Singapore Expats

Hi All,
I have read almost all the material I could get my hands on for Vaser Lipo. And after reading the various post here, have decided to do thru with it.
As I am yet to have the procedure done, I am hesitant to mention who the doctor is and what is will cost. I will be getting the sides of my waist, my lower back as well as my tummy done.
I am a male, 34 ish...
At 1.76m, Muscle %: 37%, Fat %: 20%, weight 88kg +++ (plus a lot actually)
I gym almost every day, but hardly do cardio due to a bad knee.
I am relatively healthy. Except for a gut that I have, after many many years of practice, gotten into a habit of sucking in . And in a standing position, you would most likely call me FIT. Till i relax on the gut sucking or sit down and let it all hang out. Bending over is a big NO NO... it just dangles.

Anyway, the intention of the Post/thread is to give a bit more detail about what the entire process is ACTUALLY like.
After surfing the web, reading medical journals and talking to almost all the people in Singapore that can do the procedure, I have realized a few things:
1. I have never done 100 sit ups, so cant relate to that measurement of pain.
2. Pricing can be wide ranging. And the interior design of a clinic has no bearing on how good the doctor actually is.
3. Reading about the procedure and undergoing it may be very different. Thus I am hoping to give people a really down to earth description of the whole process.

So here we go, I went to see the doctor for a totally different procedure, A huge tattoo i got 20 years ago, just doesn't seem to fit into the life I have built for myself now. Thus, went to see him for a tattoo removal.
While there, and while waiting, I read a few medical journals and articles on Vaser. Seemed too good to be true... Thus read more on the subject from everywhere I could get material from. This was over 2 months ago...

The first consultation with him was rather enlightening. While working on my tattoo, we spoke of clients that wanted teaspoon fulls of fat removed from places that weren't even visible; clients that wanted to walk in as the Marsh Mellow Man and out as Brad Pitt, but with a better body; clients that wanted fat removed as well as a new personality implanted. And the cases that actually did really want it for good reasons... I obviously needed to consider what I was expecting the outcome to be.

Second Consult. A lot more chit chat to begin... Then a bit more serious talk. Spoke about what my expectations were, and why... And what were realistic expectations.
While expected pain "should be" moderate by any standards, how does one define moderate pain? Having a laser zap at me for 3 mins to remove a tattoo is far different from have a man jab metal rods into my tummy, fill me up with saline and stuff, jab another rod in to shake it all up and another rod to suck everything out... All done at one go over a period of 2 to 3 hours? Think about it, is taking a lot of pain once better? or a little pain over 3 hours??? But at last, it is expected to be moderate?...

But I trust him and asked even more questions, such as, healing time, reason and need for the compression garment, mobility post op, ability to fix issues that may arise later, how does the skin tighten up, how long will the healing take to get me mobile again, if there are no fat cells there, where will the fat deposits go in future? (imagine all your fat now getting stored around your neck; because you took the storage units out from your stomach.. Damn!! I would be a dumb fat necked idiot).

After much discussion and conversation, I still decided to proceed... Not once did he mention that I should really just get it done, or even try to steer me in that direction. The decision making process was comfortably based on info I had researched, information from him and a clearer picture of expectations, his and mine. As well as talking thru how the entire process will work. Nothing is as important to me as understanding how it will be done and why, I would hate to have surprises when getting it done. But that could be - just me,
This is the part I had to get naked for a man... The first thing he did was apologies, then he started pinching me with his fingers. I wasn't prepared for the apology, and am still wondering if he has violated me in ways that are as yet still unclear to me. But I digress. So here he is pinching me; it isn't painful, but the ideal of someone deliberately identifying how much fat i have, by gently trying to pull it from where is has been for years, isn't the most pleasant either. A few a few intense minutes of him tugging and pinch every fat fold he could find, we sat and talked about what/where/how t would go. Sedation was also discussed... Or in this case, the lack there of. Which doesn't bother me, I prefer to be wide awake when I try to hit him on his head as he gives me any pain out of the norm; or at least what i perceive as normal.

Again, I still decided that I wanted to go ahead. Now... here is the interesting bit. Are you aware that it is HIGHLY recommended that post op a compression garment be worn??? Yes, you say?!! WHY?... Well for several reasons that you will need to talk to your doctor about. If you have gotten to this stage, chances are you are seriously considering it... Thus a few more questions from you wont hurt... much....


So here we are, a week out from the actual op, I would love to sell tickets, but have been told repeatedly by the doctor that it would not be a good idea. My mental prep is all done, (till I break down 10 mins before the actual procedure). I hope to be able to write more on the whole process after it is done, about how it was done, real life comparisons... I will post weights, pre ops and weight post op... and hopefully weekly updates following, so while you all enjoy a happy merry xmas, I will be under the knife/metal rod...

Now to go rent "Fight Club", to figure out how they used the human lipo-ed fat to make soap...... I may bath by myself, with myself, using myself soon....

A few more days and I hope to be a whole new me... Well, at least a smaller me...

Anyway, thanks for all the personal emails.
I wont be revealing the doctor's name till after the operation. For a few reasons, If it goes well. Then woopie, i will be more then confident to share his name and location with the other people on the forum. If it goes badly, well, I will still share his name aggressively. But there isn't much point to either till the operation is concluded.

A few interesting things i learnt in this whole process.
Doctors are limited to the amount of Fat they can remove. Its kind of a MOH guideline that anything above a certain amount (1kg) of weight taken out will have to be conducted in a full hospital setting.
BMi's in excess of 28.5, may not be able to get this operation as well, Again, I suspect a full hospital setting is needed.
If you think this will make exercise no longer necessary, then that's a huge mistake. Bearing in mind that while the fat cells are removed from the tummy (as is my case) the other fat cells located around the body remain. So any excessive fat gain could result is enlarged fat deposits elsewhere...

While thinking about the possible outcome is fantastic, I doubt anyone can say that they are looking forward to the actual process... There is a lot that could go wrong and as such, a decision to under go the procedure should not be made lightly.

In the lead up to the procedure, I have been dieting, exercising daily and watching my overall health. In terms of pre op prep for the actual day, limited food intake for at least 8 hours before the procedure as well as preparing for my return home. ie: lining the bed spread with a towel, in case i leak all over the place. renting a stack of DVDs as well as books, Protein shakes, dressings as well as gauze and medical tape have also been purchsed and kept ready for my return...

I f all goes well, I will be posting on the actual op day... Lets see... Merry XMas and pls have some turkey for me too.

hello thr, just my thoughts abt this, after reading ur posts. well i dno if ure big, as in big in size. cos vaser(what's more hi-def) is really more catered to sculpting than removing. so just felt that if u're pretty big sized with lotsa fats to remove, don't do vaser. not worth the money, and doing it in Singapore will imply the 1 litre fat extraction limit. if ure big, 1 litre is really little. so i suggest, do a lil more research. u can visit dr nara cause he removes quite a lot, if u have fats to do so.

thanks for the reply.
But the savings isnt significant and I have met a horror story patient in real life!!
The internal void got infected rather badly, but as it was below the surface, it didnt appear a drastic issue till it got really bad... Patient had issues getting medical attention again and after various visits to the local doctors, and after weeks of antibiotics, she needed to get another procedure done to purge the infected area. Overall outcome, really not good, and really not worth the hassle.

If it was the removal of a mole or the lasering off of hair, then yes, travelling to save the money may be a good idea. But something that can be considered moderately dangerous, doesnt seem like a good idea to go experimenting with. Ironically, I travel very very often for work, and while I have entertained the idea, I decided against it after weighing the pros and cons. but thanks for the feedback.

i agree with takuda , i have done vaser twice and had a bit of hi def the 3rd time. you need to be not so big sized to have hi def vaser effective. And its more advisable to do it overseas because of the restriction, unless u are prepared and willing to pay for multiple sessions, which can be added trauma to the body as well

theres a lot of controversy going on with vaser,
now with post op 1 year, i can see alot of irregularities , burnts from vaser and had to turn to the normal liposuction to review.

Well, finally the process done on the 23rd of December. deepest apologies for the late posting, but have been up and about since doing holiday stuff. Yes, I am totally up and about!!!
Op day was interesting. Went in there an hour early to get the necessary jabs first. Mainly antibiotics... Took a few pre op photos, then chilled out for about 30 mins before i had to change into a robe in preparation for the op.
The op itself isnt as painless as described in other post. And honestly, I was on the brink of freaking out a few times. Mainly from the noise and the "pressure" - Pressure here can be described as Exceptional discomfort.
But all in all, it was bearable. I strongly recommend an Ipod or some form of noise entertainment be used during the op. I had brought an ipod which sat comfortably in my back pack as the op was underway! I wil never forget that part of my personal pre op prep again!!!
The mediate cosmetic differences are dramatic, before the swelling sets in, you get a good picture of what the final result will look like. Besides the 5 holes that were made, 2 along the belt line, 2 mid tummy, and 1 thru the belly button, the results I saw made the op more then worth the trouble, discomfort and pain.
Day 1-post op.
The swelling set in in a big way... Al of a sudden, i looked no different from what I looked like pre op. But that was okay with me, I kind of like the idea that most people would have no idea that I had gone for Lipo and after a few weeks/months, I would look a whole lot better. Well, that was the thinking at least... The compression garment was irritating. The tightness was okay but the inability to get out of bed, get out of a chair easily was exceptionally irritating. To illustrate the inconvenience of wearing the garment, please try wiping your ass after a dump, but all the while maintaining a perfectly vertical spine, with ZERO bending to the front or sides... Yes, wiping my ass was a chore all on its own. Taking on and off the diaper I was wearing was a whole world of frustration on its own, coupled with the garment, I was dreading taking dumps: pre dump, mid dump and post dump....
Day 2...
Went back to the doctors to have them look at the entry holes as well change my dressings. wounds on most entry points had healed up rather well. With the exception of the belly button and one along the belt line, most wounds were closed already. But yet, removing the securing stitches wasn't an option as yet. Ah well, liking with the stitches is far easier then living with the holes. When they removed 1 of the dressings from the belt line, I was shocked to see a tube sticking out from my lower tummy. I was informed that that was the source of the bloody (literally) liquid that was running down my upper thigh, down the front of my groin, and pooling in the diaper I was wearing... A soggy diaper is really no fun. Explains why kids cry when their diapers are dirty.. Seriously not the best feeling.
After many attempts at kindness to get the nurses to remove the tube. I finally managed to get them to say NO, again for the hundredth time. It was to stay in for a week... or 5 days... I believe that the difference between getting them to get the tube out on day 5 or day 7 would very much depend on my begging skills.

The following days were uneventful. With visits to the doctors every other day for post op review. It was at one of these visits that the tube was removed, which I cant remember. And the following visit I had the stitches removed.

Its been about 2 weeks since the op. And honestly, life is back to normal. I still have to wear the compression garment the doctor provided me, every night. And when I am at work or the gym, I wear an abdominal compression support.. Doctor doesn't recommend this, but I find it makes the swelling more manageable and increases my mobility some what as well. And yes, i am lifting heavy again.

The first week after the op was definitely not the best week in my life, But now, a few days after, there isn't much I can't do. And the times I get a glimpse of the results (when I take off the compression garments) I am really happy I decided to take the chance and do the op. If you can manage the swelling, don't mind the short term inconveniences and are okay with not being able to do some stuff. I recommend going for it.

In terms of what really got to me about my last two weeks post op; rank from most irritating to least, it would be: Diaper, dripping from the drainage tube, inability to take a dump easily, having to walk around looking like a puffed up lump/swelling, pain/discomfort bending.. Cant think of anything else.. Thinking back, it wasn't really all that bad. But then again hind sight always makes things a bed of roses..

For those that are thinking about doing vaser hi-def. I am lying in bed now writing this and playing with the lines in my 6 pack (or what I can feel of them now), its worth it... But immediate results, aren't as immediate once the swelling sets in. Apparently, it may take 3 months before all the swelling subsides. I will try t post as often as I can about how the recovery is going, but if the last week is anything to go by.. I will be gyming, walking and jogging more, I might not have the time to post, given that I have been trully inspired to really get back in shape

On the idea of doing this overseas, I am really happy I didn't. Being able to sue the crap out of someone is really important for me. If I cant get recourse, I will end up with remorse. And honestly, how much you saving? Imagine if something goes wrong??? We plan for the best, but must be mindful of the worse. An infected tummy filled/swollen with puss isn't easily rectified.
I am all for saving money, but wouldn't negotiating with the Doctors be a better course of action then just assuming that an overseas op will be better, at least on the financial front.
I am sure that there are great doctors overseas, but the savings doesn't really make that much sense to me. Its not something I want to repeat, or something that I see myself saving a tonne on. And the peace of mind that I will have easy access to recourse is priceless. Thus decided the closer to home, the better.

But thats just my 2 cents worth...

the

sinker wrote:For those that are thinking about doing vaser hi-def. I am lying in bed now writing this and playing with the lines in my 6 pack (or what I can feel of them now), its worth it... But immediate results, aren't as immediate once the swelling sets in. Apparently, it may take 3 months before all the swelling subsides. I will try t post as often as I can about how the recovery is going, but if the last week is anything to go by.. I will be gyming, walking and jogging more, I might not have the time to post, given that I have been trully inspired to really get back in shape

Hi there, I just stumbled upon your epic about your Vaser experience. On thing I can add is that for speeding up the healing process it would be very beneficial that you start doing a post-Vaser massage to reduce swelling, get rid of lump tissue, soften the hardened areas etc. From own experience I found it extremely helpful as a question of speed recovery was very important. The lady who specializes in this sort of massage (and not only - she also does lymphatic drainage and other form of massage, not only post-Vaser) gets Vaser patients sent from a number of cosmetic clinics and I got to know her from a doctor. If you wanna try just send a text her to 9683 2379 Her name is Jenny. If you have any questions, pls send me a PM Good Luck!

That's a very interesting topic. I'm also considering doing Vaser hi def, and I need more explanations. Sinker, I'll try to PM you when the system allows me to.

sinker wrote:On the idea of doing this overseas, I am really happy I didn't. Being able to sue the crap out of someone is really important for me. If I cant get recourse, I will end up with remorse. And honestly, how much you saving? Imagine if something goes wrong??? We plan for the best, but must be mindful of the worse. An infected tummy filled/swollen with puss isn't easily rectified.
I am all for saving money, but wouldn't negotiating with the Doctors be a better course of action then just assuming that an overseas op will be better, at least on the financial front.
I am sure that there are great doctors overseas, but the savings doesn't really make that much sense to me. Its not something I want to repeat, or something that I see myself saving a tonne on. And the peace of mind that I will have easy access to recourse is priceless. Thus decided the closer to home, the better.

But thats just my 2 cents worth...

hi sinker howz the effects now? do you have pictures of yourself to show so we can see how great the procedure turned out to be? i will pm you when the system can enable already thanx...