Will my fat come back? Technically no. Once the fat cells are removed, they will not regenerate. However, the fat cells that do remain may increase in size. I know it may seem unfair, but the bottom line is that to see the best results from Lipo, you still have to exercise and watch what you eat after surgery.

What’s the recovery like? Most people can go home on the same day as the procedure. You can expect to feel stiff, achy and numb with a return to normal activities in a few days. Wearing a special elastic undergarment for support for about three to four weeks after the surgery can ease discomfort—especially if you experience swelling.

What are the risks? Liposuction is generally considered a safe procedure, but knowledge of the risks is essential. In situations where a great deal of fat is being removed, the risk of blood loss is higher, and so you’ll either want to have the procedure done in a hospital setting (rather than an outpatient clinic) or you’ll want to break things down over the course of several sessions. I opted for the latter—doing one session for my thighs and another for my arms. It just made the most sense when considering risk, comfort and cost.

How should I choose a doctor? Doctors from a variety of specialties perform liposuction--you do not want an allergist working on your thighs! Be sure to choose a provider certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. This is extremely important in ensuring that the procedure will be carried out safely in accordance with the current standards of the profession. I also think you also need to feel super comfortable with the doctor, nurse and overall clinic environment during your initial consult—but more about this in my next post…

For now, while I am really happy with my decision to have Lipo, I think the most important thing to remember is: Don’t expect instant results. I have impatient friends who expected to wake up skinny and perfect. It’s just not how it works—which is one of the reasons I’m writing this blog. The real skinny on Lipo is that, as with any surgery, it involves a significant healing process, and you need to figure out how to enjoy that process in order to see the improvements... day by day…

http://elixirdevie.sg/liposuction.html

More on how to do that soon, xoxo!

Step One: Remove the Hair!

(Seems obvious, right?!) But, what razor should we use so that our legs don't get nicked-up in the process? My favorite is GILLETTE VENUS EMBRACE.

I love, love, love this razor!!! (Did I mention I love this razor?!)

It has 5 blades so it makes for a much faster shave. But, what makes this truly the best, is the "ribbon of moisture" they place around the blades. As soon as this "ribbon" gets wet, it becomes super slick and it coats your skin as you shave. I have never had such a nick-free shave as I have with this razor! They need to bottle their "ribbon of moisture" and sell it as a lotion because it is some pretty potent stuff! My legs feel so soft and supple after shaving with this razor. 

Another thing I like is the handle. It has a soft grip handle that fits your fingers perfectly (non-slippery, even when wet.) And the blade cartridges are easy to change too. You can buy them in refill packs of four or eight. It's true that the cartridges can be a bit pricey, but I think it's completely worth it for such a smooth shave. It's a truly wonderful product!

STEP TWO: Moisturize!

So many choices for this one! But, I really like VASELINE SPRAY & GO TOTAL MOISTURE. I love that you can spray this on and it absorbs so quickly that you can get dressed right away. There is no sticky or greasy feeling with this like you get with traditional lotions. I always hate that "drying time" you need to give yourself after applying lotion from a bottle. With this product, I just hold the can about 5 inches from my skin and spray evenly. It does require a quick rub-in but absorbs very fast in to the skin. I love that it's pure oat extract so it smells really nice too. (Just be careful about using it while standing on a tiled floor. This stuff coats the floor like cooking grease . . . ouch!)

 STEP THREE: Color!

One of the best things about summer is being able to break out all those great sandals  . . . and painting your toenails is just another summer "accessory" as far as I am concerned. You can change your color as often as your mood and there are just so many pretty colors to choose from! The trick is to get a polish that is long-lasting and chip-resistant. My choice is LA Colors COLOR CRAZE. My favorite summer color is SEA SIREN (it's a bright, bold teal that reminds me of a tropical ocean!) There are TONS of colors to choose from in this line; all reasonably priced. Amazon.com even has a 24-pack kit available for $38 so that you'll have enough color to choose from all summer long!

So, there you have it: Three simple steps to sizzling summer legs! 

(See you at the beach!!)

My favorite is still the original, which is "Glow." It comes in a beautiful frosted glass bottle with a faux rhinestone JLo"necklace" hanging on it. Glow is the perfect fragrance for daytime; light and refreshing but not overpowering. In fact, the scent is so subtle, I find myself wishing it was a bit more powerful. Luckily, they make a shower gel and body lotion in the same scent. By using at least one of these in addition to the perfume, I find it is just the right amount for me. The scent blends flowers, amber and fruit with vanilla and the result is clean and fresh. Perfect for the office or out running errands.

For evenings out, I prefer something a little more toxic and rich and LA Glow fits the bill. It comes in a beautiful deep purple glass bottle and holds scents of blackberry and plum along with magnolia and peony. The scent lasts for hours and it's just a bit richer (more sensual) smell than the original Glow. I purchased a travel atomizer (also in purple!) so that I can carry this fragrance with me when I go out to refresh as needed. It's great for a little extra spritz during a night of wild dancing!

It's funny how scent can evoke memories or create an experience so real we are transported in our minds. This is what Miami Glow does for me. It is like sunshine in a bottle! When I spritz this scent on I am instantly transported to the beach or ocean; some place completely tropical. It's a great blend of coconut water, pink grapefruit, passion fruit, crystal mush, sheer amber, vanilla orchid and blonde woods. This scent is ideal for summer and, even in the winter, it instantly reminds me of summer! Miami Glo is basically a hot summer night, the mist of sea water in the air and fruity tropical drinks all wrapped in to one! Don't let the fairly plain bottle fool you . . . this perfume is sultry and sexy!

I love that Jennifer Lopez also offers most of her scents in gift sets. The Miami Glo set comes with a 1oz spray and a compact-size container of Golden Bronzing Powder. The powder was a fun treat as it's not something I would have normally purchased on its own. I enjoyed using it on a night out on the town (though am I not sure that I would purchase it again on its own).

I absolutely love her line! And, I like the fact that she just keeps coming up with more new scents all the time. Even though I have my favorites, it is still fun to try something new. So, check them out! Not only are they reasonably priced and beautifully packaged but, most importantly, they all smell delicious!!

After childbirth, I could barely stand to look in the mirror. I hated what I saw; still, because of I was a lactating mother, I could barely control the hunger pangs and just continued eating. Did I think ‘Lose Wight’, ‘Weight loss’, ‘Belly fat’? Not the slightest bit. In my defence, I started jogging but the pound weren’t falling off just as fast and due to demands, I could barely keep up my jogging routine; I tried dieting but it was not working because I was abstaining from the wrong set foods and eating just what I was not supposed to eat.

My tummy still was not obeying any reduction exercise then I got introduced to lose weight DVDs which I almost did not use. I was amazed at the transformation my stomach took; it flattened completely. Through my experience, I learnt not to eat for two during pregnancy as well as to eat healthy. It was a really difficult fight; but tell me ladies, do you have an even easier or better way to lose all that pregnacy fat? I really wuld want to know.

 

Source of disaster: Eye makeup

For me, Avril is unique in a lot of ways; she’s one of those few non-Disney pop stars who rose to prominence at a very early age. Besides the fame and glory that she was surrounded by, she never let it get to her head. I mean she had her hiccups with a failed marriage, but she’s comparatively in a much better position than most of her peers, including Britney Spears.

Lavigne went from a purely tomboyish style to a gothic phase, after which she finally decided to let her inner beauty out, going for more feminine clothing and dying her hair blonde. However, one thing that Lavinge forgot to wash off from the gothic phase is that deep shade of black surrounding her eyes. Look at her; with that gorgeous face cut and naturally appealing eyes, she can almost make the cut for a Hollywood lead girl. That weird smokey eye makeup is the only thing standing in her way, which she doesn’t seem to get rid of anytime soon.

Lindsay Lohan

Source of disaster: Isn’t it obvious?

Lindsay apparently spent a little too much time in the tanning beds to move away from the usual ‘bright white princess’ image. The result? Well…

Looks like she has drawn inspiration from the 60’s classic Goldfinger. Don’t worry Lindsay, you’ll find better movie roles covered in Bronze.

Source of disaster: Paper thin eyebrows

Harding is probably the least known celebrity on this list, but her eyebrows still deserve more attention than Lohan and Lavinge’s disasters combined. Straight out of a comic book, Harding took plucking to a whole new level previously reserved for Japanese anime characters.

The result? She looks like a mix between a Barbie doll and a Cougar! We don’t really blame Harding for this one, as her boyish haircut actually matches the eyebrows to form a real life version of a Digimon character.

Pictured above: Sarah Harding

So that’s the end of part 2. If you enjoyed reading this, you might want to stick around for the final installment of the celebrity disaster series, where I have even more surprises for you.

Is that you Miley Cyrus?

Source of Disaster: Eye Shadow

The result? Well it looks like someone forgot to wash off their Halloween makeup.

Source of disaster: Lipstick

And with these two entries comes the end of part 1 of this three part makeup disaster series. Stick around, as we’ve got even more entries on the makeup disaster. As an added bonus, there’s also a teenage pop star in part 2 that we all used to love about 10 years. Nostalgia!