Patient Testimonials

gamergranddaughter

Review from Realself

Apr 07, 2021

Perfect Results! (Lipo on chin/neck, arms, axillae/armpit, inner thighs, hips/flanks, stomach. Buccal fat pad removal) I've had 3 surgeries with Dr. Sterry. The first one was chin/neck liposuction a few years back. I don't usually write reviews or post pictures, but I'm so insanely impressed with Dr. Sterry and my results that I felt I truly needed to share my experience. At the time, I was looking for a surgeon who could perform laser lipo (Smart Lipo or Slim Lipo) on the neck/chin area. I was looking for this particular technique since I've seen numerous doctors mention the great skin tightening effects of the laser. After seeing the amazing before and after pictures on Dr. Sterry's website, I knew I had to schedule a consult. Another reason why I was drawn to Dr. Sterry is that he not only lipos the submental area, but he also lipos the vertical areas on the side of the jaw, giving the jaw a super defined look from all angles. I've seen other surgeons only do submental lipo without the vertical sides, and the results are not nearly as great as Dr. Sterry's.The consult was super thorough, and Dr. Sterry took his time explaining the procedure and expected results in great detail. I definitely did not feel rushed. During the consult (which consists of first getting pictures taken in the exam room and then sitting down in his office to view the pictures on a large screen), Dr. Sterry actually mentioned that he didn't think I needed neck lipo since he felt there wasn't that much fat under my chin (he tried VERY hard to persuade me not to get it done). However, he said that if I really wanted to go through with it, he felt he could make my jaw look sharper and make a real difference in the appearance of the vertical sides of my jaw (with some submental lipo as a bonus). I really appreciated his transparency and honesty. He gained my trust immediately with how frank he was with my expected results (that the results, while nice, may not be as dramatic as I was expecting since I didn't have as much fat as some other people) and with his approachable personality.I was set on having this procedure done, and I figured even if it's just a sharper jawline, that would still be a nice improvement. I was quoted $4,200 for the surgery (this was a few years back, so in 2021, it'd probably be $1-2k more than that) and booked the surgery immediately.One of the things I really appreciate about Dr. Sterry is that he schedules a pre-surgery appointment about 1-2 weeks before the surgery date. I like that I have this chance to ask some final questions and that both myself and the surgeon can align on everything. During this appointment, Dr. Sterry went over the procedure again and reviewed all the potential side effects/problems and how he would try to avoid them and what would happen if they did occur. I definitely appreciated this full disclosure and felt I was making an informed decision about the surgery.The surgery was done under local anesthesia only. Dr. Sterry offered an anti-anxiety pill as well, but I passed, as I'm not an anxious or nervous person, and surgery doesn't scare me. I was given intravenous anti-nausea and antibiotic meds. Then, we headed into the OR to start the surgery. The surgery itself was pretty straightforward, and Dr. Sterry described everything he was doing, so there were no surprises. The initial numbing injection stung a bit, but it wasn't too bad. Then, he injected the tumescent fluid--this part was definitely the most uncomfortable since the tube is inserted quite deeply (or feels as such), and it takes a few seconds to start feeling the numbing. After this, I was completely numb, so everything else was smooth sailing. The Smart Lipo process actually sounds almost like a lottery machine with the lottery balls rolling around in it. Anyway, after the fat is lasered, it's then sucked out. One stitch was placed under my chin, and the 2 behind-the-ear incisions were left open. The surgery took less than an hour or possibly around an hour. Note, your lower lip may be numb, making it hard to talk, so don't freak out about that.After surgery, I was given a compression garment to wear for a few days, which isn't too bad. The day after the surgery, I was allowed to shower the area, and as soon as I took off the compression garment, I saw a very noticeable improvement in my neck area despite the swelling. I usually bruise very easily like a tomato, but I only had one bruise with this procedure. After a few days, I went back to Dr. Sterry to get the 1 stitch removed.Over the next few weeks, I began to see more and more improvement. After a month or two, the muscles and skin in that area feel really tight (I was looking at new apartments during this time and actually couldn't look up at the ceiling--I had to bend my entire upper body backwards to look up), but this is totally normal and goes away in another month or two. I had regular follow-up appointments with Dr. Sterry where he took pictures and monitored the scars (I had to get a couple of steroid injections in the scars behind my ears since they were somewhat stiff/hard). The scar under my chin healed beautifully on its own and is undetectable now (so if you're worried about scarring with this procedure, don't be--the results are totally worth the 3 tiny incisions).It's been a few years now since I had the neck lipo done, and my results are still absolutely perfect. One of the things I really appreciate is that now, when I lie on the couch and look at my phone or laptop, my chin no longer touches my collar bone. Previously, when I did that, my submental fat would always touch my collar bone, making that area sweaty and gross. The results turned out to be much more dramatic than what Dr. Sterry said I might get. The people who know I had it done are all super impressed with the results, which are still natural looking while dramatic, and the people who don't know I got it done all say I look like I've dropped a few pounds (but can't point out that it's just because my chin/neck area is slimmer). All in all, I HIGHLY recommend Dr. Sterry for chin/neck lipo and any other body contouring needs. He is a true artist as well as a highly skilled surgeon. It's actually kinda amazing that in an hour, such a dramatic transformation can happen with such a straightforward, easily tolerated procedure. If you're considering this procedure, you should definitely have a consult with Dr. Sterry. I've had 3 surgeries with Dr. Sterry. The 2nd surgery was lipo on 4 areas: arms, axillae (armpit area), inner thighs, and hips/flanks. The arms and inner thighs were Smart Lipo, while I believe the rest were regular lipo. (The 1st surgery was for chin/neck lipo, which I covered in a separate review.) As I mentioned in another post, I don't usually write reviews or post pictures, but I've been so insanely impressed with Dr. Sterry and my results that I felt I really needed to share my experience. I had been thinking about getting lipo on my body for a while since within the past couple of years, my body started storing fat in the flank/upper hip area, making it look like I had a second set of hips. Since I had an amazing result with the chin/neck lipo from Dr. Sterry, I knew that if I were to get more lipo, it would only be from him. I completely trust Dr. Sterry's surgical skills and judgment without any qualms, and I'm lucky to be in a position where cost isn't an issue. In the back of my head, I had always been thinking about scheduling a consult for body lipo, but it wasn't until a friend mentioned he was thinking about getting Coolsculpting that I pulled the trigger and actually scheduled the consult. I think the reason why I had been hesitant to schedule a consult is that I knew I had many areas where I wanted lipo done, and I wasn't sure if I was semi-bonkers for potentially doing lipo on so many areas (I mean, is it overboard to need 2 hands to count all the problem areas?). Hearing that a friend also had numerous trouble areas made my situation seem more normal, so I decided it made sense to speak with Dr. Sterry about all this. One note about Coolsculpting—I have friends who have done it, and honestly, the results aren't impressive at all. It's not like lipo where the results are predictable and super dramatic. A friend who had Coolsculpting done on his stomach had stomach bloating for a couple months as a side effect (with no major cosmetic results either). Plus, people often need multiple sessions, so the cost isn't actually that much cheaper than lipo, if at all. One friend actually ended up just getting lipo done after Coolsculpting made no difference in appearance. The reason I had so many trouble areas is that I've always been skinny fat. I have a small bone structure, so even though my dress size is small, I still look a bit chubby. Back when my BMI was 17 (it was ~20 during the consult), I still had chubby inner thighs without a thigh gap (not saying that a thigh gap is the end-all be-all nor that it's healthy/attainable naturally, but it's something I wanted). I went into the consult thinking about doing lipo on 6 areas: the 4 I ended up doing (arms, axillae, inner thighs, hips/flanks) and 2 more (upper back and stomach). Dr. Sterry was very honest with his thoughts and mentioned many times that he didn't think I needed lipo in many of these areas due to the small pockets of fat. He didn't think it was worth the cost and the recovery process to do this. He also mentioned that with the inner thighs, a thigh gap isn't guaranteed and can't be predicted; he estimated that about 50% of his patients get a thigh gap from the lipo while the rest don't but that even without a thigh gap, I'd still see a major difference (I did end up getting a thigh gap). Overall, he said he could definitely give me an improvement if I chose to do the lipo, and he was concerned that if I went somewhere else to a less experienced surgeon, they may accidentally overlipo the areas, which is easy to do in someone like me with a small amount of fat to remove per area. One thing I will say is that I'm consistently impressed by how dramatic but not overdone Dr. Sterry's body contouring results are. I've seen other surgeons' results, and most of them are nowhere near as dramatic and perfect as Dr. Sterry's. Originally, I was thinking this could be done under local anesthesia (I don't get nervous about surgery, so I didn't think I would need sedation), but Dr. Sterry said that in order to do everything right and to his standards (i.e. get the best results), I would need to get it done under sedation (still breathing on my own but put to sleep) with an anesthesiologist. Specifically, he mentioned that the inner thighs are an area that can be pretty uncomfortable, and because I was already fairly skinny, I needed to lie perfectly still to avoid imperfections, so sedation was the way to go (plus I was doing a handful of areas at once, so the issue of local anesthesia toxicity came into play as well). I definitely appreciate that he's not willing to compromise on the results or on patient safety and agreed to sedation. There actually wasn't a huge cost difference between getting 4 areas done vs. 6. My cost for the 4 areas was around $16k, and doing 6 areas would've been around $19-20k (pricing is from 2019). I ultimately decided on the 4 areas because I was wary of doing too much surgery at once. I figured I could always do more lipo down the line and that it was better to give my body a chance to heal these areas first and see if I even wanted to do the other areas after this. I selected my top 4 problem areas and went with that. I booked the procedure immediately after the consult (I think the earliest availability was 2 months out, but I scheduled my surgery for 3 months out due to timing). I had the usual pre-op appointment 2 weeks before surgery (I really appreciate that Dr. Sterry does this final check-in before the surgery so that everyone can align on the procedure and expectations). Once I went in for the surgery, I was asked to remove all clothing and change into paper underwear, grippy socks, and a robe. I first met with the nurse, who reviewed the procedure, my health history, etc. (She's brought in specifically for sedation cases and after surgery, helped me get up/walk around, get dressed, etc.) I then met with Dr. Sterry to do the markings and lastly, met with the anesthesiologist to review any allergies, height/weight, etc. I was then brought into the OR, asked to remove the robe I was wearing, and asked to lie on my stomach since they would be doing the back procedures first. They covered my body with a blanket immediately after I had lain down, and they put some squeezy boots on my legs to prevent blood clots. In parallel, the anesthesiologist got to work immediately with inserting an IV in my hand (since I was getting arm lipo and was lying on my stomach with my hands in front of me). After that, I was asleep within a couple minutes. One thing I definitely want to call out is how comforting Dr. Sterry was during the process of getting sedated. Upon entering the OR, things start happening FAST (within maybe 5 minutes of my entering the OR, I was asleep). There are 5-6 people in the room all buzzing around you (grabbing stuff, talking about the procedure, prepping you, etc.); it's super bright in the room; and there are trays and trays of instruments, dozens of vials, etc. I'm someone who doesn't get nervous or anxious with surgeries, and even though I wasn't nervous or anxious, I definitely still had the feeling of "well, this is real, and it's happening NOW" while lying on the operating table. As the anesthesiologist was preparing the IV and sedation, Dr. Sterry was standing right next to me the whole time, making sure I was comfortable, making small talk to ease my mind, and making sure I knew I wasn't alone in this. I honestly didn't think I would care so much about having this kind of comfort and reassurance while getting put to sleep. I'm a VERY independent person (think someone who is super happy living alone, has never cared about being in a relationship (aro ace), etc.), but I truly appreciate that Dr. Sterry was right there by me while this was happening. It's a genuinely nice, thoughtful detail that I didn't even know I would want. Anyway, the surgery took 3 hours, and I didn't wake up until another 2 hours after that. Even though it was super late at this point (my surgery started in the afternoon), all the staff were still there and didn't leave until I left. Both the anesthesiologist and Dr. Sterry met with the friend who was picking me up to let him know the surgery went well and that I was recovering. After surgery, I wore 2 compression garments—one around my arms (like a shrug or bolero that doesn't cover the shoulders and just wraps around the back) and another one covering my thighs and lower torso (like a spanx stomach shaper connected to biker shorts—it zips up on the side). (No compression was needed for the axillae.) I found that for the torso compression garment, it was MUCH more comfortable if I put an ABD pad between the zipper area and my body so that the zipper was no longer digging into my body and causing rippling and denting in my skin. Even though I was super swollen, and my compression garments were stuffed full of ABD pads, I could already tell a major difference immediately after getting home. My waist and flank areas were SO tiny! and my inner thighs were barely touching! All my life, even though I've always been fairly skinny, I've always had a somewhat straight-looking torso | | as opposed to the ) ( parentheses look (I mean, I had a small bit of curve, but it would fluctuate). After surgery, for the first time in my life, I had such an extreme, undeniable curved-in torso. Furthermore, a bonus that I was pleasantly surprised about was my back curve. I've always had a nice curved back that's distinctly "S" shaped, but after the surgery, I had an even more extreme "S" shape! (This was due to Dr. Sterry lipoing the flanks and specifically also lipoing the sacral fat pad. It's not something I knew about before the surgery so I didn't specifically request it—it was just part of his standard flank lipo process.) The healing process was definitely tough. It wasn't so much that I was in pain (I didn't need painkillers), but I was just SO sore EVERYWHERE! and because I had so many areas done at once, I couldn't apply pressure to basically any area of my body. The thighs and arms were by far the worst. For the thighs, it hurt to sit down because applying ANY pressure on them would be painful. I ended up using a stool to prop up my legs while on the toilet so that my thighs wouldn't touch the hard toilet seat. For the arms, oh man—it might just be me, but I feel like everyone vastly understated how sore this area would be. I couldn't raise my arms for ~1-1.5 months (due to soreness when doing so and muscle stiffness), which also meant that I had trouble putting on pullover shirts (it would take me 10 minutes to put on a t-shirt, and sometimes, I'd get stuck when trying to take off a shirt). I couldn't wash my hair normally since I couldn't raise my arms, so the only thing I could do was flip my hair over my face and bend down and let the water run through the hair. I also had this weird condition where anything touching my arms (like a shirt touching my arms) would cause a pins-and-needles light tingling pain feeling—it took about 2 months for this to go away completely (it wasn't painful enough for painkillers, but it was a constant light annoyance. Dr. Sterry said he's never seen this before, so it's probably just a weird quirk with my body). The most difficult thing to do during this time was lying down and getting back up. Keep in mind, I couldn't use my arms to prop up my body or gently lower my body onto a couch, nor could I use my core abdominal muscles to bend up and down (due to soreness), but at the same time, I couldn't just plop down onto a couch or else my flanks would be in pain. Thus, getting out of bed took a good 5-10 minutes. The soreness only started to get better after 1 full week (it was pretty constant and stably high before that), and it took many more weeks for me to be able to comfortably lie down, get up, etc. I went back to work after 6 days; I work an office desk job, so it was fine. I was able to cover all the compression garments with clothing, and I just wore loose fitting pants until I felt well enough to go back to wearing jeans (luckily, my office has a casual dress policy, so everything from sweatpants to dress pants is acceptable). I was walking with a noticeable limp due to the thigh and flank soreness for probably 2-3 weeks, but no one asked me about it (I already told most of my team that I was getting this done, so they knew, but other teams didn't know). After the initial healing process, everything was pretty straightforward thereafter. Swelling went down more and more as the weeks went by, and within ~4-5 months, I would say my results were probably 80-90% finalized. One thing I really appreciate is how much Dr. Sterry tries to hide his scar placements. E.g. one of the incisions was in the belly button, and basically all the scars from the flanks and thighs are hidden beneath underwear. The scars for the arm and axillae lipo are harder to cover, understandably, but even on someone like me who takes a super long time to fade scars (a mosquito bite scar or tan line takes at least a year to fully fade), the arm scars are barely noticeable now and don't bother me anymore. For the axillae, Dr. Sterry makes sure to place the incision where the natural axillae fold is. I've seen other surgeons (like on Youtube) place incisions on the flank themselves or on the stomach for stomach lipo instead of trying to hide them under the underwear line; I'm definitely glad that's not the case with Dr. Sterry. I've been SUPER happy with my results and have never looked back. Without photos, I don't even remember what my body used to look like, and I definitely don't miss it. Now, I never have to think about if a clothing style will flatter me because everything looks good. In fact, I find myself thinking more about whether a style would hide my figure too much, in which case I'd stay away—I feel like I paid too much for this just to wear a potato sack. I used to NEVER wear spaghetti strap dresses because my armpit fat would show, but now, I love wearing them because the axillae is just a straight line instead of a bulge. When I was putting together the before and after pictures, I realized that I don't have a clear picture of my axillae bulge from before the surgery because I've always been SO self-conscious of that area. The only picture I have that slightly shows it is included in the "before" section. The arm + axillae lipo definitely made my entire upper body look skinnier, and the difference is truly night and day. With skinnier arms, all my outfits just look more feminine and more elegant, whereas before, with my fat arms, I looked heavier than I actually was. The inner thigh lipo, resulting in a thigh gap, has made such a functional difference. Now, there's no more chafing between my thighs, so there's less irritation and sweat, and my pants don't pill anymore. My 2nd set of hips (i.e. the fat bulges in the flank area) are completely gone, and I have a smooth curve from my waist to thighs like ( ). Now, if I wear sweater dresses, my figure looks perfect instead of lumpy. Another major benefit is that I no longer have to worry about having a "fat" day. If I'm bloated or ate a large meal, what happens is that all my body fat gets larger simultaneously instead of one spot noticeably bulging, so even if I stuffed myself with pizza and fried chicken, I still have a distinct hourglass figure, albeit with a slightly larger waistline. I didn't do lipo to go down in dress size nor to lose weight—it was purely to get rid of stubborn fat bulges in certain areas. However, I did end up getting both those benefits. My dress and pants sizes went down by about 0.5-1 size, depending on style. My old pants were about 1-2" too loose in the lower waist area after lipo. In terms of weight, between the fat removal and my subsequent slightly healthier eating (not dieting—just ate less partially because the compression garment made me less hungry), I lost about 4-5lbs, and I've kept it off. After all this lipo gave me a perfect hourglass figure, I began noticing my stomach bulge more. I want to clarify that this was NOT fat redistribution or fat coming back in other places—I simply began noticing it more because everywhere else was much slimmer. My upper back no longer bothered me, though. In the end, I got stomach lipo done as part of my 3rd surgery with Dr. Sterry (along with buccal fat removal—this will be covered in a separate review). All in all, I've been super pleased with the results of these 4 areas. A few months down the line, I mentioned to Dr. Sterry that I felt a couple of areas could possibly use a slight further reduction in fat, and he immediately acknowledged the issue (didn't try to brush me off at all and didn't try to persuade me that "no one will notice" like some other surgeons). He offered to do a complimentary revision on those areas (basically getting the results from 99% perfect to 100% perfect), which I appreciated and accepted. But I mean, even if my initial results were my final results, I'd still be happy. (It's also important to keep in mind that you can't expect true photoshop perfection with plastic surgery—it just doesn't work like that; it's not a magic wand.) Overall, I HIGHLY recommend Dr. Sterry for all your body contouring needs. Truly, he is an artist and a masterful surgeon. I'm super thankful to have found a plastic surgeon I can trust, and I've definitely recommended him to all my friends who are considering body contouring. I'm honestly so glad I had this done, as it is truly liberating not having to think about my problem areas ever again and being able to feel amazing in whatever I wear. I've had 3 surgeries with Dr. Sterry. The 3rd surgery was for abdomen lipo, buccal fat pad removal, and some misc. small things (mole removal, tiny bit of revision lipo on a flank). My previous two surgeries, which included lipo on the chin/neck, arms, axillae, inner thighs, and hips/flanks, are covered in separate reviews. Shortly after my second surgery, I knew I wanted to do lipo on my stomach area. My stomach area has never been one of my top problem areas because relative to my wider flanks and hips, it didn't look too bulgy. However, I had my flanks lipo'd during that second surgery, and afterwards, I started noticing my stomach more (NOT because of fat redistribution or the fat coming back in other placesmy flanks were just SO much slimmer). During the post-op appointments for my second surgery, I brought up to Dr. Sterry a couple of times that I was thinking about doing abdomen lipo. He kept on saying that my stomach looked fine and that he didn't think it was worth the cost and recovery process to do it. Finally, a year later, I decided to seriously consider it since I was working from home anyway (during pandemic times). He said that while he still didn't think I needed lipo on the abdomen, he could give me what I wanteda flat stomach. I also brought up buccal fat pad removal. I had been thinking about doing buccal fat removal for a few years prior, but I was concerned about looking gaunt and older after the procedure, so I decided to wait a few years to see if my buccal fat pad would naturally get smaller as I got older. It didn't (at least not noticeably), so I asked about this procedure as well. Dr. Sterry said that the results from buccal fat pad removal are subtle, and if anyone looks gaunt afterwards, it's because they had something else done as well. He said he hasn't had any issues with the overdone gaunt look in his practice, so I decided to do it. During this appointment, Dr. Sterry also noticed a very visible dark mole on my back while he was taking pictures of my flanks. The story with this mole is that about a year prior, I noticed that it had gotten bigger, and while pinching it, I accidentally pinched part of it off. I went to a dermatologist to get it checked out, and they simply sliced off the remaining raised part and sent it off to be tested (came back benign). However, part of it grew back, and now, it looked darker and more unsightly than what I started out with. This was actually my second time dealing with a mole growing back after being shaved off. The first time, I just got laser treatments on the mole regrowth to remove the dark pigment. It took 3-4 laser treatments, and in the end, about 60-70% of the dark color was gone. However, with this mole, the one that Dr. Sterry pointed out, I hadn't done any laser treatments yet since I had been too lazy to start the process (it takes about half a year), and the laser treatment doesn't even remove the appearance 100%. Honestly, the mole had been bothering me a lot because it was so visible, but I didn't know what could be done about itmy dermatologist never mentioned any alternative besides just slicing it off. Thus, I am SUPER thankful that Dr. Sterry mentioned he could just cut it out and give me a straight-line scar instead. I never even knew plastic surgeons removed moles! For the abdomen lipo, Dr. Sterry does high-def lipo that gives a more dramatic result than typical abdomen lipo. He not only suctions out the fat bulges from the lower abdomen and the fat right under the boobs on the upper abdomen, but he also draws a "V" line from the areolas down to the hips and suctions all the fat outside the V to the sides (to give a valley appearance on either side of the middle abdomen, making the hip bones look more prominent). He also suctions out the fat from the bottom of the pelvis area to give that area a more separated look from the upper thigh area. Dr. Sterry only does this high-def abdomen lipo under sedation, which is fine since my experience with sedation during my previous surgery was positive. Since I was going to be sedated anyway for this surgery, I decided to get a tiny revision done on one of my flanks. It bulged out a few millimeters (though it was usually hidden completely beneath underwear); if I hadn't have done this third surgery, I wouldn't have bothered with the revision (the revision was complimentary). Anyway, the earliest surgery date was 3 months out, so I scheduled it for then. The total cost ended up being around $10k (early 2021 pricing). Once again, I only considered getting these procedures done by Dr. Sterry. I completely trust his skills, and cost wasn't an issue, so I wasn't going to shop around. Since this surgery was going to happen during covid times, there was now a new rule in place for covid testing. The office required a negative covid PCR test to be done exactly 5 days before surgery (no more, no less). I ended up spending $500 on 2 covid PCR tests to be extra cautious and to hedge my bets. I wasn't feeling sick, but I also didn't want to take any chances with potentially getting a positive test result and having to reschedule the surgery. I first went to a place that did regular send-to-another-lab PCR covid tests with a 36-hour turnaround time (price was $175), but while waiting for the test results, I began getting antsy and just wanted the results asap. Thus, I went to another place that did 1-hour PCR covid tests within their office instead of sending it off to another lab (price was $325). Both tests came back negative eventually, but honestly, I should've just gone to the 1-hour place the first time. The extra cost was absolutely worth it for the quick peace of mind. The surgery went well, and the process was just like my previous surgery (I described that one in a separate review). A friend picked me up, and we ubered back to my apartment. As soon as I got home and took off my mask, I asked my friend if my face was swollen, and he said, "Oh yeah, your face is really swollen." I then looked in the mirror for the first time, exclaimed that the swelling wasn't too bad (still hopped up from the anesthesia drugs), and my friend had to keep telling me that no, my cheeks were definitely very noticeably swollen, especially when I talked. But anyway, I think the swelling is less intense than that from wisdom teeth surgery, so based on that barometer, I was surprised at how "little" it was swollen. After a couple hours, once the anesthesia drugs started wearing off, my cheeks were definitely very painful. Dr. Sterry had warned me that the cheeks were going to be painful because in order to get to the buccal fat pad, he had to spread apart the cheek muscles. Added onto this was 1) I had a sore throat (I didn't know it at the time, but it was because the anesthesiologist put an airway into my throat (not a breathing tube) to make sure I was breathing the whole time) and 2) I had a bitter taste in my mouth, making everything I drank and ate taste bitter (I didn't realize it at the time, but the prescription Chlorhexidine mouthwash causes this bitterness, which can last for hours and hours after you last use it). SO at the time, I thought I was getting sick (but I wasn't). I took a bunch of Nyquil and slept for a while to try to alleviate my symptoms. When I woke up, my face was feeling less painful (at this point, it was bearable without painkillers), though the sore throat and bitter taste were still there. After a couple hours, I took more Nyquil and went back to sleep. The sore throat finally went away on the third day. The mouth bitterness went away about 1-2 days after I completely stopped using the mouthwash, which I had to use for one week. One note about the mouthwashmy bottle's capping system was poorly designed. Usually, with safety caps, you turn it once to fully close the lid. However, with this bottle, I had to turn it 3-4 times before the lid fully closed. On the first day, I didn't know thisI only turned it once and ended up spilling half the bottle on the floor (my bathroom smelled minty fresh, though!). I ended up only needing half the bottle, so it was fine. For the next few days after surgery, my cheeks were DEFINITELY very noticeably swollen. I think the swelling actually got worse for a couple days. I definitely looked like I could be hiding nuts in my cheeks like a squirrel. I would say around day 7-8 is when I began to look more normal again (though still swollen). During this time, I couldn't open my mouth more than an inch wide, and my left lip corner felt super tightlike I could barely pull apart the two lips on that side, and the lips kept on wanting to stick back together again (my right side was completely fine). Dr. Sterry checked my muscle and nerve functions during the post-op appointment and determined that it was just a temporary side effect, not any kind of damage. That side was way more swollen than the right, so I'm sure that played a role. It's now been 10 days since the surgery, and that tightness has definitely gotten much better, so I'm sure it will be completely fine eventually. During this time, eating and talking were both somewhat painful since every time I did those things, I'd be using my already sore cheek muscles. You'll definitely want to avoid electric toothbrushes during this time, and you'll want to use gravity to your advantage (i.e. on whichever side you're brushing/flossing, tilt your head down on that side so that gravity pulls down that cheek, giving you more inner mouth space to work with. Otherwise, your toothbrush or fingers will touch the cheek incisions, which is super painful). Since it's only been 10 days after the surgery, my cheeks are still swollen, so I can't speak to the results yet. My cheek incisions feel very bumpy, like I constantly have food stuck between the teeth and cheeks. But a benefit I'm already seeing is that when I chew, I no longer feel like I might bite my cheeks because my cheeks no longer bulge out on the inside of my mouth. In terms of the abdomen lipo, the recovery process has been pretty smooth and straightforward. It's definitely much easier recovery-wise than any of the other major body areas I've had lipo'd before. My stomach wasn't too sore. Instead, the upper thigh/pelvis area felt more sore and tight, making it hard to stand up straight. For the first few days, it hurt a lot to cough (which did not mix well with the sore throat), but by day 6-7, it was fine. The compression garment they put me in is a stretchy velcro binder, so I just wrap it around my lower abdomen and pelvis area. Immediately after I got home from the surgery, I could tell I had a flat stomach, even through the compression binder. When I showered the next day, I was pleasantly surprised at just how flat my stomach already was. However, my stomach was very swollen, and without the compression binder, my stomach felt really tight and semi-numb, which is all normal. I noticed that the horizontal line on my abdomen where I usually bend my upper body was no longer visible due to the swelling (but it's back now after the swelling went down). I almost forgot how to bend my abdomen since I avoided bending it for a week. After 5-6 days, I could sit up from a supine position without any pain, but I still can't bend down to grab something from the floor. I'm glad to see that the healing process is much easier than with my previous surgery. The overall surgery process with Dr. Sterry has been super positive as usual. Now, I'm just waiting for the swelling to go down and for everything to heal.

Erika Cedeno

Review from Google

Mar 04, 2021

I’ve been debating for like 2 years to get chin/neck lipo. Reading, comparing prices and seeing what works best. I came across Dr. Sterrys website and after a a few months of going back and forth I decided to move forward with it. I am so happy that I waited, that I didn’t rush into just any doctor. Dr. Sterry, Alex , and Dominique are amazing. I felt so comfortable with how everything was handled. He answered all my questions and his staff is so nice, professional and patient. He prepared me for everything that would be expected, even the cons. I have a few weeks for a full recovery but my experience so far has been nothing but positive. So far my results look amazing, and this is just a few days post op. Thanks Dr. Sterry!! You’re amazing!!

James L

Review from Google

Jan 20, 2021

Dr Sterry is incredible! He removed a childhood facial scar that I’ve spent countless amounts of money on over the years with other doctors to fix. The scar went from haunting me every time in the mirror to no longer noticeable! I also did cheek and neck liposuction with the Dr that came out amazing. No more moon face! He does an amazing job. His staff is great too!

Za3065

Review from Realself

Nov 21, 2020

Best Doc in NYC I had lipo of my abdomen, flanks and lower back with Dr. Sterry 5 years ago. I had paid into the 5 figure range because I wanted to be put to sleep. Let me tell you something about this man and his work...he is HONEST first of all and second NO ONE will know you had anything done. If you are looking for the fake IG look, he's not really your guy. If you want beautiful, natural results that will age well go to him. He won't try to upset you or lie to you at all. If anything he tries to sell you less! His staff is amazing and I'm hoping to have more work with him when I save up some more money!

Charming2902

Review from Realself

Nov 18, 2020

Update on Laparotomy Scar Revision: I chose the right plastic surgeon I had finally made the move to proceed with my surgery. It was more extensive than I thought than just a hernia repair and abdominal scar revision. I however chose the right plastic surgeon to do it who is Dr. Thomas Sterry. He did the abdominal wall reconstruction and pretty much satisfied with the results. His staff are pretty great too especially Alex. They are so helpful and very polite and respectful.

Katherine S.

Review from Google

Sep 16, 2020

I only have great things to say about Dr. Sterry and his skills. I had chin lipo performed about 6 weeks ago and from day 3 after the procedure, I was already so much happier and confident. He is an honest and relatable professional, and did not pressure me in any of my consultations with him. During the procedure, he was communicative and reassuring, easing any anxiety I had at the time. Recovery was a breeze for me. Also huge shoutout to his staff as they are lovely! I don’t trust many doctors, but I would definitely go back to Dr. Sterry.

Hericka Jordan

Review from Google

Jul 20, 2020

Dr. Sterry and his staff are beyond AMAZING and professional! He is a true perfectionist and genuinely cares about his patients. He performed a "mommy makeover", two and half weeks later and I am already LOVING it!! If you are contemplating doing it just go for it you wont regret it!! H. Jordan

Jessica Chang

Review from Google

Jun 19, 2020

Dr. Sterry and his staff are extremely kind and professional. He's an amazing plastic surgeon. I have never felt uncomfortable during my visits and consultations. He has never tried to sell me a procedure I wasn't interested in. Dr. Sterry always listens to my questions and concerns and address them.

Polite9579

Review from Realself

Apr 26, 2020

Dr Sterry is THE cheek and chin lipo doctor Dr Sterry is THE cheek and chin lipo doctor. Let me explain. If you are someone that wants to get rid of lower facial fat, most facial plastic surgeons will very easily consent to doing two things: (1) a lipo of your chin/jaws (aka submental area) and (2) buccal fat pad removal. That's very standard and IMO commoditized procedure nowadays. The jawline lipo will get rid of the double chin (which is great), but the buccal fat pad removal will result in a... pretty mediocre slimming of your lower face... However, Dr Sterry goes ONE STEP FURTHER TO THE ULTIMATE HAT TRICK of including a third procedure: the liposuction of the LOWER CHEEKS. I consulted ENDLESS plastic surgeons - no one will offer to do liposuction your lower cheeks. They do not have the technique nailed down. They are scared of going into facial territory with a cannula. Dr Sterry is the Michelangelo of this technique though, with his micro cannula. Now let me briefly explain aesthetics and cosmetic procedure effectiveness to you. In terms of making your face angular, the ugly lower cheek fat hiding your jawline is undesirable and stripping it away will give you such a beautiful and noticeable definition. You want volume in your upper cheeks, not sagging lower cheeks. The buccal fat pad removal helps but its power is NOTHING in comparison to the liposuction of the lower cheek fat. The amounts of fat that can be extracted with the former are minimal. But with the lipo... wow. All my friends and family think my face looks so beautiful, delicate, defined. My higher cheeks and eyes now really pop and I no longer have a double chin (thanks to chin lipo) nor lower chipmunk cheeks (thanks to cheek lipo) anymore! THe best part is I healed beautifully and gradually, so the inflammation went away over teh course of maybe 2 months so the slimming down even seemed natural weight loss. Ahh! The bliss

Jeff Welger

Review from Google

Apr 22, 2020

I had my first Smart Lipo procedure with Dr. Sterry 6 years ago. I was so happy with the results I went back in 2016 for additional work in other areas. This week I had my 4th procedure and still thrilled with Dr. Sterry and his work. He is a leader in his field and recommend him highly (as my multiple procedures demonstrate, I stand behind my recommendation). He is empathetic, has an exceptional rapport with his patients, and an awesome staff (thanks Alex). I would highly recommend him and happy to provide a reference.