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I am only on Day 0 of recovery, but I'd like to share some of the grosser parts of cosmetic surgery that I don't see discussed too much. Important to provide a full picture instead of just the results, in my opinion. Please mute me if necessary.
First, these are my drains. I have to wear 3 for a week. Their purpose is to drain fluid that might build up. They have to be emptied too. 
I lied down wrong causing one of my drains to deflate. Fluid everywhere. (Luckily these are old sheets that were going in thrash anyway.)
I currently have to pee thru something called a "female urinal" because sitting down and getting up is painful and laborious.
Getting up is pretty difficult and my sister has to help me. The ab area pain is most serious. I experienced minor nausea, but I have a patch on my neck that is helping to curb it.
You have to drink A LOT OF WATER. Probably more water than your regular routine. You've got to get those fluids out and prevent dehydration. Watermelon is my best friends right now. I don't have much for an appetite.
I am extremely ashy. No oils and creams allowed right now. 
My procedures, btw. While it'll take about 3 months to soften up, I am in love with my hips. I can stop staring at them. By the way I hate the faja. You MUST wear the faja all day for a good while. https://twitter.com/asiachloebrown/status/1347678125077966848
Note to pet owners: you will not be able to properly care for your pet for the 3-4 days after getting work done. Consider budgeting for a sitter or arranging for family member to take care of your furbaby.
Day 1! I am in high spirits. Got good sleep last night despite achy torso & arm pain. Few observations: my Scopolamine patch (to combat nausea) is making my mouth VERY DRY. I was warned but it is quite unpleasant. It comes off tomorrow, thank goodness.
Body still swollen (it will be for some time.) Drains still getting pretty full. I smell like hospital, if that makes sense, and I hate it. I can't bathe yet but I can "wash up" at the sink. I can lift my own body up, though. In just 15 hours I can feel myself getting stronger.
The content of my drains. This is a mixture of water, blood, plasma, lymph, etc. Drains must be emptied when they're about 60% full.
I have a drain on my right ab area, left ab area, and back. As you can see this process is not cute, LOL.
Torso pain is pretty high right now. The pain feels like you were forced to do sit-ups for 3 hrs or like you were just punched all over. Going to take my pain meds. The pain is still not unbearable to the point of crying, but it's enough to need to stay on top of your medication.
Also, another thing that they warn you about and is totally normal. You may get pee on your faja while trying to urinate. 
Just hand wash the area.
Just hand wash the area.
I have started to walk around and not feel much pain! Getting out of bed myself still takes a minute or so. I did have an accident with my female urinal and it made me cry. I guess I was a little flustered, lol.
Note: many cosmetic procedures require the IV in your hand, not arm. It hurts! And it gets sore after the needle is removed. My hand is still wrapped up at the IV site. It was very sore yesterday. Better today.
I walked down the hall and did not get nauseous y'all! My drains are filling up quicker than before, which is good. My body is getting these fluids outta here.
A question I have received several times via DM: you are not permitted to have sex right after the operation. You will also not desire sex after your operation. Sex involves core strength. You have zero core strength after surgery. It's so sore in that area.
Feeling very achy. The pain ebbs & flows. Lying down or standing usually feels fine. Getting in or out of the bed is brutal right now. According to the surgeons this will only be for 2-3 days. Also, I still don't want too much food outside of fresh fruit. Drinking plenty fluids.
Day 2 of recovery. Still in pain, but it's slowly getting better. The pain has sort of morphed into a weird sting-ache, pretty unpleasant. Initially thought this operation was the type where you could take 3 days off, then head back to work. That is not accurate at all.
My face is going down. It was swollen like hell. My drains are still collecting fluid, but we're seeing a reduction each day. The drain in my back feels STRANGE. I can feel the fluid come out when my sister strips the tubing.
I still do not have much of an appetite, so I am enjoying watermelon. You also cannot have caffeine of any type after getting work done. No coffee or herbal tea either. I've got to start eating some healthy fats, though. Might have to force myself to do it.
A fat cell (red thing) came out in one of my drains. Totally normal as long as there are not too many. The drainage fluid smells very mild. If it starts to smell bad, that means an infection might be developing.
Please feel free to ask questions! I'd like for anybody considering this type of surgery to be told the truth about the healing process.
Drainage is slowing down but I've still got fluid coming out of me. Again, these are connected to my back and abdomen.
To sort of put into context how scary and anxious this whole process is, my surgeon prescribed me Valium in addition to pain meds and antibiotics. (This is common.) It can really wreck your nerves.
I can't believe I forgot to talk about Covid protocols! So, I had to get tested by their people before being allowed to have surgery. ALL the nurses, physicians and doctors got tested the morning of my surgery. They were all masked and gloved up.
You could not even go back to the prep room wearing your own clothing. They take it, and also give you a fresh mask. They sanitize like every 8 seconds. In the 9 months since the pandemic began, that surgery center had NOT ONE case.
Not making value judgments about folks who chose to fly to another country for their work. But with this pandemic I don't think it's a good idea. Catching covid on a plane, airport, etc. while trying to recover just sounds really dangerous.
I went from my home to the surgery center and back home. Have not left home and won't leave until my follow-up appointment this week.
The pain is starting to subside a little bit and I haven't even taken my pain pill today!
Nevermind I had to take the pain pill lmao.
48 hours out from surgery and I just stood at the stove and made myself some soup. 
My core soreness seems to be getting lighter by the hour.
My core soreness seems to be getting lighter by the hour.
Got a sneak peak at my boobs. They're still frozen hard, but the positioning is fabulous! Takes a few weeks for boobs to develop a natural drop. The muscle is stunned and needs time to soften up.
Another question I have received several times. What is the max weight/BMI you can be for this type of cosmetic surgery. All I will say is that a great surgeon is going to gauge your individual eligibility during a consult. BMI is pretty outdated & not a good barometer of health.
Opened my DMs to everybody for questions. :-D
I have been drinking about 75 oz. of water per day. In addition to staying hydrated, good drainage depends on good fluids. If you're not used to lots of water, no soda and not much juice, make your lifestyles changes way before your operation. Your recovery will depend on it.
Coughing or clearing your throat is brutal right now. You can feel it all over your torso. Good lord.
Tonight's last drain of my fluids was just a tad less than the previous days. Gotta sniff it quickly to ensure there is no bad odor. A bad odor would mean a possible infectionâpost-op infections are nothing to play with. Really looking forward to drain removal this week!
Since the first drain to his one? There has probably been a good 30 oz of fluids coming out of my back & abdomen.
Taking a little night-time stroll down the hall. Fascinating how the pain subsides more every day. I am also over the "extreme anxiety" hump that comes a long with getting surgery. Still early & risky, but I am out of the window for most complications that happen.
Day 3 has been smooth. My morning drainage wasveven less than last night. I've been downing 75-80 oz. of water per day to get this stuff out.
As you can see thus far, your escort must be somebody who really, really cares for you. He/she/they cannot be squeamish. There is a lot of cleaning up and squeezing bloody stuff out of drains and probably wiping down urine.
I am on the come-down as far as pain and it's really exciting because I can move about and peak in the mirror. My breasts' side profile already has that natural tear-drop shape. Not that super prominent super round Hollywood look.
Look at the slow reduction in fluids from my drains. It should start to slow as you drink water and your body is flushing efficiently.
Got a glimpse of myself naked. This man snatched my shit. Couldn't look too long because I had to put my faja back on. But baby... 
Fluids are getting very, very low. TMI: Today I went poo for the first time! This is a huge milestone after this type of operation.
Sent some pics around to friends and my consultant @KosmeticKrys. I am **only** Day 4 post-op and the work is wild y'all. My girl @KosmeticKrys really chose the right people for me. 
I do not need my pain medication anymore, so I've stopped taking it. Still achy but I can tolerate it. Opioids can slow the recovery process. Wonderful that I don't feel like I need them & I am only at Day 4. My face, ankles, etc seem to have been flushed too. No swelling there.
First drain of Day 4. 48 hours until I get these sons a bitches taken out.
I keep getting the BMI/weight questions so I'd like to reiterate: a good surgeon will use metrics custom to your own body, not an outdated chart, to ensure you are a proper candidate for surgery. https://twitter.com/asiachloebrown/status/1348396603858685952
Also getting questions about age. This is not a younger woman thing by any means. Ppl from 16-66 get cosmetic surgery. If you're older you might be required to obtain clearance for conditions that older ppl might suffer from at a higher rate, like osteoporosis or heart disease.
DM question: is health insurance required to undergo cosmetic surgery? No it is actually not with most surgeons, but I advise against having anything done w/o it. If you have to be admitted or go to the ER for complications, your bill is likely going to be an impossible amount.
You could end up with a high bill if you have health insurance too, but at least you'll have a big deductible bill and not a $457,780 bill.
Trans women: just b/c a surgeon will accept your money does not mean they're safe. Watch for jokes, microaggressions, not asking for pronouns, etc. You cannot be in a position of incapacitation (anesthesia) by a team who doesn't honor your humanity. That is dangerous.
[Content Warning: blood, bodily fluids]
Emptying one of my drainage cups. Again, this is water, blood, lymph, etc. that builds up within the areas that were lipo'd. No, it does not have an odor. If yours does, you may have an infection & should get to your surgeon ASAP.
Emptying one of my drainage cups. Again, this is water, blood, lymph, etc. that builds up within the areas that were lipo'd. No, it does not have an odor. If yours does, you may have an infection & should get to your surgeon ASAP.
In the 1-3 days immediately post-op, your helper will probably do this, but by day 4 you'll probably be strong enough to do it. It is easy. You just must observe strict sanitation protocols. Bacteria getting in the drains can cause serious issues.
Not cute at all and even kinda gross, as you can see. But it's what these women are going thru to achieve a lot of these bodies.
Day 5 post-op and things are still getting better every day. Last night I got a little dehydrated so I had to quickly chug my water. This made me a little nauseous. No worries, I have anti-nausea medicine. Drainage is super, super low.
The swelling goes down more each day. Today the swelling has gone down so much that my faja fits a little looser. Still tight and strong, but it's easy to get in and out. I must wear my faja for 23 hours per day.
I'm having a very small bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios and two boiled eggs for breakfast. About 65% of my appetite has returned but my body is rejecting dense concentrated sugar. I tried to have apple juice (recommended by nurses for day 0-7) and I couldn't drink it.
Unwrapped my arms to get a first peak at them today. They're lightly bruised, sore to touch, and hard on the shoulder, but I've lost about 4-inches off each. This is with swelling not being completely gone. Zero loose skin hanging. 
Today's drainage is nice & low. Also, there is less and less blood as the time goes by. I get my drains out in 24 hours!
I get my drains out today! Some say it hurts bad, others say not at all. Either way I'm sick of these drains and ready to begin my lymphatic massages. I am also sick of the faja but I can't take that off for another 6 months.