#24: Male Breast Reduction and Tummy Tuck Transformation

On this episode of The Natural Plastic Surgeon…

Dr. Barrett: So it seems like it was yesterday for me because I remember this operation. It was, it was one of the most challenging operations. We did a tummy tuck. We did a male gynecomastia reduction. We did a unique way of doing this that's completely different, preserved a lot of sensation and the natural feel the nipple.

Brent Tomas: Yeah.

Dr. Barrett: We did lots of liposuction. It took us eight hours.

Brent Tomas: Eight hours.

Dr. Barrett: To do this operation. This was no joke.

You are listening to The Natural Plastic Surgeon Podcast. I'm Dr. Daniel Barrett, Board-Certified Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon located right here in Beverly Hills. I specialize in cosmetic surgery of the face, nose, breast and body. This podcast is dedicated to those deciding if plastic surgery is right for them and revealing all the latest beauty secrets. Let’s get started.

00:50 BRENT IS TODAY’S SPECIAL GUEST

Dr. Barrett: Hey everybody, it’s Dr. Barrett. We're here at the Natural Plastic Surgeon Podcast. I’ve got a special guest on the show today. He had a surgery over a year and a half ago. And had an incredible transformation. And so he's here today to talk about all of the things that happen. I want, I want to, I want to back it up. I want to start to how you lost weight, the surgery. How Have you’ve been since then? It's been a year and a half. So Brent, welcome to the show.

Brent Tomas: Thank you for having me.

Dr. Barrett: Absolutely. So let's, let's, first of all, let's, let's dive in. This is him before and this is him after. What an incredible transformation, Brent.

Brent Tomas: I can't believe the transformation.

Dr. Barrett: Do you even remember what it's like to, to…?

Brent Tomas: I, I don't. I, I even look at old pictures. And I'm, I’m not even sure who this person is anymore.

01:45 BRENT HAD A NUMBER OF SURGERIES

Dr. Barrett: Right? I mean it, it seems like, it was so, it seems like it was yesterday for me because I remember this operation. It was, it was one of the most challenging operations. We did a tummy tuck. We did a male gynecomastia reduction. We did a unique way of doing this that's completely different, preserved a lot of sensation and the natural feel the nipple.

Brent Tomas: Yeah.

Dr. Barrett: We did lots of liposuction. It took us eight hours.

Brent Tomas: Eight hours.

Dr. Barrett: To do this operation. This was no joke.

Brent Tomas: Yeah.

Dr. Barrett: It’s funny. Let's back up. So, how, what happened? Like, let's start from the beginning. So you lost 110 pounds. There's a lot of people out there that are worried about losing weight because they know they're gonna have a lot of excess skin.  

02:10 BRENT LOST 110 POUNDS

Brent Tomas: Yeah.

Dr. Barrett: And they don't want to do that. Or they, they're worried about what might happen, you know, when they do lose the weight. So let's start over. We'll start from the beginning. What, what happened? And how'd you do it? And how did you end up here?

02:35 BRENT ALWAYS STRUGGLED WITH HIS WEIGHT

Brent Tomas: Well, I was overweight for most of my life. Like, from childhood up until adulthood. And, you know, I went to elementary school. I, luckily, I was not teased. In high school, maybe a little bit and then into college, I was still overweight. So it was almost as if as I was content with my, my weight at the time. But then, you know, as you grow older and then, you know, you, you want these like relationships. Whether it's, like, romantic or just friendships. And then you realize, oh, you know, what, what is it about me that I'm not in these relationships?

And I know that sounds, that can be a little bit shallow, but, you know, I was looking for a change. And so, my friends, they did this program, and you know, they lost weight as a couple and it interested me because I was thinking, oh, maybe I could do this too. So then it wasn't until I was maybe, like, in my early 30s, where I asked them and they, I took, I took this program seriously. I said, okay, I'm gonna do it. If it works, great. If it doesn't, look, let's just see how it goes.

03:46 BRENT JOINED A WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAM

Brent Tomas: And then I did the program. I saw, I lost weight immediately.

Dr. Barrett: Well, what was his program? I mean, people are dying to know.

Brent Tomas: It’s, it's called. It's gone through many name changes, but it was Medifast.

Dr. Barrett: Medifast?

Brent Tomas: Yes. And then now it's become a different name.

Dr. Barrett: Okay.

Brent Tomas: But yeah, I did the, the program for 10 months. Or I lost, I, I did the program and I lost weight. Like, within the first week I lost 11 pounds. And after that I would continue to...

Dr. Barrett: The first week you've lost, lost 11 pounds?

Brent Tomas: Yes. 11 pounds.

Dr. Barrett: Okay.

Brent Tomas: And then week after week, you would lose, like, five. And then it would gradually get lower. But I kept up with it for about 10 months ‘cause my goal was to lose 100.

Dr. Barrett: Yeah.

Brent Tomas: And...

Dr. Barrett: Well how, how heavy were you when you started this?

Brent Tomas: I believe I was, like, at least 310 pounds.

Dr. Barrett: Wow. So how tall are you?

Brent Tomas: I'm only five-three.

Dr. Barrett: Yeah, so that's, that's a lot.

Brent Tomas: Yeah. So yeah, I lost the weight after 10 months. I got to my goal after 10 months and I, I decided to go up, go, go for a little bit more weight loss. And so I did and then I reached my goal. I shared it with everyone that I knew. It was such a, you know, great program and...

05:00 MEDIFAST PROGRAM

Dr. Barrett: Well I want to, all right, so tell me more about this program. You said it's called Medifast.

Brent Tomas: Yes.

Dr. Barrett: So, was it exercise? Was it, like, starving yourself? Was it keto? Was it paleo? Was it calories in, calories out? What, what was it?

Brent Tomas: It was very similar to, like, Jenny Craig. Where you buy meals, meals from their, their program. You eat it, like, five times a day. And then you would eat your own, like, they call it a lean and green, which is basically a protein and vegetables.

Dr. Barrett: Okay.

Brent Tomas: And so it, it, kind of, teaches you how to eat, you know, regularly. Like, you have to eat every two to three hours and drink a lot of water. So it's, it’s giving you, like, healthy lifestyle, you know, tips.

Dr. Barrett: Okay.

Brent Tomas: And so I've, I’ve actually used those, you know, post the program. And, you know, it's has helped me maintain the weight loss.

Dr. Barrett: Got it. Was there any exercise tied with it? Or was it just strictly diet?

05:50 EXERCISE CAME LATER

Brent Tomas: Initially, no. There, they, they didn't recommend it because it was, like, lower calorie intake.

Dr. Barrett: Yeah.

Brent Tomas: But as you, your body gets used to it, then you can start adding activities. I added hiking. And then eventually I started to play tennis again because I always played tennis as a kid.

Dr. Barrett: Yeah.

Brent Tomas: And you know, it wasn't fun running around when I was heavier. But now that, after I lost the weight, I was able to be an even better tennis player.

Dr. Barrett: Great. All right, so you, so how long did it take you to lose this weight?

06:23 AFTER A YEAR OF WEIGHT LOSS BRENT HAD LOOSE SKIN

Brent Tomas: It took, yeah almost a year. And then I've just maintained that weight loss for maybe four years. Until I decided to finally get the excess skin removal. And, ‘cause I was very naive, I thought, you know, if I keep at it with lose, exercising, working out, I'm gonna, you know, lose this skin somehow. But, you know, I guess in my, in the back of my mind, I was trying to just avoid getting the surgery. But then I faced reality.

Dr. Barrett: Yeah.

Brent Tomas: And then I started doing some research and, you know, it, it lead me to you.

07:00 THE LOOSE SKIN WAS CAUSING PROBLEMS

Dr. Barrett: Well, tell me about the skin. What kind of problems was it causing for you?

Brent Tomas: Especially when I would be, you know, running around the tennis court, I, I would always hear the, you know, like noise, like flapping noises. And it would prevent me from, I was always very self-conscious anyways, so that, the noise didn't help me. It, I couldn't fit into the clothes that I wanted to comfortably. There would always be some kind of, you know, parts of my body sticking out or that I was just not, you know, happy about. So...

Dr. Barrett: Wow. Okay, so I wasn't your first consult though.

Brent Tomas: No.

Dr. Barrett: You reached a point. You thought about it for a while. And then how, how did you start your process of, like, really trying to figure out a solution for this?

07:50 BRENT SEARCHED ON THE INTERNET

Brent Tomas: For, just for me personally, whenever I make a goal, I just, I just sit, say to myself, here I'm gonna do it. And I just, like, dove right in. I, I went on the Internet. And I, I researched a bunch of websites like RealSelf. And I just typed in tummy tuck. And then I just see what would show up on the search engine.

Dr. Barrett: Yeah.

Brent Tomas: And then it wasn't intimidating at all just hearing all these stories of, like, how long the surgery would go or, you know, any problems that could go on from it. But...

Dr. Barrett: Yeah.

Brent Tomas: Yeah, I was doing the research, very extensive research.

Dr. Barrett: Was most of it on RealSelf?

Brent Tomas: No, I, I was just...

Dr. Barrett: That was just a starting point?

Brent Tomas: Yeah, that was just a starting point.

08:35 REALSELF IS A WEBSITE ABOUT PLASTIC SURGERY PROCEDURES

Dr. Barrett: Okay, just, just for the listeners out there, if you're not familiar with it. RealSelf is a, is a website that is, kind of, focused on plastic surgery procedures, where you can learn more information. I have a profile there, so we'll actually, we'll link it to the show notes for you guys to check out my profile on RealSelf. And you can actually explore it if you want to see where Brent started, I guess. Was, was there scary stuff on there? Or…?

Brent Tomas: There, there were some scary posts. But you know, I was just so focused on wanting to do this for myself that I would not let any of that get in my way.

Dr. Barrett: Got it yeah. There's pros and cons to everything.

Brent Tomas: Yeah, of course.

Dr. Barrett: So you left RealSelf then you started digging deeper and researched. What else did you do?

09:16 BRENT DID LOTS OF RESEARCH

Brent Tomas: Then after I did the research of getting over that hump of, like, what's, what to watch out for, then I would look for, you know, surgeons in the LA area and in the valley close, closer to where I live.

Dr. Barrett: Yeah.

Brent Tomas: And yeah, I went into the consultations and I, you know, asked the, all the important questions. And one, one of the most important things for me was to know that the surgeon had worked on men. And ‘cause, you know, you can go to their website and you can see tons of pictures of all of their work, but, you know, I, to me, I was very focused on making sure that, you know, they had previously worked on men.

Dr. Barrett: Yeah.

Brent Tomas: And a lot of them have. But at the same time, I wasn't getting the same...the, what I wanted from the surgeon. And it wasn't until I got to you where I felt like you really cared and you were very enthusiastic about wanting to work on me.

Dr. Barrett: Every time I get a patient, it's such an incredible amount of work to go from where you started. Probably I don't have any photos, I'm sure you do, but of, where you started before the weight loss to where you were when you showed up in my office, and it's just, like, I get a great chance to take care of something that you can't take care of yourself. And I, and I, it helps me, I, I like it because I like to, I like to say, I like to put the finishing touches on all of your hard work. And it is hard work. This isn't easy.

Brent Tomas: Yeah.

Dr. Barrett: So I do get excited because in my mind, I'm visualizing before and after. Like, I'm visualizing, like, all the positive things that I know are going to happen to you after we do the surgery. So I'm still excited. All right, so let's, let's continue on. So you came in, so you went to four, four places?

Brent Tomas: Yeah, yes.

Dr. Barrett: And, and you say, and I, I really think that's, you got to get your basics. Are they board-certified? Do they have before and after photos? Did, when you call the offices, do they have someone pick up? Are they operating out of the garage? You know what... you know, you know, all the red flags to avoid.

Brent Tomas: There was one that actually felt like they were working out of their garage.

Dr. Barrett: Really? Where was that?

Brent Tomas: Yeah. Like, at...

Dr. Barrett: Well, I don't want to...

Brent Tomas: I know it was...

Dr. Barrett: Guess...she...

Brent Tomas:...somewhere nearby.

Dr. Barrett: Where? Was it in the valley?

Brent Tomas: No, it was here.

Dr. Barrett: It was in Beverly Hills?

Brent Tomas: Like, adjacent.

Dr. Barrett: Okay.

Brent Tomas: And it, I didn't feel, like, you, you already know the, the red flags when you walk in there. And I immediately knew I didn't want to go there.

11:40 CLEANLINESS IS CRITICAL

Dr. Barrett: I mean, it's just, like, when you go to a restaurant, you know, you can judge, judge the kitchen cleanliness by the, the bathroom cleanliness, you know what I mean? And so it's just, like, when I walk into a room, if I see hair on the floor, I'm picking it up. I was like, I can't have my, you know, I just, one, I'm kind of OCD like that, but two I was just, like, I don't want my patients to make judgments...

Brent Tomas: Yeah.

Dr. Barrett:...based off the cleanliness of our floor. So we have a robot, we have sweepers, we have everything. So I have, like, two cleaning crews that come in here. Three, actually. So one for the OR, one for the front, and then another one for the front, just to, once a week, to make it clean. So that's my little OCD secret.

But, but yeah, so that is, that is so key, you got to make sure you find somebody that cares about what they do. And it's not a factory, right? Because this is your body, you know? You need to find somebody who's passionate about it. I think for men, especially, you gotta make sure that it's someone who's familiar with...and I've done a lot of male weight loss patients, some major ones where I've been on the TV show The Doctors for. And they're complex, and they're different than, than female operations. And so those are things that you have to take into consideration, especially with the male gynecomastia. That's, that's super challenging to do that right.

Brent Tomas: Yeah.

Dr. Barrett: And to make that look good. We got the, the before. Now you, you showed up in the office, and then you decided on surgery. Tell us about surgery.

Brent Tomas: There's...I, I felt...

Dr. Barrett: Was it in this room? Do you remember?

Brent Tomas: It was. I remember when I walked in here, I’m, like, this is the room. Where I walked in, I was given anesthesia, and I just was conked out. I don't remember.

Dr. Barrett: Yeah right. It's just like, hey...

Brent Tomas: I don't remember a thing until I, I woke up. And I felt, like, for me it, it was easy because I didn't have to do anything, like...

Dr. Barrett: Exactly.

Brent Tomas: You and your team had to do all the work.

Dr. Barrett: I know. We went from 9:45 to 5:45.

Brent Tomas: Yeah.

Dr. Barrett: So that was a 8-hour operation.

Brent Tomas: Yeah, it was, I mean, to me, it felt really easy and, and great. ‘Cause I, I woke up and I just remember laying here and I'm like, oh, like, I made it.

13:40 PAIN CONTROL

Dr. Barrett: Yeah. That's great. I mean, we inject a lot of numbing medicine.

Brent Tomas: Yeah.

Dr. Barrett: Sometimes we have that long-acting pain medication. I can't remember if we used that for you.

Brent Tomas: I...yeah.

Dr. Barrett: Yeah.

Brent Tomas: I remember, yes.

Dr. Barrett: Yeah. So that probably helped you out a lot.

Brent Tomas: Yeah.

Dr. Barrett: I want to do a quick recap of the surgery. We did a tummy tuck. We did liposuction of abdomen and flanks. We took off 1000 cc's off of each flank and then we took off about 300 off of the front of the abdomen. So that was, you know, it’s close to almost three liters of fat. The right breast tissue we removed about 700 grams, and the left breast tissue we removed about 870. That was important because you had some asymmetry there. Abdominal tissue we removed was approximately seven pounds. And we have a picture. Can we pull that...you have it on your phone?

Brent Tomas: Yeah.

Dr. Barrett: So we did a Snapchat of your surgery. And we'll, we'll actually pop that up here right here during the, during the podcast, so you guys can see it if you want to check it out on it’s, on our YouTube. When did you see that? Did you see that that night or the next day?

14:35 BRENT SAW HIS SURGERY ON SNAPCHAT

Brent Tomas: I, I saw it the, yeah, the, actually, the next morning. And it was, it was weird to see at first. Because then I saw everything that you did. Like the first incision. And that was a little, you know, I'll just say it, creepy to see at first. But then seeing how much you took off. I’m, like, that was what I was carrying all this time?

Dr. Barrett: Every day. Yeah.

Brent Tomas: And I just, I felt like oh, I couldn't do anything about it, but then...

Dr. Barrett: Right. That's why I'm in business. Just kidding. It’s like, I wish there was a way. Someone would make a lot of money if they could figure out a non-surgical way to get rid of that skin.

Brent Tomas: Right. Right.

Dr. Barrett: And just, really, when there's that much, there's not much you can do.

Brent Tomas: Yeah.

Dr. Barrett: And, but I think the key is to, to do it right. And, and, and so was there an immediate relief right after surgery, after you got the skin off? Or was it, was there a lot of soreness, you couldn't really tell right away?

15:27 BRENT STAYED AT AN AFTERCARE FACILITY

Brent Tomas: I couldn't, I couldn’t really tell right away. I, I did stay at an aftercare close by. I, the name has left me at the moment but...

Dr. Barrett: Was it Serenity or Beverly Hills Aftercare or...?

Brent Tomas: I think it was Beverly Hills Aftercare. And it was a great experience. I, I, I made sure to, to book with an aftercare just to make sure if, in case anything happened.

Dr. Barrett: Oh, totally. I mean, like, there's so much surgery and there's so much fluid changes.

Brent Tomas: Yeah.

Dr. Barrett: And it just, it's just helpful.

Brent Tomas: Yeah. I mean, when, when I, woke up, like, you, it was recommended to, you know, walk right away.

Dr. Barrett: Absolutely.

Brent Tomas: And they helped me through that. Even going to the bathroom was a struggle. But...

Dr. Barrett: Yeah.

Brent Tomas: You know, I was, I, it was, I made sure to go to, to an aftercare and make sure they helped me first 24 hours.

Dr. Barrett: Yeah. So you were there for one night?

Brent Tomas: Yeah.

Dr. Barrett: Okay. Yeah, that's, that's really smart. Because you're just totally out of it after an 8-hour surgery.

Brent Tomas: Yeah.

Dr. Barrett: So when, when was, like, the first time you looked in a mirror?

16:25 FIRST LOOK IN THE MIRROR

Brent Tomas: It was, I, it was...one, it was hard to get out of bed.

Dr. Barrett: Yeah. I don't even think they have mirrors at the aftercare facilities, probably.

Brent Tomas: Prob...I don't think so.

Dr. Barrett: Yeah.

Brent Tomas: But I think it was the first day I got home. And I looked in the mirror and I just saw all this bandage. I could feel the swelling and the numbness, which I know was normal. And I didn't freak out because I prepared myself. You prepared me and all my research helped me deal with that. But yeah, I looked at myself in the mirror, I saw the tape. I'm like, I, I can't believe it's done. Like, it’s, I, and I was just so happy that I made it through.

Dr. Barrett: Yeah.

Brent Tomas: Because it was such a long…

Dr. Barrett: It was.

Brent Tomas:...surgery. But yeah, I was, I was so relieved when I saw myself. It was, I just cannot believe it happened.

Dr. Barrett: Yeah, yeah, that's awesome. It's a, it’s a wheel change.

Brent Tomas: Yeah.

Dr. Barrett: And it's a, it's a fast change. Like when, like, it took you three years to lose…? Or how many years? How long did it take you to lose 110 pounds?

Brent Tomas: It took me less than a year. But it took me, like, three plus years to make that decision.

Dr. Barrett: Okay. Well still, like, a year, like, a little less than a year is still a long time, right?

Brent Tomas: Yeah.

Dr. Barrett: So that's changed. And then all of a sudden, one day, boom, you have an operation and...

Brent Tomas: Right. Yeah. Yeah.

Dr. Barrett: Everything's different. So it's, like, you know, that's honestly when I go back to, like, why I pick, why I chose to be a surgeon, there's a lot of reasons. But one of them which is I get to make changes on a pretty quick basis. You know?

Brent Tomas: Yeah.

Dr. Barrett: Internal medicine doctors are great, but if they're managing someone's diabetes, that takes days and months of active monitoring and stuff like that to really make a difference in someone's health. I get to make a change in a single day. Obviously, it's a single day of surgery, but there's pre-op, and there's post-op care and all this other stuff. But you get what I mean. Yeah, so it's really satisfying.

Brent Tomas: Mmm hmm.

Dr. Barrett: Tell me about your family. What did they think?

18:10 BRENT’S PARENTS WEREN’T THRILLED HE WAS GETTING THE SURGERY

Brent Tomas: My, my parents, they weren't, like, so thrilled about me getting the surgery at first. Just ‘cause, you know, they're, they're old and...they are.

Dr. Barrett: Mom and dad, you’re old.

Brent Tomas: They are. And they, they just freaked out over, just, me getting surgery when they felt like I looked fine. But you know, I see myself in the mirror every day and I know what my flaws are, so...But you know, they, they were okay with it, but I, I, kind of, told them a little too late. Because I, I already made the decision to do it.

Dr. Barrett: Hey, by the way…

Brent Tomas: They couldn’t do anything about it. But, you know, they were supportive and, you know, they were ultimately just happy for me. That I made this decision to do this and that I had lost the weight too. So, I have an older brother and older sister and they were very supportive. Because they know all the hard work that I put into losing weight and maintaining it. So...

Dr. Barrett: Great.

Brent Tomas: I had a lot of support. And my friends too.

Dr. Barrett: And, and so did people come visit you afterwards or was there a support network there? Or was it just…?

Brent Tomas: It was mostly, I just wanted it to be family, like, immediate family, to be with me. And, you know, I didn't, I didn't want people to come to my house. So I just, once I was able to get up and go around, I would, you know, see people...

Dr. Barrett: Yeah.

Brent Tomas: They were, they were so amazed. Like, it, it looked like, as if I didn't get surgery. I had a...

Dr. Barrett: Awesome.

Brent Tomas: Yeah, I had a friend that was, that said you just had how long was your surgery? And you're up, up and about running around? And I remember one of my friends saying, and I'm sure it's true, that, you know, the how, however fast the recovery is and how, and is due to the, the doctor, the surgeon. So, like, you obviously did a great job.

Dr. Barrett: I think it's, I think it's a combination, right?

Brent Tomas: Yeah.  

Dr. Barrett: So I think it's a combination of a lot of the, the things I do during the operation to minimize your pain, so forth. Like the injection and the numbing medicine and the techniques that I use, I don't use cautering for everything. The taping that I do. And then also, I think, a lot of it has to do with you, How well do you follow instructions? How are you getting up, moving around? Your attitude on things, you know, all those things...that all matters.

20:20 A POSITIVE OUTLOOK IS IMPORTANT

Brent Tomas: Yeah, that's, that's one, like, advice I would give to a patient that would want to get a tummy...or, you know, similar surgeries to me, where you have to have a positive outlook. You, you take things as they come. Do...you can't, you can prepare as much as you want. But you know...

Dr. Barrett: What was the, what was the something that shocked you?

Brent Tomas: Um...

Dr. Barrett: That was a surprising, something surprising...

Brent Tomas: I think fitting into clothes. I mean, that, that would be natural. Fitting into clothes better.

Dr. Barrett: Really? So right after the...so like, did that happen right away? Or did you notice that...

Brent Tomas: It happened right away.

Dr. Barrett: Wow.

Brent Tomas: Yeah. And I, I just remember old pictures of myself where I would look at myself from, you know, my back. And I would see how wide, how wide and large my back was. But I see it now. It's a lot more, like, V...tapered, like a V-shape.

Dr. Barrett: Hell yeah. It’s masculine.

Brent Tomas: Yeah.

Dr. Barrett: It’s all, that’s great. And that's the difference. That was on purpose. Because...

Brent Tomas: Yeah.

Dr. Barrett: You don't want a hourglass shape, like a feminine, for a man. You want a V-shape.

Brent Tomas: Yes.

Dr. Barrett: So that, that was, that was built into your operation.

Brent Tomas: Yeah. Thank you.

21:40 THE INCISIONS HEALED WELL

Dr. Barrett: Of course, yeah. No that's the difference. For sure. And you had so much skin we had to chase incisions along this, the chest wall, all the way back. And they healed beautifully. We just did a year-and-a-half follow up.

Brent Tomas: Yes.

Dr. Barrett: And you look phenomenal. I, I think there's some things that we can fine-tune. Anytime you have a maj…this is really important concept. And I am a really good surgeon. And I try really hard. But everybody heals differently. And sometimes there's little, little edges and things like that, or just a little bit loose, or, or you maybe lost weight or gained a little bit of weight, that we can always fine-tune.

So I tell people the first operation is typically about a 90%, kind of, you know, 90% of the work. And then expect to have, like, another 10 to 15%, kind of, updates as things heal. And that happens with these massive weight loss situations. And I think in your situation, phenomenal difference. But there's little things that we can fine-tune. And I think overall your healing, you healed beautifully. Better than I expected, actually.

Brent Tomas: Yeah, a lot of people have said that. Like, they thought it would have taken so much longer. Or you know, other things could’ve happened. But no, I, everything was just, like, smooth for me.

Dr. Barrett: Awesome.

Brent Tomas: So that was great.

Dr. Barrett: Well, tell me about what's different now. You, you’re back to playing tennis?

22:45 BRENT CAN PLAY TENNIS AGAIN

Brent Tomas: Yeah, I’m back to playing tennis. I play a lot of tennis. I'm a lot more social now. Like, before, before the surgery, I was always very self-conscious. Even, nobody would notice, but I, I always was aware. But, you know, I, before whenever, like, I'm in a tennis league, they would invite me to stuff. Like, hey, let's hang out, let's go to this, let’s, you know, come to a party. I would always say no, because I just didn't feel like it.

But now, and I'm sure you can ask my friends. They’d say that he's a lot more social now. He comes to our parties. So yeah, I'm a lot more social. And overall, I think I'm just happier. And people can see that. Whenever I walk into a room, or whenever I catch up with somebody, they’re, like, you have this glow about you.

Dr. Barrett: Yeah.

Brent Tomas: So it's, I'm just so much happier.

Dr. Barrett: Well you do. You look really happy, Brent. I mean, it's, I'm so happy that you are doing better both how you look, how you feel. Because that's, that's to me what really matters. Because, you know, ultimately, what we did was functional and cosmetic for you. But if, if you're not feeling better about it, then I, I don't feel like I've, I've helped you significantly. You know what I mean?

Brent Tomas: Yeah.

Dr. Barrett: So I, I feel so good to hear..it makes my week actually. So and that's why I love, that's why I love my patients. And following up and making these transformations. It's just, it’s just incredible to hear that.

Brent Tomas: Thank you.

Dr. Barrett: You're welcome. So I guess it's a year-and-a-half out and, and looking back, I know it's been some time. But, so if there's, if there’s a guy out there, or gal out there, that's lost a lot of weight, what would be your advice to that person to, if they're thinking about some, doing something like this?

Brent Tomas: I mean, the, personally, I think just my process where, you know, I do as much research as I can, as you can.

Dr. Barrett: Yeah.

Brent Tomas: And...

24:35 WHERE BRENT STARTED HIS RESEARCH

Dr. Barrett: Where did you start with research?

Brent Tomas: I, I just I looked up, just tummy tucks. And then, and then I would let that, kind of, lead me to other things. And, and for you to, for people to be aware of other, like, procedures that you might need as well. And you know, you, you never want to be surprised when you look up a surgery or, for, like, something like this.

Dr. Barrett: Right.

Brent Tomas: And, and then you have to find the right surgeon for you. And be patient because, you know, you may want, you know, this overnight fix. But it's, it's not. It, it all starts, like, for me, it starts mentally. And then, and psychologically. And the physical, it'll, it'll come, like, easy. So that's my advice.

Dr. Barrett: Okay. I mean that's, that’s, it's just, it's such a hard thing to. Because it's like, you know, I, I come back here and I take people into the operating room and I transform them, and I do that every day, you know? And it's just, like, for someone who's never had surgery, or never even seen surgery, it's like, it's a very daunting thing to, like...

Brent Tomas: Yes.

Dr. Barrett:...completely trust somebody. Go under anesthesia, which is kind of scary. It's actually really safe, but it's kind of scary. And, and then wake up and, and get through it, you know?

Brent Tomas: Yeah.

Dr. Barrett: And recover. It's like, it's like a huge thing that nobody really knows about until they, they dive in.

Brent Tomas: They do it.

Dr. Barrett: Yeah. It takes a lot of courage.

Brent Tomas: Yeah.

Dr. Barrett: Especially in your operation. I will say that your operation, I remember, it was, it was one of the most challenging operations of 2018.

Brent Tomas: Really?

Dr. Barrett: Yeah. It was, it was so, it was so challenging. And I think it turned out great. And, and we're so beyond happy for you and, and your transformation, Brent.

26:15 BRENT IS HAPPY WITH HIS TRANSFORMATION

Brent Tomas: Yeah, I just, I just have to thank you and your team so much. It's, it's completely changed my life. And I can never be, like, like, I don't know if I can repay you. Or your team...

Dr. Barrett: No you already paid us, Brent. It's okay. Yeah, I mean, we're not the cheapest in town. I, I will tell people that. I think it's because we, we work really hard for our patients. And we do take more time. You know, we care about the details.

The way I look at it is you're not, you know, you don't want to bargain shop for parachutes or plastic surgery. It's your body, you only get one, right? As far as you know, unless you believe in reincarnation, but for the most part, it just, it’s, like, it's a long time you have your body, right?

Brent Tomas: Yeah. Yeah.

Dr. Barrett: So it's like, it's not like a car. If you don't like the leather seats, you can trade it back in. It’s your body. And if, if somebody messes up or your life is in jeopardy, it's never worth it.

Brent Tomas: Yeah. And you were very insistent in our post-op meetings, like, it was every week or...

Dr. Barrett: Yeah, it was a lot.

Brent Tomas: Yeah. So...

Dr. Barrett: We were watching everything.

Brent Tomas: You care so much.

Dr. Barrett: Yeah, we don't want, yeah we don't have wound breakdown. You healed so well. I'm like, I saw you today. And I, I really couldn't believe it. Especially the chest incisions. It’s, like, you can't even notice that you had surgery there. It, it blended in so nicely.

Brent Tomas: Yeah.

27:40 FOLLOW POST-OPERATIVE CARE INSTRUCTIONS

Dr. Barrett: So that makes me feel really good. Because I typically don't see my patients beyond a year. And so it was great to, to have you come in and see that. And I think a lot of that was, was with you too. Positive attitude, following all the post-operative instructions. Like, don't commit to something like this, unless you're really committing to it, right? Like, do everything that you need to do to heal. Otherwise, you're not going to get the best result or you can get a complication.

Brent Tomas: Right.

Dr. Barrett: Yeah. So, Brent, well, I can't thank you enough for being on the show. Is there anything else you'd like to share with the, with the viewers or the audience or me?

Brent Tomas: I actually brought a gift. For you and your team.

Dr. Barrett: Oh, okay. You didn't have to do that.

Brent Tomas:...difficult to open.

Dr. Barrett: Okay. All right. It's a green brag. It's a green bag. Is that...?

Brent Tomas: I don't know.

Dr. Barrett: Is that your favorite color?

Brent Tomas: It is, it is actually.

Dr. Barrett: Green’s your favorite color?

Brent Tomas: It is. But as you know, I like to bake. So I made...

Dr. Barrett: You made these?

Brent Tomas: I did.

Dr. Barrett: These are macaroons.

Brent Tomas: Yeah. Rosewater are the pink ones. And the orange one is chocolate ganache. So...

Dr. Barrett: Oh my goodness. All right, well, I'm gonna have to have a bite of one of these. It’s, even though it's, like, against my paleo ways. But these look so good. Let me try this out. Wow. Phenomenal. Oh my God. Now Brent, what do you do for a living? Because you should, um, you should make these professionally.

Brent Tomas: I've been thinking. Actually I have, I, I started a page for my baking. So...

Dr. Barrett: Really?

Brent Tomas: Yeah and

Dr. Barrett: You have a website?

Brent Tomas: It's a, it's an Instagram page.

Dr. Barrett: Okay, well what's your handle? We’ll, we're gonna send some people there because these macaroons are amazing.

Brent Tomas: Well, it's kind of difficult to spell, well not really. It's btbites. That's my handle, or screen name.

Dr. Barrett: So btbites. B-i-t-e-s.

Brent Tomas: btbites. That’s one word.

Dr. Barrett: btbites.

Brent Tomas: Yeah.

Dr. Barrett: Okay, cool. We'll put that in the show notes. So people can check it out. And you can learn more about his, his, his cooking endeavors.

29:30 BRENT WORKS IN MUSIC PUBLISHING

Brent Tomas: Yeah, well, what I do, I work in music publishing.

Dr. Barrett: Okay.

Brent Tomas: So I, I do all the administrative work. But we, we collect music royalties.

Dr. Barrett: Okay.

Brent Tomas: For music used in commercials.

Dr. Barrett: Yes, that's a big deal.

Brent Tomas: That's all, that’s all my boss is doing. So...

Dr. Barrett: Yeah.

Brent Tomas: But you know, I'm, I'm, I've been there for a while. And I enjoy the work. It's, it's a, it's a really low key fun environment and it's, and it’s close by here.

Dr. Barrett: Good, come by anytime, Brent, especially with macaroons like that. Those were awesome.

Thank you for tuning into our podcast. If you liked today's podcast, don't forget to share, rate, review and subscribe. Also find out if plastic surgery is right for you by using our virtual consultation at DrDanielBarrett.com/virtual-consultation. See you soon.

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