Hello everyone! I posted this on the FFS support Yahoo group, but I thought that it might be of interest to all of you at Susans.
About six months ago I heard of a company called FemiLife in Lima, Peru, that advertises Facial Feminization via their website, http://www.FemiLife.com (http://www.femilife.com) . There are a fair number of people these days going to South America for facial Feminization surgery, because it is quite a bit less expensive than in the US, but nobody seemed to know anything about FemiLife. So, I contacted FemiLife, and asked about their company, sent them some photos, and asked for a price quote.
An affordable, good quality option for FFS is always welcome, so I did some research on Lima, and the quality of the medical care available there, and was surprised to learn that it is in fact very good.
I received a quote from FemiLife about six months ago, for an extremely reasonable price of about $13,000 US for everything I needed, which is basically a full FFS (forehead/eyebrow lift, nose, chin, jaw, trachea shave, and facelift. At first, I was taken aback by this low price, but it turns out to be a combination of good exchange rate with the US Dollar, and the low cost of medical care in Peru.
After corresponding with Nikky Sanchez at FemiLife, over the last six months or so, I decided to travel to Peru and see what Femilife had to offer with my own eyes, and have a consultation with them. Plus, I wanted to get away for a while from the cold Chicago winter. :-)
The flight from Chicago was fairly uneventful, aside from a crying baby or two and a slight bit of mild turbulence. It was about two hours to Houston, and then the flight to Lima was a tad over six hours. There are no non-stop flights from most cities in the US, so most of us coming from the US will be having at least one layover. I had a layover in Houston for about four hours, which was my choice... I could have taken a later flight from Chicago to Houston and just hopped right on the plane to Lima, but I like to give the airport crew ample time to pass my luggage onto the next flight.
Getting through customs and immigration was a breeze. I was given the forms to fill out on the airplane before I arrived in Lima, so I was ready by the time the plane landed and I got to the those areas.
I was met at the airport by Nikky and her assistant. They drove me to the hotel, and along the way we chatted and made small talk, and we discussed the schedule over the coming days.
I do not speak much Spanish, I only know certain words and phrases, how to say "Thank you" "Good morning/afternoon/evening" and single words. Nikky's assistant accompanied her to the airport, and, between the three of us, after an initial adjustment period, we communicated just fine.
In most of the touristy areas of Lima, people will speak at least enough English for a non-spanish speaker to get by, so it's not as much of a problem as one would think.
House Sucre, the hotel recommended by Nikki, is an old house, converted into a hotel. This is the hotel where clients of FemiLife come to recover, and the cost of which is included in Femilife's price quotes. The house is very cozy, the owners and staff are nice and speak English. There is a small breakfast area where they serve a nice, complimentary continental breakfast: Orange juice, coffee, toast, and they even made me a nice omelette. There is WiFi access (ask for the password) and there is also a PC here for the use of the hotel guests. I like the homey feel of House Sucre, and the staff is very pleasant and eager to help. Food can be brought up to the room by the staff on request, as well as fresh towels, soap, any basics one might require.
One thing about the hotel - there is no air conditioning. As a matter of fact, air conditioning seems to be quite rare everywhere in Lima, except where it's needed. The big chain hotels are air conditioned, but will be more expensive. The temperature in Lima is quite mild, there are no huge extremes, being close to the ocean.. but in the summer it can be a bit hot and humid sometimes. It is possible to stay in a different hotel if desired, but this one is close to FemiLife's office, so it is easy for Nikky to attend to her client's needs.
I don't find it bothersome at alI, I just opened the windows if I was hot, closed them if I was cold. After my experiences during my stay there, I would have no problems staying in House Sucre for my recovery. I prefer the smaller, homey feel of House Sucre, and the staff is very pleasant and eager to help.
The day after I arrived in Lima, i met with Dr. Sergio Pimentel, craniofacial specialist, and main surgeon of FemiLife. When having the initial consultation with Dr. Pimentel, the first step is to have imaging done of the head. In the morning, we went to an Imaging centre, where I had a 3-D CT scan done of my head. The images were put on a CD-ROM and brought to Dr. Pimentel's office, where he put up all the images on his computer screen, along with pictures taken of my face from every angle. The images are used to create an actual, physical, 3D model of the skull, which Dr. Pimentel studies, and modifies to show exactly how much bone he would remove, and where.
I was extremely impressed by this approach. As far as I know, there is not one other surgeon doing FFS who does this... Maybe one who will use a CT scan to see the thickness of the bones, but creating a physical model is not an approach I have heard of. Being able to see ahead of time the structure and thickness of all the bones in the face seems like a very thorough approach, and a good idea to me.
And, the costs for all these tests, as well as all blood tests and medicines, are covered in the price quotes from FemiLife. Nikky stated that FemiLife's goal is to make their client's visits painless and trouble-free, by making sure that the client does not have to worry about anything but recovering from the surgery. So, all medical costs, transportation, and the hotel itself are all included.
Dr. Pimentel himself is a very nice man, he speaks English wonderfully, and seems very competent. We chatted about his approach to FFS, and he said that he tries to move as many of the male features of the face into the female range as he can, but while still making the results smooth and not too extreme. He does perform the "Type 3" sinus setback procedure. He has had extensive experience with trauma patients, a hallmark of craniofacial specialists, but he has been doing FFS for a number of years now. He seems to have a very firm grasp on the intricacies and details of performing FFS surgery, and the risks and complications possible. I quizzed him on various topics, and I left his office feeling very positive about his abilities. He was very patient and willing to answer any questions I had.
I also toured the surgical center where the FFS is performed, NovoCardio. It's a well equipped small surgical center, clean, and seemingly has all the necessary equipment to perform the surgery cleanly and safely. There is an observation room for people immediately out of surgery, and then a recovery room. The staff seems quite friendly. I met the nurses who personally assist with the surgeries, and they were friendly and inviting.
The rest of my stay in Lima was very enjoyable. The people there are very friendly and hospitable. If you are a seafood fan, you will be in heaven in Lima. The Seafood is literally pulled out of the ocean hours before it is served. Especially good food items are Ceviche, a classic Peruvian seafood dish, and a drink called Pisco Sour (especially with passionfruit in it).
If you are not a seafood fan, try it anyway. You might be a fan by the time you leave Lima. The food is that good!
There are many other things to do in Lima as far as sightseeing. Whilst I was there, I took a nighttime tour of Lima by bus, which was quite fun. There are also wonderful shopping areas and parks to visit, with vendors selling various jewelry, knick-knacks, clothing, and artwork.
Lima, as well as other cities in South America, have really changed in the last 5 years. Dr. Pimentel commented on this as well, in my conversations with him. Of course, Peru is still a developing country, and with any large city you do have an element of crime, and Lima is no exception. There seems to be a theft problem here, but keep an eye on your things and be aware of your surroundings, and you'll be fine. Common sense is the key here.. Most of you who have been to larger cities know the routine.. I never felt unsafe anywhere in Miraflores or San Isidro, and it's likely that most people coming here for surgery won't be going many other places than these areas.
As with most other countries in this area, it is not recommended to drink the water out of the tap. There is bottled water everywhere, and most restaurants serve filtered water, so I never had a problem with any stomach ailments or any sicknesses while I was there.
Lima has plenty of US chain restaurants, including Chilis and TGI Friday's. There are Starbucks seemingly everywhere. I also saw KFC, and Papa John's Pizza. I think McDonald's is a given anywhere in the world these days. Most places accept the US Dollar, as well as the Nuevo Sol. I have paid in US Dollars and then gotten change in Soles. The exchange rate as of right now is about 1 US Dollar - 2.75 Soles. ATMs dispense either Soles or Dollars.
The experience I had in Lima, Peru and with Femilife honestly impressed me greatly. It was very apparent to me after my conversations and the time I spent with Nikky, that she is a very sweet, caring woman who tries her best to make everyone's experience trouble free, and desires to help the trans community. One of her main goals, she told me, is to provide a reasonably priced alternative for those of us who desire FFS surgery, but may not be able to afford it in our own countries. She believes that FFS is one of the most important, life changing things in transition, and she wants it to be possible for all of us to be able to afford it.
After my experience with FemiLife and seeing what they have to offer, I've definitely decided that I am going to return to Lima for my surgery later this year, as soon as I can arrange it.
I know that this report is overwhelmingly positive, and well, that's because I was pleasantly surprised by the whole experience. I didn't know what to expect when I went down there, and I was a bit nervous having never been outside of the US... And the stories I've heard about South America have been less than positive. So, to have a completely different experience, was very nice indeed!
If any if you have any questions about my trip or my experience, feel free to ask... I don't have any information on specific pricing though so any questions related to surgeries and pricing and the like should be directed to Nikky, and not me.
Website:
http://www.FemiLife.com (http://www.femilife.com)
Nikky Sanchez's email:
nsanchez@FemiLife.com
Take care everyone,
Veronika
Hey girl...I just checked the site out...I am gonna check into this...Very reasonable.
Thanks...
Yes the price certainly is right, which is initially what attracted me to them. Nikky said that she was floored by the amounts of money everyone has been spending in the US and Europe for FFS, when it can be had in Peru for much less money, and the quality is there.
So many of us don't have a lot of money, or wind up throwing ourselves into debt for this. That's why I decided to go check it out in person. I figured it was worth the money I spent on the plane ticket if it saved me money in the end, and heck somebody in the English speaking world needed to go check it out... I figured it might as well be me! :-)
They just launched the English version of the site a few months back. So far all of their clients have been from South America, but Nikky said she's hoping that will change.
Oh, and another thing that sold me was that they offered to bring in an ENT at the same time to fix my deviated septum and breathing issues. Since Dr Pimentel is a craniofacial specialist, he can also perform many of the more invasive corrective procedures that a regular plastic surgeon probably wouldn't be able to do.
If you contact her, tell her Veronika said hello! :-)
I may accompany Veronika for a consultation and to help her recovery. Though my electrologist Cassie said she's referred 5 girls to Raymond Konior in Oakbrook Terrace and they all loved his work. He is in my PPO so I'm hoping in 2012 my insurance will also cover non-SRS surgeries like FFS, BA, liposuction, and tummy tucking. I'm thin so shouldn't go for a tummy tuck to avoid the scar, but still it would be nice to know insurance covers it.
Hi Veronika,
Pls let me know if u hv done ur FFS at Femilfe yet, I'm sooo keen to get mine done there as well and am soo excited to hear ur experience:)
Cheers
Shomi
Hi Shomi, no I haven't yet. I will be going down there around the middle of December. I'll post my results as soon as I have them. :-)
Veronika, I am in contact with Nikky, she really sounds a nice girl. I'm planning to get my FFS (almost full) along with breasts and buttocks implants/augmentation in one visit (almost a month stay in Lima). The only concern for me is offcourse the surgery itself , that is, the quality, safety, risks etc involved in doing such an important surgery, that's why I'm a bit scared as I've never heard any one having their MOST important surgery done there. So far, I've been in contact with US, European, and Thai surgeons, like Dr Ousterhout, Dr Bart, Dr Supporn etc and I always dreamed of getting my FFS done with Dr Ousterhout in US, but limited budget has always been the main hindrance. However, if we can achieve our goals effectively and safely at Femilife within our budget then why not.
Please keep in touch and let me know once you've decided to go ahead with your surgery, may be I could accompany you:), I mean in Lima, as I live in New Zealand. You can be in touch at my email: shomi2020@yahoo.com
Cheers
Shomi
hello, i know taht this topic wasn´t active for long time but i hope my question could serve to somebody.
(use google translator please, like you can see english isnot my natural)
Me parece importante que un dato muy importante al averiguar en una clinica de cirujias esteticas. Es si cuentan con terapia intensiva (intensive cares room) por si hay alguna complicacion. Es decir, si algo se complica durante la cirujia...la trasladan en ambulancia hacia algun lugar donde se tengan esos cuidados? esta clinica preparada para atender complicaciones urgentes en ese mismo lugar sin nesecidad de traslado?
uno de los riesgos es que quizas si ud, nesecita ese tipo de atencion, la ambulancia no llegue a tiempo...por lo tanto corre riesgo su vida, ya que mantene la asepcia es fundamental. en muchos casos los precios bajos se deben a que no gastan el suficiente dinero en mantener la adecuada asepcia ( virus intrahospitalirios) ya que son muy caros los elementos de limpieza.
Tambien tienen que tener la garantia de que todos los productos de implante sean de calidad y con garantia escrita, puesto que con esto tambien se especula para ofrecer un servicio mas barato o simlnte para ganar mas dinero.
Lo digo porque soy de argentina y por estos lados es muy comun que en lujosas clinicas y con altos precios y buena fama.... hagan estas cosas con consecuencias mortales para las pacientes que se somenten a cirujias de implantes mamarios, de echo hay hasta clinicas lujosas en donde no tienen servicio de neonatologia, pero aun asi muchas mujeres deciden parir alli porque les ofrecen habitacion privada con aire acondicionado y una canasta de regalos para el bebe con un ramo de flores....pero no saben que si su bebe nace con complicaciones..la ambulancia no llegara a tiempo al hospital mas cercano con neonatologia, porque es cuestion de minutos la vida o la muerte en caso de complicaciones. reipto aqui es comun especular con que siempre todo sale perfecto.
hi veronika!
i am looking to have my FFs done with femilife in peru this december 2011 as well, please message me if you'd like to talk! it'd be nice to have a familiar face while recovering!
Didee,
No sé exactamente cómo las situaciones de emergencia se tratan. A mi entender, que el centro quirúrgico está muy bien equipada. Se encuentra ubicado en Miraflores, que es la mejor parte de Lima, y las instalaciones en que parte de Lima son muy buenos.
Si se comunica con Nikky Sánchez en FemiLife, ella será capaz de responder a todas sus preguntas.
Mis mejores deseos,
Veronika
I have some recent photos that Nikky at FemiLife has sent me of a recent patient. They are not on her website yet, but in case anyone is interested, I posted them on Flickr. Here's the link to the photos...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/32936901@N08/sets/72157627444888211/ (http://www.flickr.com/photos/32936901@N08/sets/72157627444888211/)
Veronika
Quote from: VeronikaFTH on September 03, 2011, 11:13:51 PM
I have some recent photos that Nikky at FemiLife has sent me of a recent patient. They are not on her website yet, but in case anyone is interested, I posted them on Flickr. Here's the link to the photos...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/32936901@N08/sets/72157627444888211/ (http://www.flickr.com/photos/32936901@N08/sets/72157627444888211/)
Veronika
Very nice! I've come across them before. It looks like they do good work.
I think that's another thing about surgery - the result two posts above shows a man who, before surgery, passed to some extent with the help of his hair and a female shirt. However, the reality is that because of his brow bossing, chin, nose, and skin texture, things still came together and made him look "worn down" and "grumpy". In the result, he looks like a brand new woman, and much more like a woman at that. As someone who myself values a "just got out of bed" type of prettiness as opposed to using large wigs and elaborate clothes, the surgical improvements are what I've always wanted. I want to be "naturally" womanly and pretty, with the aid of surgery, if that makes sense.
Hi
these is a great thread however I was wondering if anyone has any more that they could add as it would be really helpful.
I would like to send pm to a couple of people that have posted in this thread but I can not seem to work out how to do it.
Could somebody please be kind enough to point me in the right direction.
Veronika if you read this could I ask whether you attended Femilife in December as you stated that you intended to?
If so what was your experience like?
Thank you to all who have posted thus far.
Rachel.
Quote from: RhinoP on September 07, 2011, 03:10:29 PM
I think that's another thing about surgery - the result two posts above shows a man who, before surgery, passed to some extent with the help of his hair and a female shirt. However, the reality is that because of his brow bossing, chin, nose, and skin texture, things still came together and made him look "worn down" and "grumpy". In the result, he looks like a brand new woman, and much more like a woman at that. As someone who myself values a "just got out of bed" type of prettiness as opposed to using large wigs and elaborate clothes, the surgical improvements are what I've always wanted. I want to be "naturally" womanly and pretty, with the aid of surgery, if that makes sense.
????? Why all this 'he', 'his' etc????
Hi Veronika,
thanks for posting your personal experience so far!
I've checked the website and much to my surprise Femilife offers ear reduction surgery!
To my knowledge NO other known FFS surgeon offers ear reduction surgery. Earlobe reduction, yes, if asked for, but actual ear reduction surgery? They don't, as far as I know of.
Wow!
Veronikafth
I have done some research, investigating the strings of information that do not make sense with Femilife in Peru.
I am sceptical to begin with so tell me if i am wrong, but dr sergio pemtel is a member of the staff at novacadio, and dr. Flavio nicolich has his own clinic cirvgiaplasticanicolich. I suspect that Femilife is a group of non doctor related people that have formed a company to manage the ffs process amd they contract local doctors to perform the necessary surgeries for ffs or other plastic surgeries. Is this correct?
Clerisse
Quote from: Dahlia on November 10, 2011, 04:24:03 PM
Hi Veronika,
thanks for posting your personal experience so far!
I've checked the website and much to my surprise Femilife offers ear reduction surgery!
To my knowledge NO other known FFS surgeon offers ear reduction surgery. Earlobe reduction, yes, if asked for, but actual ear reduction surgery? They don't, as far as I know of.
Wow!
i had this surgery with Dr Suporn
Quote from: Clerisse on April 03, 2012, 10:40:28 AM
Veronikafth
I have done some research, investigating the strings of information that do not make sense with Femilife in Peru.
I am sceptical to begin with so tell me if i am wrong, but dr sergio pemtel is a member of the staff at novacadio, and dr. Flavio nicolich has his own clinic cirvgiaplasticanicolich. I suspect that Femilife is a group of non doctor related people that have formed a company to manage the ffs process amd they contract local doctors to perform the necessary surgeries for ffs or other plastic surgeries. Is this correct?
Clerisse
I haven't really been around much, sorry everyone for the delay in responding.
I haven't been to FemiLife yet as I had some financial difficulties. I am planning on going in January. But I know people who have gone down there after I visited and they are very happy with their results.
Clerisse, FemiLife is a separate company formed by Nikky Sanchez in cooperation with Dr Pimentel. FemiLife exists to put together an almost all-inclusive package for foreign clients. Dr Pimentel is a craniofacial specialist, he has a practice performing surgery on trauma victims, and that is his specialty. Facial feminization surgery is just really a re-application of existing craniofacial techniques.
Nikky has contracted some very good local doctors to handle just about any service you can imagine... I have one friend who needed extensive dental work and had it done in Lima.
What exactly is it that you thought didn't make sense?
Thank you Veronica
I suspected this arrangement was so, because of many reasons for which I have noticed and experienced with Femilife. I to have an interest in Peru, but I also want to be assured I am not going to lose my investment and the results will be forthcoming.
Like you, I also want to be in contact with the doctors to assure what is being advertised is for real. Unfortunately, at this point, that direct contact does not exsist
Thank you so kindly for your help..
Quote from: Dahlia on November 10, 2011, 04:20:11 PM
????? Why all this 'he', 'his' etc????
i noticed that too , incredably bizzare use of pronounds for someone who uses this forum on a regular basis to have 374 posts o.O very confusing
so they actually are really proffesional and produce good results , they wouldnt be a dr sonny / ramirez result would they ?
Quote from: VeronikaFTH on April 03, 2012, 04:33:25 PM
I haven't really been around much, sorry everyone for the delay in responding.
I haven't been to FemiLife yet as I had some financial difficulties. I am planning on going in January. But I know people who have gone down there after I visited and they are very happy with their results.
Clerisse, FemiLife is a separate company formed by Nikky Sanchez in cooperation with Dr Pimentel. FemiLife exists to put together an almost all-inclusive package for foreign clients. Dr Pimentel is a craniofacial specialist, he has a practice performing surgery on trauma victims, and that is his specialty. Facial feminization surgery is just really a re-application of existing craniofacial techniques.
Nikky has contracted some very good local doctors to handle just about any service you can imagine... I have one friend who needed extensive dental work and had it done in Lima.
What exactly is it that you thought didn't make sense?
I am at the point of sending money to Nikky... I've done a ton of reasearch, and there are no real red flags here. Outside of flying down for a face to face, (which in airfare alone is about $1400 which goes a long way toward surgery). The only thing that bothers me so far is the week in between emails. But I understand taht Nikky has to meet with the surgeons and talk to them to get answers. Actually, it's a pretty good idea to run this business for herself! I am also looking for anyone else who has went. There's a GREAT blog by Carol Uren http://caroluren.blogspot.com/p/my-ffs-in-lima-peru.html documenting her whole trip there, and it looks like she is extremely happy. She has also given me some great info to calm down my "scam" mindset. But what has anyone's current situation been like? I' will be there in August for my surgery if I can get over my fear of sending that kind of money overseas for the initial deposit. Any help here? ;D
Quote from: mementomori on April 04, 2012, 09:34:15 PM
i noticed that too , incredably bizzare use of pronounds for someone who uses this forum on a regular basis to have 374 posts o.O very confusing
Very rude, very annoying!
VeronikaFTH I hope that your financial woes are soon behind you and you can reap the rewards of all this research you have done.A big thank you for the information you have posted.
So many of us are looking forward to FFS with some trepidation and traveling to another country adds its' own set of worries.
I have a question you may be able to answer (or someone following this Post).
What do we do about our passport photo not matching our post-op results when flying back home to the USA from Peru?
You carry with you documentation from your surgeon that you had FFS.
I'm going in August to Femilife. My name change is in the courts. initially I was told that it would take approximately 45 days. The one woman in the courthouse said up to 6 months. I had to make my flight reservations under my male name. I have the letter to also change my gender marker, but am waiting for the name change to go through. I'm flying American to Peru, and LAN Peru back since they are sister airlines. Anyway, American said changing the reservation if everything goes through before I travel will be no problem for them, but that LAN is one of the most difficult airlines to make any changes. they said they'd get it done, but I may have to pay reissue fees from LAN. American said it would not charge anything.
So I might still have to travel on my old passport... with my old male picture on it. Yikes.
Quote from: auburnaubrey on May 18, 2012, 08:01:40 PM
I'm going in August to Femilife. My name change is in the courts. initially I was told that it would take approximately 45 days. The one woman in the courthouse said up to 6 months. I had to make my flight reservations under my male name. I have the letter to also change my gender marker, but am waiting for the name change to go through. I'm flying American to Peru, and LAN Peru back since they are sister airlines. Anyway, American said changing the reservation if everything goes through before I travel will be no problem for them, but that LAN is one of the most difficult airlines to make any changes. they said they'd get it done, but I may have to pay reissue fees from LAN. American said it would not charge anything.
So I might still have to travel on my old passport... with my old male picture on it. Yikes.
I have flown LAN Peru and they are very friendly and actually give you meals! Imagine that in this cheap airline age!
Quote from: GhostTown11 on May 18, 2012, 08:10:48 PM
I have flown LAN Peru and they are very friendly and actually give you meals! Imagine that in this cheap airline age!
I've heard the same thing. My best friend flies LAN Chile when she goes home... to Chile.. lol. I wanted to fly LAN to Peru, but the flight is operated by American. I could fly LAN, but the trip goes from a 5.5 hour flight nonstop, to 17 hours of travel time with stops. So I'll take my chances flying American down there. I don't mind American, and I can put up with pretty much anything for 5 hours. lol.
hi everyone- ive been in contact with femilife about my ffs, and they are the least expensive quote. they said they could start aug 5 and the charge was 16,500 usd. but theres something unusual. she changed the length of time i needed to be in lima twice ofver the course of 3 weeks, doubling it. this is a big red flag.
june 5- 20 days for 2 separate procedures.
june 14- 30 days.
june 26- 40 days.
has anyone here actual;ly been there and had the work done yet?
fyi- dr dimaggio said 2 procedures, 27,000 usd and 23 days
Quote from: flopsie on June 30, 2012, 10:48:48 AM
hi everyone- ive been in contact with femilife about my ffs, and they are the least expensive quote. they said they could start aug 5 and the charge was 16,500 usd. but theres something unusual. she changed the length of time i needed to be in lima twice ofver the course of 3 weeks, doubling it. this is a big red flag.
june 5- 20 days for 2 separate procedures.
june 14- 30 days.
june 26- 40 days.
has anyone here actual;ly been there and had the work done yet?
fyi- dr dimaggio said 2 procedures, 27,000 usd and 23 days
August 5th was the date for my surgery....... I cancelled. But just so you know, I was having two prodcedures done, and had 32 days there. Second surgery about 10 days after the first. The rest was rehab time. It's not Nikky, it's the doctors who determine what is the time of recovery there. and it all depends on what you are having done. When I did my research, I talked to a couple of girls who went there and were very happy with the results. I'm putting my surgery off due to personal reasons for now.... probably wait until late spring.
aww. it sucks that you cant go when you planned. i hope the money stuff works out for you.