HerScene - Tales of a Tummy Tuck

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Transcript of HerScene - Tales of a Tummy Tuck

Page 1: HerScene - Tales of a Tummy Tuck

The Courier-Journal 30/06/2015

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Page 2: HerScene - Tales of a Tummy Tuck

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AFTER LOSING ALMOST ONE HUNDREDPOUNDS AND HAVING TWO CHILDREN,KIMBERLY PERRY HAD LUMPS ANDBUMPS NO AMOUNT OF DIET ANDEXERCISE COULD FIX. SHE TAKESCHRISTINE FELLINGHAM THROUGH THEDECISION, PROCESS AND AFTERMATHOF HER ELECTIVE SURGERY.PHOTO BY ALTON STRUPP

48 T H E CO U R I E R- J O U R N A L | S U M M E R 2 015 | H E R S C E N E | A P P E A R A N C E S

Like many women who have been through weight loss and

childbirth, Kimberly Perry’s physical self didn’t reflect her ex-

tremely healthy and active lifestyle or her outgoing, exuberant

personality. “I had handfuls of skin that would just hang there

when I bent over,” says the completely blunt twenty-six year old.

“I couldn’t wear pants because my skin would hang over the

waistband; I couldn’t wear tops that weren’t gigantic. I was a

young, athletically fit person and I didn’t like the way I looked in

clothes... or out of clothes.”

A family connection to a respected Louisville cosmetic surgeon

started her thinking about addressing her issues with surgery.

“My aunt had been through breast cancer surgery and recon-

struction with Dr. Joseph Banis and just had such wonderful

things to say about him. I had such trust in him because of her

experience. I decided that I should at least go in for a consultation

and see what he recommended.”

A consultation confirmed what she knew: The skin hanging

around her mid-section would never go away unless it was surgi-

cally removed. Dr. Banis described the surgery in detail, explained

the healing process (about two months) and post-surgical care:

“What I loved about him is that he didn’t sugarcoat it,” she says.

“He was very direct and very matter of fact. I thought about it for

a few months, but I knew, once I talked to him I would move for-

ward with the surgery. I just wanted to get it over with and go on

with my life.”

Eight weeks ago, Kimberly had her tummy tuck and some

ancilliary liposuction on her back “to make her silhouette look

smooth and proportional” and she showed up glowing and ready

to talk about the experience in our studio. Here, Kimberly shares

some straight talk on the procedure so many women consider.

You’re younger than the average patient. What made you decideyou needed surgery?

“I’m a former heavy girl. I’m five foot four and I weighed 212

pounds in high school. But in college, I met my husband and we

got engaged and we both started exercising. I stopped eating when

I wasn’t hungry.... I lost about 89 pounds in ten months. I weighed

126 pounds when we got married. Nine months after we got mar-

ried, I got pregnant. I gained forty pounds and got gestational

diabetes. After I had my son, a lot of my skin was loose. The bot-

tom of my stomach was just loose skin. I continued to exercise.... I

got the weight off, but it didn’t matter. It was frustrating not to

have any results for all my hard work.

TALES OF ATUMMY TUCK

[CONTINUED ON PAGE 102]

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So I would wear shapers, Spanx

which I would wrap with a roll of duct

tape from my bra line to my hips until

the love handles were gone. I’d wrap it

over a tank top just to have a smooth

line without that spare tire in the front.

About two years later, I found out I

was pregnant again. And, after I had my

daughter, who was a c-section, my skin

really wasn’t going anywhere. And it

was even worse. I looked like I had jowls

hanging down on either side of me. Six

months after she was born, I looked at

my husband and said, “When does the

mommy makeover happen?” And I

scheduled the consultation.”

What was the consultation like?“My mom went with me. It’s a weird

experience where you’re sitting in a

room with your clothes off while the

doctor looks at your sagging skin. Still,

it only took about a minute for me to

decide that I’m going to do this. But

that’s partly because I already trusted

Dr. Banis. I am the only woman in my

family over the age of eighteen who

hasn’t had breast cancer. My aunt and

cousins had such positive experiences

with him. I went into the consultation

knowing I trusted him.”

How did you prepare for surgery?“Number one, I wanted to make sure

that I figured out the recovery period

because you’re out of commission for a

good four to six weeks. I knew my hus-

band could take care of me. But I had to

make sure there was someone to take

care of my kids. I made sure my parents

could help. And my in-laws who live five

hours away came and took them for a

while. I literally could not have done

this without the support of my entire

family.”

Describe the recovery.“You’re wrapped tightly in medical

spandex. You can’t go to the bathroom

yourself because you can’t stand up.

You can’t lift anything over ten pounds

for two weeks. I didn’t want to go any-

where because all you can wear are

athletic pants. I had pajamas and a robe

on most of the time. I was wearing these

medical grade Spanx that they put on

you after the surgery. They’re like biker

shorts with shoulder straps that go up

to just underneath your bra line. It’s

heavy duty medical stuff. There’s a

binder over that. The binder goes from

edge of bra line to hip bone and it’s a big

white piece of elastic that wraps around

your stomach. It prevents you from

bending too much and helps support

your muscles. For a few weeks, you can’t

even get jeans on. It’s not like getting

your boobs done.... You can’t wear un-

derwear. You’ve got drains and a pain

pump. The pumps came out early and

TUMMY TUCK[CONTINUED FROM PAGE 48]

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the drain came out at ten days. After four

weeks, the shaper comes off and you start

to feel a little less like a patient.

I had my surgery on a Friday and on

Monday he took the staples out. There

were ten or fifteen microscopic incisions

from when he did lipo on my back and

each one had a staple. On the front, I was

so numb I didn’t even know I had staples.

As for the scar, it isn’t like a C-section

which can bunch up, it’s completely flat

and as time goes on, it will lighten.”

What are some of the weird thingspeople may not expect?

“I did have to prime myself that I

wasn’t going to sleep in my bed for three

weeks. I couldn’t lay down flat because it

stretches out your core. So I slept in a

recliner for three weeks. I just put a pil-

low to the side of my head. I would try to

lie on the couch in little increments;

sometimes it was okay, sometimes it

wasn’t.

Honestly, I would recommend getting a

recliner or a chair with an ottoman if

you’re having this procedure.”

What words of advice do you have? “First, know this is major surgery.

You’re going to have at least two months

of sitting on your butt. And you have to

swallow your pride. All forms of modesty

are out the window. It’s not a cake walk.

But even at two months, I am so happy

and proud of the results. I’m just lifting

up my shirt showing the world. It’s not an

easy way out, believe me. I worked out

more before the surgery than I ever had

in my life to get in optimal shape for this.

It’s not a weight loss treatment. And it’s a

family decision. You have to know that it’s

not just going to affect you. The recovery

is going to affect your entire family.

Whether someone is sitting with you

while you sleep or they’re helping take

care of your kids, it really does take a

village.”

How do you feel about the results?“As soon as I woke up after surgery, I

said, “Oh, it’s gone.” I felt pure relief. And

I knew whatever I had to go through, it

was worth it. I have a scar that goes from

hip to hip but I could put on a bikini if I

ever wanted to and you wouldn’t see it.

Dr. Banis took off six pounds of skin

from the front of my stomach. He also did

liposuction on my back so it would look

proportional since we were taking so

much off the front. So I also have ten or

so incisions up and down my back. But

every day, as the swelling goes down, I

can see more and more of a difference.

My jeans are hanging off of me. Just the

fact that I can button my jeans and don’t

have skin hanging over them is huge. I

can wear a dress or a tight shirt without

worrying about that spare tire.

I just got cleared to work out again and

I can’t wait to get to the gym. I’m starting

to see abs which I’ve never had before. I’m

just excited to have this new body that

reflects who I am.”