Liz Frost
We've all got things about us that we think are less than perfect. For me it has always been that extra cushioning at the top of my legs. Ever since I was 15 and one of the local lads shouted out 'Oi, thunder thighs!' at me down the street, I've been conscious of those two lumpy bits that stick out on either side, which no amount of exercise or dieting would ever shift.
In my late teens, I heard them referred to as 'saddle bags' and had to admit this felt like an apt description.
Over the years I've disguised them under A-line skirts and extra long cardis. I rejoiced at the return of the maxi dress but oh, how I longed to wear a pair of skinny jeans without looking lumpy.
I'd be lying if I said that liposuction had never crossed my mind, but I've seen too many of those makeover programmes where the presenter cheerfully narrates over the brutal slaying of some poor soul's leg fat with a long metal pole.
So when I heard about Vaser, my ears pricked up. Unlike traditional liposuction, with Vaser you don't need a general anaesthetic and it's a whole lot less brutal. Okay, it takes a bit longer than your lunch hour, but you could certainly be back at your desk the next day.
In traditional liposuction, the fat needs to be broken down manually, and quite vigorously with a long rod inserted into the leg, which causes damage to the muscle and surrounding tissue, not to mention a great deal of pain, swelling and bruising.
Vaser technology generates sound energy similar to that used to remove cataracts in the eye. Small probes transmit sound waves that break apart fat on contact, the liquified fat is then removed via suction and gentle massage of the treated area, leaving the rest of your tissue intact.
On the morning of my Vaser appointment, I arrange the mirrors in my bedroom to take one last look at my lumpy thighs. "If all goes well, my existing jeans could be slightly big on me by the end of the day", I thought.
Riverbanks Clinic is an isolated white house down a peaceful country road in Harpenden. As I sit in the waiting room, drinking a cup of tea, there's a video playing testimonials of people who have had Vaser. Because it allows targeted fat removal, it can be used to sculpt delicate areas such as the chin and even the cheeks.
I'm given a couple of tablets to help relax me before we start and I start to feel quite floaty. In the treatment room, I'm laid out on my side in a gown and iodine is applied to my skin.
I feel a slight twinge as Dr. Ravi Jain inserts the thin probe - about the size of an 3mm knitting needle - into my outer thigh at the top, but once it's in he infuses a saline solution mixed with Lidocaine and Epinepherine, which helps prolong the anaesthetic effect and minimise bleeding. My thigh is now numb, so Ravi can go about breaking down the fat with sonic waves.
My boyfriend has been allowed in to keep me company and he looks like he's about to faint as he watches Ravi suctioning out my saddlebags, but I can't feel a thing. I chat to the nurse all the way through and actually find it satisfying watching my fat filtering into a small glass container.
My right side takes about 30 mins and then I switch to the other side. The whole process lasts about 90 minutes in the operating room.
With a whopping two pints of my fat siphoned off, I put on my special compression garments, which are a bit like the kind of support knickers you might wear under your Christmas party dress. They come up over my tummy like a corset and all the way down to my mid calf. There's a gap in the middle so that I can pee and my knickers go on over the top. I feel like superman.
For the next three weeks I have to keep my magic pants on 24/7, only removing them to have a shower. Then it's down to 12 hours a day for the final three weeks. It's hardcore and they're already a little uncomfortable, but it's a small price to pay for what I can tell are already smaller thighs.
Liz Frost
For the first three weeks my thighs are a little bruised and swollen, but nowhere near as bad as I had been expecting. My legs are sore for the first week or so, but nothing a couple of soluble Panadol can't solve. I'm up and about, walking normally, but strenuous exercise isn't recommended for the first two weeks.
It's a hot few weeks and it's a relief when I'm able to remove my compression garments for 12 hours a day. I opt to wear them through the day and take them off to sleep. It's pure bliss to have my legs 'free' from 7pm to 7am.
Six weeks feels like a long time, but when I finally remove my compression garments for good, the bruising has gone and my legs have shrunk considerably. I can't help marvelling at how much longer my legs look now they're slimmer and my jeans are indeed a little big for me around the thigh.
Unable to wait another minute, I whip out the tape measure and discover I've lost two inches and my bathroom scales tell me I've lost almost half a stone in weight. I'm thrilled.
Ravi tells me I've still got a long way to go in terms of swelling, so I can expect to see more results within the next six months. Just in time for bikini season!
Vaser Lipo at Riverbanks clinic costs from £1995 inc aftercare, consults and bespoke garments.
See www.riverbanksclinic.co.uk/vaser for more details.
i think that this is unfortunately going to happen more often, like going to the dentist and i think that more information should be shown publicly to make people realise the potential threat of this.