How can I make my calves smaller?

[Julia A]

Day 8 and 9

Had my first aspiration today and took out more in the left than the right. I had the worst cramp ever in my left ankle/ heel region. The pain felt like a burning sensation, combined with a stabbing pain that just keep coming at you without giving u any time to pace out the pain. All i could do was take the pain killer that Dr Park gave after the surgery, curled up in bed and pray that the pain will go away. I couldnt stop my tears from flowing and i felt so vulnerable and helpless at that moment..
After a while, i have decided that laying in bed wasnt going to help with pain. So i struggled to get out of bed and walked around the apartment slowly with my aunt's help and the umbrella. The effect of the pain killer slowly kicked in , and i applied an ice pack onto the left heel area to help numb the pain.

For the first time, I had an emotional talk with aunt in regards to why i decided to undergo such surgery, to voluntarily pay money to have someone cut out 70% of my calves muscle. I explained to her that i was bullied when i was younger because of my calves, how i felt restricted by them in terms of what i can wear, and how i was afriad to go on dates with guys just because i was worry that they will see my calves. I told her that i was sick of looking down at my legs and seeing how muscular they are, and how bothered i was with how my calf always touches each other without me even putting my feet together. Piecing outfits together was always an impossible task, because it is difficult to find an outfit where my calves doesnt look prominent and big. I am sick of all these, and i wanted a change.

On the other hand, i see some girls in this forum, who posted pictures of their calves. Their calves look perfectly fine and not bulky at all. Maybe they arent perfectly straight, or slim, but seriously i dont see any problem with many of them..

The only reason why I am writing my post op journey in this forum, is to hopefully encourage and give some hope to girls who REALLY have bulky, big and muscular calves like me. I am not promoting this surgery to people who really dont need it, and already have nice calves to begin with. This surgery has undeniably taken a huge toll on my physical and most importantly my mental health. It shouldnt be taken lightly, and the price which you have to pay is heavy and long term. For those who are still on the fence about this surgery, if you really have big and muscular calves and have been troubled by it for a very very long time, i encourage you to get through with this surgery. The pain and hardship that you will have to go through, is undeniable. But you will finally be able to have calves that are normal and non-muscular. Finally for the first time in my life, i have a CALVES GAP when i put my feet together. My legs also seem longer and no longer stubby looking.

For those who only seek to achieve a small change, and dont have much problem with their calves to begin first, i strongly urge you to think twice before considering such surgery. Your calves might not even be muscular, hence even after all the pain and money spent in getting this surgery, the changes might not be satisfying and big.

- Julia

 

[Julia A]

UMMARIZING - post op to day 9

1. Really taken aback by how serious the swelling of my feet can get. Swollen feet makes walking slightly difficult, they are painful sometimes and please prepare shoes that are at least 2 size bigger. Elevate your legs if possible, especially just after the surgery. Avoid eating too much salt and drink plenty of water ( fluids also help with the post anaethesia headache ). It is painful when my feet swell so much, to the extend that they feel like they are going to rupture and burst anytime. PAINFUL.
2. Bruising. Bruises can spread from the calves to the knee and thigh areas. Dont be alarmed. For the most part, the bruises are generally harmless and non-painful. They look worst than they actually feel. However, because there will be substantial bruising at the lower thigh region, that area could get a little tender and sore when u sit/ lay in bed, and press against them. There was also one night where the bruises on my inner thighs got really painful, making it difficult to get comfortable in bed and sleep. Bring a reusable ice pack/gel and a heating pad to help with the pain and bruises

3. Cramps. Usally they happen in the morning, when i just woke up. I am not sure whether they are acutal full-blown cramps, but my calves felt in pain when i try to stand. To handle this problem, i will try to stand against the wall for support, and keep my feet together while i stretch upwards. After the pain subsided, and i am able to keep my legs and knees straight, i will proceed to the calf stretching exercise. Make sure to buy banana from the local korean convenient store, and eat one daily.

4. Post-anaethesia headache. This is the source of 90% of my discomfort and pain for the first 3 days after surgery. Try to get rest in bed, and avoid sitting as best as you can. Sitting will only aggrevate the headache. Drink plenty of water and caffeine, and pray to God. The headache will probably be gone spontaneously within the week. I will reccomend eating while standing/ walking around the house, and avoid eating while sitting. As you will possibly lose all appetitide when the headache kicks in from sitting. Try to hold back on the painkiller, as you already have to take alot of pills after the surgery. Instead, try lying down and rest in bed. Where for most of the time, the headache will magically disappear when you do so.

5. Walking. Before coming to korea, i was convinced that i will be crippled and unable to walk at all after the surgery. To my pleasant surprise, i was able to slowly hobble around. But support is still needed and important, especially for the first 2 days. Personally, i dont experience pain when i walk, unless my ankles or heels are acting up. However, i feel that my legs are heavier than they used to be, and i definitely walk much much slower. I have asked Dr Park how much walking i should be doing in my current recovery stage, and he told me that it is best to keep the walking below an hour, so to avoid getting the feet more swollen. The sole of my feet hurts too if i walk/ stand too long, without sitting down or resting. Walking up slopes is also much more difficult now, so avoid renting a place in seoul where you will need to climb a lot of stairs or slope to get to your place.

6. How satisfied i feel after the surgery. I am amazed by the change in the shape of my calves. As you might have seen in my before pic, where my calves muscles are big and bulging at the upper calves region. Now i have CALVES GAP even when i put my feet together. The backview of my calves also looks straighter and much slimmer. As for measurements wise, i am unsure and didnt bother with it, shape is more important ! My legs seem longer now and less stubby. In addition, my body figure looks more proportional, balanced and improved.

-Julia

 

[Julia A]

Day 12

My day did not start off well. A burning sensation at the surface of my right calf woke me from my sleep. The pain eventually went away after i unwrapped my right bandage and allow the tender and irritated skin to "breathe" for a while. The second time i woke up in the middle of the night, was because of the pressure building up in my heavily swollen left feet. I unwrapped and re-adjusted my left bandage, and the pain in my left feet soon felt better.

Went for a check up in Dr Park clinic in the afternoon. He checked my stretching and told me that my stretching has improved ! Yay ! He also commented that i was walking better too. All thanks to my aunt, who is contantly monitoring how i walk and always reminding me not to drag my weaker feet and to walk properly with equal weight place on both feet.

After the quick check up, we went down to gangnam for some quick shopping. Its great to be able to walk around and shop, after being kept at home for the past 11 days. People will stare, just ignore them. Been out and about from noon till 5pm now. My legs and feet feel sore and heavy, but they did better than i expected. Throughout this time, i sneaked in many stretches in the train station, washroom and random places, and also tried to sit and rest when i have the chance.

This picture was taken when i was shopping for a new slipper. My feet are so swollen than i have trouble fitting in a size 39 shoes, when my original shoe size was 35.5 !

- julia

 

[Julia A]

Day 13
Went to gangnam in the afternoon for around 3 hours today. My legs felt tired at the end of my trip, but i can definitely see inprovement in my walking ability, speed and endurance. This is a huge progress as compared to when i first stepped out of the airbnb for a short walk during day4, and feeling lethargic and nausea after 20mins of walking.

The swelling at the side of my thighs also went down quite a bit these 2 days! Yay to skinnier leg

Yes, my feet ( in particular my left feet ) is still heavily swollen, and red from all my scratching. Sometimes, after i do my bandage and wrapping them as tight as i can, my feet will feel pain when its too tight. If the pain doesnt go away after a while, i will loosen the bandage a little.

My best friend and her bf are arriving in seoul tomorrow for the following weeks. So excited to do all the sightseeing and shopping ( i will try my best to walk and keep up ) with them. I have been walking much much more these 2 days. It has really put me in a good mood and helped with my walking.

( One of the pic is me wearing a knee high socks over my bandage. Hides my swollen swollen ugly feet. )
- Julia

 

[Julia A]

Day 20

This week, i have been shopping and walking alot. For the first 2 weeks post op, i adhered strictly to dr park's order of not over walking, and keeping the walking to within 1 hour. Now, in my third week of post op, i feel like i am in really good shape. My walking speed has now reached around 70% of my pre op speed. After a whole afternoon of shopping along the streets of seoul, i was able to last a few hours when i do my stretches in the toilet as frequent as i can and sit to rest when i see a chair. Frequent tea break in the many coffee shops here also helps. After a day of shopping, my legs did not act up, or feel super sore. However, there will be tiny pinching sensation at my heels if i walk too much. My legs also feel heavier and my walking speed will start going down after walking for too long. Going up stairs is easier than going down, but they no longer trouble me as much.

The itching problem in my swollen feet and under my bandages, have subsided. My feet is still very swollen and thick. A tip on preparing footwear for the post op, is to buy shoes with thick and cushiony base, that is not too heavy and not too restricting on the thickness of your feet. Trust me, your feet will become very thick and swollen after the surgery. Footwear is really very important, a good and comfortable shoes give me at least an extra 45mins to 1 hours of walking before my legs start feeling tired. Another thing about footwear is that i have started wearing flats, slippers straight after my surgery, instead of wedges. Walking on wedges is easier i feel, but i get tired faster as compared to flats. I have wore wedges out one day, and when i do my stretches outside, my calves did not feel as stretched. My heels hurt more from wearing the wedges too, but that is probably because i underestimated the degree of post op swelling and the wedges i bought is not big enough.

Bruises wise, there are only some left at the inner sides of my thighs and my knees. But the back of my knee and lower thigh area is still a little dark. My friend told me that my surgical scars are not obvious, especially as the back areas are still a lil dark. I am not very bothered with my scars honestly.

From the picture collage, you can see how the swelling slowly went down in my thighs and calves i really do think walking around more helps with my swelling.

- julia

 

[Julia A]

i meant pre-op in the first pic, not post op *

 

[Julia A]

Day 22

Went for my third aspiration today afternoon. Dr park only drew from my left leg. To my dismay, i thought that this would be my last aspiration, but it appears that there are still some fluids left in the right calf. I am returning back to singapore next monday afternoon. So i have to come back to the clinic on saturday, and hopefully it will be my last aspiration then ! I dread the idea of having to find a doctor or nurse to help me with my aspiration when i head back home.

Dr park also measured my circumference for the first time post op today. He measured my original circumference to be 38 (L) and 39 (R) cm pre op, and now, they are 33 (L) and 32 (R) cm. A whopping 5 and 7 cm decrease! During the pre-op consultation, i never dare ask dr. Park how much of a decrease in cm i can expect, because i am afraid to let my hopes up high. After the aspiration, he instructed me to tie my bandage real tight from now on, so to see further decrease. It is really painful to have the bandage really tight! My feet will turn into a scary shade of dark reddish brown and it feels like the circulation to my feet are completedly cut off. It is also painful !

Btw girls, if you are interested to have this surgery, please prepare some bandages for the wrapping and the bandage tape before the surgery. The clinic will not provide the bandages, which you have to take off every time you shower. There are plenty of pharmacy place ( in seoul, you cannot get them from drugstores like olive young, only from pharmacy shops ) around where you can purchase them. The price of the bandages varies a lot, some place it is 3000 won, some place 2500 won etc. The cheapest i found is a small pharmacy shop in hongdae, 1000 won per small size bandage. Stock up on the bandages when u find cheap ones. I change into a new set of bandages on both legs every other day, so they run out really quick.

Pain wise, standing still for more than a minute or more, is worse than walking. Sometimes, my right heel will suddenly turn numb and there is a slight stinging pain. Walking and stretching will help "distract" that feeling and it goes away after a while.

The picture of my unwrapped legs are taken 2 days ago before the aspiration today.

- Julia

 

[miame44]

I have huge calves, anyone has any suggestions on how to make them look leaner?

Only two ways botox short-term or long-term block the active nerves around the calf's areas.

 

[sexy legs]

haven't visited this site in years, but came back to report my beautiful calves to hopefully be of help to others. I am 5'3 and always have been about 108 lbs with 38mm calves. I am extremely athletic and was a state gymnastics champion in high school.

You (since u are looking at my post) can all relate: avoided shorts, skirts, dresses. dreaded swimwear... So I started researching about ways to reduce my calves. for 2-3 years, I read everything related to calf reduction including medical journals, blogs, text books, etc. Thereafter, I went to Seoul on a business trip and met with 3 doctors who specialize in this procedure and after much deliberation and second consults, I chose Dr. Park from OZ.

Result? Since 10 years ago, I've been wearing nothing but short skirts and dresses and have been absolutely thrilled. I have lost no power in my legs as I still hike several hours at a time and bike all day long. all that exercise has not compensated the other muscles as some claim. absolutely no lingering pain, nothing.. I have been 32/33 since the surgery and am thrilled. They have not grown since the op.

I just want to help all those beautiful athletic ladies who worked so hard to build their bodies and are left with bulky calves. I hear your pain; let me know if I can help: [email protected]

I don't work for him, but if you decide to consult with him, just tell him "sexy legs" from the blog sent you. I am hoping to get a discount on another procedure.

 

[Ellenyvr]

Super long time lurker here!

Your legs look really great, Julia! It makes me super excited to have mine done. I’m 5’2 and my calves are thicker than my thighs. It’s so hard to wear straight leg jeans and pants.

I was super excited as I had saved up almost enough for this surgery with Dr. Jong but due to family matters, my savings were given up. I’m saving up again though, and aiming for end of 2019 if anyone else is interested as well.

 

[camber]

Hi Sexy Legs would you mind putting on a photo of your legs.

 

[sexy legs]

Here are my before and after photos per ur request - from 38 to 32/33. Since the operation, I have not gained back the bulk despite my active lifestyle.

I have benefited so much from this safe operation that I want to tell the whole world.

 

[Julia A]

Day 25

Hi sexy legs ! thanks for coming back onto this forum. I was just re-reading your post op updates from the previous pages! your legs look so beautiful and natural in the pic

Ellen! thanks for the compliment ! I am sorry you had to give up your hard earned savings! but i am sure you will be able to attain your saving goals in 2019 !

speaking about costs, the surgery costed me 7,200,000 won ( after the 10% cash discount ), plane ticket was around $600 singapore dollars ( USD$450 ), my airbnb apartment which is a 2 room apartment about 10-15mins drive away ( taxi fare is less than 5000 won to the clinic ) from the clinic is around USD90/ night. I feel that the cost of living in korea is relatively lower than expected. Eating out in a normal korean eatery place cost less than 10,000 won if you are not too fussy about the food. Grocery and fruits are cheap here too, which is great if you/ your companion are planning to cook. Taxi are also pretty inexpensive.

Apartment wise, actually i dont really think it is necessary to stay that close to the clinic. Because after the surgery, you only have to go for post op check ups the day after the surgery, 4th days post op, and then subsequently once every week for the aspiration, if i remember correctly. The post ops check ups are really quick, only about 20mins, and you are free to go. Perhaps for girls who are considering this surgery, you can widen your selection of apartments/hotels, and not be restricted to having to select from those that are super near

I have planned a 28days stay here in seoul for this surgery, because i wanted to have Dr park and his nurse do my aspirations ( once every week ). Staying for nearly 4 weeks has been great, i was able to meet Dr Park every week, and consult him directly about any questions i have.

For anyone who is concern with the incision scar, i have attached pictures of the back of my legs. You can also see that the dark bruises at the back of legs have faded a lot ! previously i have asked Dr park how long does it takes for the bruises and swelling be gone. He told that on average, bruises takes 1 months ( which is very accurate, at least for my case ) and swelling takes 7 months to be gone. I take bromelain every night for the bruising/swelling, but didn't managed to find arnica pills in singapore, oh wells.

- Julia

 

[Julia A]

Oh btw, i keep forgetting to mention that Dr park removed 422grams from both my legs. In case any of you guys are curious!

- Julia

 

[Bambu]

@Julia A thank you for all of your contributions to this blog!!! You’re the only one that posted with so much details and photos. You’re the real MVP!!! Please continued to keep us updated on your healing progress. Your result is so good I can’t wait to see when its completely healed. Thank you so much you are so very much appreciated and have a speedy recovery!!❤️