How can I make my calves smaller?

[Girl.]

Hi guys, never ever go for calf gastrocnemius partial resection. I've done my research and read many positive reviews so i decided to do it with Dr Jong in Taiwan. Now i totally regret it! I asked many question related to operation and post-operation treatment, despite doctor assured that the tension will be very minimal after 6 months of operation and the postoperation scars will be just very tiny.. now after three years i must say that the tension is enormously huge, the legs swell in a way they never used to (especially when you seat too long in the office), the size did not reduce, the post-operation scars are very noticeable so you can't wear a short skirt and eventually, the calves changed into unattractive shape! Even hypertrophy of soleus muscle developed which added on more unnatural shape.. Also walking gets painful without compression sleeves which is very inconvenient in the summer. I am very ashamed of myself what i have done even more I am embarrased to show off my legs to anyone. Save your legs and don't believe any doctor who performs this barbarian operation, every muscle of your body is important. For the sake of money these doctors don't tell the real truth and you end up crying dissapointed. However you decide it is your choice, i hope you won't make the same mistake i did.

I am really sorry for that you are not satisfied with the results of your surgery....
I had mine with Dr.park in Korea and i am totally satisfied. He had done more than 900 calf surgery, maybe you could take informations with him for a revision...?

 

[Girl.]

Why did you prefer Dr. Jong in Taipei to Dr. Park in Korea and viceversa? Do they section different muscles?

I'm thinking about having this surgery done, as I found a doctor in my country that performs it (too afraid to go to Asia), but I haven't spoken to him just yet, I doubt he performs as many surgeries as these two, and the post op seems simply horrible.

Dr.Park have done more than 900 calf surgery, he is really more expérienced that Dr.Jong. Its why i went with him, after a lot of research. You can also find on Google a vidéo documentary made by The National Geographic on Dr.Park calf réductions, i guess they did their researchs before publishing it.

 

[Girl.]

8 months post-op (Dr.Park, gastrocnemius calf reduction):

I dont have any regrets having the surgery.
It’s not perfect, it’s not that slim but i do now look normal, less muscular and i now wear short pants and skirts!
I do every physical activités i want, running, biking, soccer, hiking and everything is ok. At 6 months, i tried to do jogging and it was painfull for the week after but it was because i wasn’t streatching enough! Since then, i use a timer on my phone, like after the surgery.

Post-op pictures:

 

[Girl.]

Pre-op pictures:

 

[cherrymxy]

Pre-op pictures:

which hospital did you went to ? Doctor cut the muscle or use block nerves to reduce the muscle??

 

[Cocolamo]

Hey guys Seems like I’m late to the party, I’m a guy and I want to get a calf reduction done, I’m still deciding between park and jong (along with everyone it seems lol) do any guys have experience with this procedure? I’d be going alone maybe sometime this winter and I’d love a buddy tbh. Is anyone going around then?

 

[Halvars]

GirL. your legs are perfect, you couldn't have gotten a better result!! Do you still have to wrap your legs now 8 months after surgery, and if not, for how long did you wrap them? Also does anyone know if you're meant to keep stretching forever or just the first year during recovery?

 

[Girl.]

GirL. your legs are perfect, you couldn't have gotten a better result!! Do you still have to wrap your legs now 8 months after surgery, and if not, for how long did you wrap them? Also does anyone know if you're meant to keep stretching forever or just the first year during recovery?

Thanks!
Wrapping is to get the better results possible. My goal was only to be normal, the muscle part was removed and I am already satisfied. But Dr.Park advise to wrap 24/24 the first year and longer if it is possible.
I would say that for me wrapping was necessary 24/24 the first 2 months to prevent swelling. After that, I met someone and for 4 next months I was wrapping in the day only and I was taking off the bandages to sleep. .... Now I am single and it is summer, it’s hot, so I do not always wear them.. maybe half of the time. I bought compression stocking, to get the calves in a normal shape and put the bandages on top of it. In the first weeks, I had swelling days where I had only the bandages, not correctly wrapped, and at the end of the day, my calves were in a odd shape, cause my bandages had loosen up in some parts. Dr.Park told me that bandages are more tight than stockings, but I bought 25-30mmHg and it seems similar..

Stretching: 9 months post-op
I now stretch 5 times a day, 1 min each time. I needed more than that in the first 6 months! If when you stretch and you feel that your calves are tight, it means you need more stretching. This is really important for the recovery and the long term flexibility.

Are you thinking about going forward with the surgery?

 

[Girl.]

which hospital did you went to ? Doctor cut the muscle or use block nerves to reduce the muscle??

I am glad to answer your questions!
That being said, before going forward with any calf reduction method, I would strongly advise you to do a lot of research and reading, if you don’t want to have any regrets with your decision considering this is a serious surgery.
If you look at Dr.park website and you read this blog from the beginning, you will see what are the options and have a lot of great answers provided by all the girls who are enough kind to write a post-op diary. Thanks to them, I read this forum multiple time before making my decision!!! It made me confident that it was the best thing for me.
Dr.Park is in Korea and operate in a private desk. He have is own surgery room. You can see him in a video, doing a calf reduction on google in a documentary made by the National Geographic, in his operation room, the one that I was in.

The options:
-Botox : do not work, expensive and temporary solution. I tried...
-Liposuction: do not work for muscle, do the “pinch test” to evaluate if you have fat.
-Radio frequency muscle ablation: not really practice anymore, results uneven, scars in the muscle.
-Radio frequency nerve ablation: most commun technique, temporary results, nerves Will grow back, satisfaction in the firsts months, and regrow after.
(The gastrocnemius surgery is more difficult if you did RF before).
-Gastrocnemius surgery, removing surgically a part of the muscle: This is the permanent, most effective (and most scarring) technique. This is what Dr.Park an Dr.Jong are practicing.

To be an expert in any kind of surgery, you have to practice, a lot.....

Dr.Park, Korea: had done around 900 in his career, I haven’t see bad review on the web (maybe there is some written in Korean?). I saw a bad review on a jaw surgery, but since it was a different surgery, I didn’t considered it.

Dr.Jong, Taiwan: I don’t know how much he has done but I seems to be only few a year (from a comment I read on this forum), some are satisfied, but some girl didn't saw a big change, some hade long terms consequences and the scar seems to be big.
Dr.Liu, US: Had been doing a lot of Botox and RF nerve ablation in the last years. I meet him.... He had only done around 20 gastrocnemius reduction till now but he seems to be interested in this technique, I am sure he will be better in the next years. He went in Korea recently to do formation. He uses a different technique, 2 scars. One in the top and the other in the bottom of the calf, scar are more apparent... He kind of removed a part of the muscle, more precisely, instead of removing the inner part of the muscle by tearing. So less swelling, better recovery, more precise results, but worst scar and lack of surgical experience... I considered him but I decided to go with the more experimented and went with Dr.Park and I do not regret my decision.

 

[Halvars]

I've been thinking about surgery and reading this threads for months now but I don't know wether I should do it or not. My biggest issue with my calves is the bulge from the inside, kind of the same shape you used to have. I've seen pictures of people who've done surgery with dr Park, who yes have gotten much smaller calves, but still have the bulge left. Someone in page 50-55 also wrote how Park only touches the first 1/3 of the calves, my calve muscles or the bulge I have is in the middle part of my calves. GirL., your legs turned out very straight which is exactly how I want mine to turn out, I'm just scared that they won't. I can't justify this surgery if I will still be left with the inner part sticking out, so I'm still unsure but it helps seeing other peoples pictures. If it's not too much to ask, can people who've done surgery with Dr Park or Jong, post before/after pictures here? I know there are some in the thread but many have also been deleted

 

[Girl.]

I've been thinking about surgery and reading this threads for months now but I don't know wether I should do it or not. My biggest issue with my calves is the bulge from the inside, kind of the same shape you used to have. I've seen pictures of people who've done surgery with dr Park, who yes have gotten much smaller calves, but still have the bulge left. Someone in page 50-55 also wrote how Park only touches the first 1/3 of the calves, my calve muscles or the bulge I have is in the middle part of my calves. GirL., your legs turned out very straight which is exactly how I want mine to turn out, I'm just scared that they won't. I can't justify this surgery if I will still be left with the inner part sticking out, so I'm still unsure but it helps seeing other peoples pictures. If it's not too much to ask, can people who've done surgery with Dr Park or Jong, post before/after pictures here? I know there are some in the thread but many have also been deleted

Hi, pages 50-55 are around 10 years ago, his technique probably improved since then. The bulge is usually caused by the gastrocnemius muscle and it is precisely what Dr.Park remove, he do not touch the soleus. I specifically asked him that I wanted the muscular look to go away. I didn’t wanted to have the smallest calves possible, but only remove the bulge, and I am very satisfied! The results of Julia A are very good too!
Did you contacted him? He could answer personally your questions. Maybe he can send you before and after pictures...?

You have to be sure of your decision, because the post-op is hell in term of fear, pain... but I couldn’t be more happy with my decision to go forward with this surgery! I enjoy summer, go to the beach, wear short pants... I feel like I have a normal life again, I do not have to hide anymore.
People couldn’t imagine a calf surgery, so nobody suspect that, but many people have asked my if i had lot weight i said yes.
My biggest fear was to do not recover at 100%, to have long term consequences and have regrets, but everything is perfect. I do not see a difference in all my activities.

 

[leah13]

[ near 1 year post-op ]
Hi ladies, it has been a long while since i last visited this forum. Okay, a quick update on my post-op recovery.

1. There is some asymmetrical between my left & right calves, where the right calf which Dr. park took out more, is now smaller and straighter, while the left calve is slightly bigger and more shapely.
2. The scar at the back of my knee is still there, but they are not noticeable unless you look closely at that area. However note that i did not apply any scar cream or any treatment, as i didnt mind the scar.
3. I can do running, sprinting, jumping, HIIT, strength training etc without any problem.
4. Sometimes my right calf feels tight, but there is no pain whatsoever. However do note that because of this tightness, it is a little stiff to bend my right leg.
5. I feel that my lower calves areas got a little bigger (?), maybe it's because my whole proportion changed or it's just in my mind.
6. I have absolutely no regrets in having this operation. I love my new legs and for the first time in my life, i actually think that my slightly shapely legs are quite sexy ? haha
7.The only pain that i feel occasionally, is during my walk to the office in the morning, where I have to climb stairs & slopes during my commute. It could be that my legs are stiff from the night and the morning "strenuous" walk, makes the calves muscle very tight and uncomfortable. However, the discomfort goes away as soon as i sit and rest, and i dont experience it anymore afterwards. I haven't experience any more cramps, nerve pain, or other form of side effects.
8. Sometimes i do think about whether to get a second surgery to correct the slight shapeliness of my left calf, but i really do not want to put my body under such trauma again. So, no plans for second surgery anytime soon.

I have attached my pre-op pic & my current 1 year post-op picture below.

hi Julia
may I ask if you've done the calf reduction with dr park in Korea? Iv been always conciuos of my calf muscle, I can't wear skirt coz mine id bigger than my husband. I did consultation with one doctor in Germany but he only do selective neurectomy or nerve blocking but I read some bad effect after coz you might have hytrophy and he also do resection of muscles but it kinda scare me. In Korea they are more famous for this and I am willing to fly in Korea fo this but I really wanted to be sure if this is worthy to do it and how was the recovering?

 

[leah13]

8 months post-op (Dr.Park, gastrocnemius calf reduction):

I dont have any regrets having the surgery.
It’s not perfect, it’s not that slim but i do now look normal, less muscular and i now wear short pants and skirts!
I do every physical activités i want, running, biking, soccer, hiking and everything is ok. At 6 months, i tried to do jogging and it was painfull for the week after but it was because i wasn’t streatching enough! Since then, i use a timer on my phone, like after the surgery.

Post-op pictures:

hello ,
your leg are perfect. do you think dr par is the best in Korea for this kind of surgery? I'm planning to come in Korea and seeing your pictures, I have the same problem so I really want to get rid of this but im not sure if dr park is the best one.

 

[leah13]

he

Thanks amici1992

Hi guys! I'm leaving Taiwan and going home in a few hours. My recovery is going alright. I can walk in elevated sneakers. I had been in a wheelchair, mostly, until yesterday afternoon, when I returned the chair to the clinic. Unfortunately, after I started walking last night, I stretched my right leg too far when going down a slope and pulled the muscle. I was in considerable pain. I feel better today, but I think it's set back my recovery.

Before I left, the doctor told me he'd taken out out 200 and 180 grams of muscle from my legs. My left leg was more muscular, so he took out more. Compared to what he took from other forum members, I think it's a bit more, but I think I'm a bit taller (163 cm). I had specifically asked him to take out more muscle. He didn't really say yes or no, but I hope he took my request into consideration. I tried not to be obsessed with measurements and numbers, so he could do his job without pressure. I trusted his judgment, and trusted it was sufficient to put forward the request to be more aggressive with muscle removal. After surgery, when I was asleep, apparently, he let my mom take a picture of the removed muscle before they threw it out. The picture is truly disgusting, but I had to see it. If anyone is curious, PM me.

I'll update you guys on my recovery and results. I think it's still too early to say if I like the results.

hello prince
im planning to do the calf merle reduction with dr park. can I know what surgery you've done and some picture please

 

[leah13]

Hi guys, I did my calf reduction in 2014 by selective neurectomy and I'm re-doing the surgery this summer!!! This time, I really need to get it right, because I'm not doing the surgery a third time.

I'm trying to decide if I should go to Taiwan or Germany or California. I consulted with a doctor in Toronto, but he really wants me to do ANOTHER selective neurectomy, and I'm not willing to take that risk. However, after reading that two members got their legs done in Taiwan and see no results, I'm starting to feel a bit wary about going there. In theory, I don't understand how you can remove mass from your legs without your legs shrinking in size. I'm not a scientist, but it doesn't make sense, so maybe he's right and your legs are just swollen? I also understand why he has to be conservative, as it's probably a liability issue for him. I can understand your frustration, though. That said, it's very discouraging to hear!

The doctor in Germany doesn't perform partial resection and only does total resection of the medial gastrocnemius. Has anyone done the total resection method? It sounds really scary, but I'd rather lose an entire leg muscle than do another surgery and see no results.

hello
I went to Germany " days ago and he offered me selective and total resection but its quite scary . selective is denerving but I heard it will grew up again so for the bulky calves, partial resection is the best. how was your surgery ? where did you have it done?