It’s been a month and a half since I graduated from my upper-arm worries! I already have the straight arms I wanted, so for the record I put together an honest list of the pros and cons of fat-extraction injections.
- Pros 1. No sedation anesthesia Because I was under local anesthesia and fully conscious, I could talk with the director, and I felt much more at ease knowing they would be more careful during the fat extraction process since I was awake. 2. Daily life without a compression garment If you get arm liposuction, you have to have a compression garment custom-made and wear something that pretty much holds up the whole upper body, and for about a month it’s hard to live without being able to raise your arms. I got the extraction injection on Thursday, rested for 3 days, and went to work. As long as nobody hit or grabbed my arms (I kept it a secret from everyone except family), it didn’t affect me at all at work. 3. No scars I’m really sensitive about scars, so this was the most important thing for me. The director made it so tiny near the elbow that after a month and a half it’s almost invisible. It got hot so I started wearing short sleeves, and nobody knows. 4. Line changes This is actually the biggest advantage. The round side line of my shoulders now drops in a straight line, and that makes me happy... I probably could have never achieved this through exercise alone. On top of all the benefits above, it has the effect level of arm liposuction, so I’m extremely satisfied.
- Cons 1. Procedure fluid leakage With extraction injections, the anesthetic solution can leak out. You have to be careful with bedding when sleeping (I recommend laying down a towel). People say it differs by person, but honestly I wouldn’t recommend going straight to work the next day. You should rest for two days because the solution keeps coming out, so like me, taking 3 days off would be good. 2. Bio-bonding (clumping) Around the one-month mark I started noticing clumping. They say this happens with arm liposuction, but it’s surprisingly annoying, so I paid extra for aftercare and am working hard to break it up. 3. Procedure pain Because I didn’t use sedation anesthesia, I had to endure the first time I felt the sensation of movement inside the skin of my arm and some pain before the anesthetic solution spread. I personally hated sedation anesthesia more, so thinking about straight arms made it bearable, and once the anesthetic spread and the fat was being removed, I felt nothing.
- Criteria for choosing the clinic After going through it, I really recommend following these two points. 1. The director should have strong liposuction experience 2. Leave as little scar as possible.
I think it’s obvious that the surgeon’s liposuction experience should be checked when you’re entrusting them with your precious arms. That’s why I felt even more reassured by not having sedation anesthesia and confirming that the director would do it. The director I went to has over 10 years of liposuction experience and has a lot of experience doing procedures for idols and celebrities so that scars don’t show.
There is actually someone around me who had a scar just above the elbow and you could see the scars on both arms when wearing short sleeves T_T. I went to a place that does it at the elbow, and once I started wearing short sleeves nobody noticed, and they only said I’d lost weight, which felt really satisfying!! lol