Body Contouring - Tummy Tuck (Abdominoplasty)

At almost 63, my breasts were sagging, my abdominal muscles weak and I had a spare tyre so I decided it was time for some surgery!

When I was researching plastic surgeons, I was extremely impressed with the amount of detailed information to be found on Mark Soldin’s website. At my first consultation with Mark in November 2011, he took meticulous notes and spent a considerable amount of time explaining what was needed - a classic tummy tuck with liposuction to tighten my muscles and remove excess skin & fat from my abdomen, and a breast reduction/uplift to remedy my droopy breasts. I asked whether it would be possible to have both procedures at the same time but Mark recommended against it for several reasons, mainly because it would be a lot for my body to cope with, there would be a greater risk of complications and recovery would be slower. We therefore agreed to proceed initially with the abdominoplasty and liposuction, and Mark’s wonderful PA, Sue King, booked me into hospital at the end of December.

I normally sail through surgery and recover quickly. However, although the surgery went very well, I found recovery slower and more painful than I’d anticipated, particularly where my muscles had been tightened. I also developed a seroma, a pocket of clear fluid that sometimes develops in the body after surgery, and had to leave hospital with one of the two drains put in during surgery still in place. Two weeks later, the drain started to leak and, despite it being a Sunday, I rang Sue in a bit of a panic as I didn’t know what to do. She was so kind and supportive, got hold of Mark who rang me himself and told me that I needed to remove the second drain. Mark saw me every week for several weeks to check on my progress and to aspirate fluid from the seroma once the second drain had been removed. Amazingly, he never charged me for any of these consultations.

I went back to work 5 weeks after surgery. Mark continued to see me every few weeks. By three months after my surgery I felt terrific and loved my new shape. Six months post surgery, I’m absolutely thrilled with the results: my scar is fine and neat, my abdomen is smooth and flat, and Mark has made such a perfect job of creating my new belly button that you wouldn’t know he’d ever touched it!

Encouraged by my new shape, I started to eat more healthily and have now lost about 14 kilos, including the 3.5 kilos of skin and fat that Mark removed during surgery. I’ve also dropped two dress sizes and a bra size. I feel fantastic and, even if I say so myself, I think I look pretty good for my age too. Having lost the weight I’m not sure whether I still need the boob job. What I do feel I now need is a facelift – which of course Mark will be doing.

I can’t recommend Mark highly enough – generous with his time, he is a brilliant and talented surgeon who inspires great confidence, listens to your concerns and provides exceptional care. He is also a thoroughly nice man! - LB