Got FFS quotes, figuring out how to move forward

[josie76]

I recently had a phone consult with Dr Zukowski. Other than the fact that he suggests every procedure he would for any woman my age, it was a good talk and gave me a new prospective on my face. (I don't know if that was a good thing or not lol  ) So he suggested the works. Brow, orbital rims, hairline advancement, nose, lip lift, chin, fat grafts to cheeks and upper lip, necklift, trachea shave. He also talked about cutting muscles that cause wrinkles like above between the eyes and removing mascitor muscles with jaw work. That last part I do not need. Not sure if he couldn't see that or if he is so used to doing it that he just said it anyway. Like my jaw angle is feminine and has zero outward flare. It's my chin that is my only lower issue.
Dr. Z's phone quote was around $40k. I have to wait for the letter to come from his office for the final quote.





I sent the same pictures to Jane and Clare at PriyaMed in Mumbia, India. For those who have not heard of them, they operate as facilitators for what is called medical tourism. Kind of a smart idea really. So they put together a quote from the office of Dr. Parag Telang, called Designer Bodyz. Obviously medicine in India is much cheaper than here. So PriyaMed is a sort of medical hostil where as part of their total quote they litterally take care of you with lodging, food, nursing aftercare, and transportation, along with the doctors fees.

Dr. Telang's quotes. Mostly similar to Dr. Z except he suggested cheek implants instead of cheek fat transfer. He also suggested buccal fat removal. Chin V shape work. Nose, brow arches, orbital rims. He does these in two separate procedures. Appearently he does hairline, forehead, eyes, nose, lip lift in one. Then later chin, trachea shave work. So the one big consideration here is the need to remain in Mumbia for 21 days. Generally I don't mind that but I would be away from my spouse and kids for that long. There is not anyone extra to help with the kids and my spouse is in nursing school so she is very busy. If I choose this option it will almost certainly have to be next summer when the kids and my spouse are out of school. However the overall price not including airfare and Visa fees is around $16k. Likely the whole trip would be less than $20k then. The one other thing to consider would he if I also wanted GCS done, I could combine it in a single trip but take more than a month.


I might also contact the other place in Chicago that Denise just went to and see what they say for FFS procedures and prices.

[Colleen_definitely]

Another option that I explored was Dr. Curtis Crane in Austin.  He's a super nice guy but his consults are more of a "tell me what features bother you and what you would like done to them."  Not great for the indecisive but I really like him.  He's going to be grinding my skull later this year.

I really like Dr. Zukowski as a person, but he definitely wants to work on every little thing he can.  I think he tends to go a bit overboard, but the results are usually pretty great so take that for what it is.

The virtual FFS that was suggested in another thread was really helpful for me.  Alexandra really pushes Facial Team since she works with them, but her photoshop work is pretty great.  She went above and beyond for me explaining how a bit of nose work really wouldn't' do much for me and made an extra image to illustrate it, same with how she saw a lip lift being optional for me.

[Allison S]

I had a consult with Dr. Harrison Lee, but he's very expensive. He recommended I do hairline, brow bossing reduction, nose, v line jaw/chin and trachael shave.
The quote he gave me was very expensive, as I expected for the amount of procedures...
I really only want my brow and nose done and even then I only want my nose bridge straightened from the front and the tip lifted a bit.
My issue right now is that rhinoplasty surgeons charge upwards of $250 just for a consult... And I lose that money if I don't book a surgery appointment and put a down payment... on the same day as the consult! I'm just not ready to do all that in one shot. I admire people who can, but I'm the kind of girl that needs to meet and feel comfortable with a surgeon without pressure to then make the best decision for myself.

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[josie76]

Has anyone had experience with Dr. Parit Patel in Chicago? His practice is offering FFS specifically. Looks like he practiced plastic surgery in NY, NY for a while before moving back to Chicago where he went to med school. He lists being part of craniofacial and maxiofacial surgeon associations and is board certified. I'm going to contact his office and see what his thoughts are.

[josie76]

I had a free photo initial consult by Dr. Patel. Just from 6 photos he suggested much the same as the other two consults suggested.
Dr. Patel suggested rhinoplasty, forehead burring, hairline advancement, possibly a very small upper lip lift. Shaving the chin width and sliding the chin back to shorten it. He suggests a few fat graft areas. His emailed consult was very open and not pushy. He made sure to say these are all options.

I then paid the $100 consult fee for a Skype consultation. I submitted a number more photos also ahead of time. He is very personable and not pushy in any way. I got a much better idea of what he would do and why. I really liked talking with him and his assistant Katherine. He did not suggest cheek implants but did suggest fat graft into my cheeks. He explained that with my underbite, my mid face appears more setback. Bringing the cheeks out will help shape my face along with the work on my chin. He also suggested liposuction for my chin but said he didn't think facelift or neck lifts were needed. He would also do it in two surgeries.

So I am waiting to hear from Dr. Patel as far as prices and options.

Meanwhile I am still waiting to get the pricing letter from Dr. z.

[josie76]

I think I need to consolidate my threads with question and my experiences into one. So here's where I am at.

@reborn I think a while back you thought I would need type 3 forehead. I believe you are correct. This rules out Zukowski and I'll have to check back with Dr. Patel. The Belgian Dr (whom we are not allowed to speak the name of) said type 3 as did Dr. Telang. I don't think in my initial consult Dr Chernoff had planned on that. After having a head CT done for my sinus issues I can see that my frontal sinus bulge is a big issue in my forehead. Right in the biggest part, my frontal sinuses have almost 2cm of open space.




I am going to link a bunch of pictures I have now from that CT. It's amazing and kind of surreal to see your own head, skull, even you own muscles of you face.

[Johanna M]

I have a appointment with the doctor in Belgium this month. Been away from the forum for a while. Could anyone fill me in by answering in this thread or by pm?

Skickat från min LG-H870 via Tapatalk

[josie76]

pm sent


Shows the depth of my frontal sinus. I suppose that give a doctor plenty of room to work with.

skull sinus frontal depth axial by Josie H, on Flickr

skull sinus over eye sagitial by Josie H, on Flickr

[josie76]

OK so some might find these gross but I found it interesting to see how the body is really put together. And its pretty cool.

[josie76]

Here is the virtual FFS that one doctor's office did of me. Even though its just a computer rendition, I like where it was going.



Screenshot_20181104-144758~2 by Josie H, on Flickr
Screenshot_20181104-144801~2 by Josie H, on Flickr




original profile by Josie H, on Flickr
virtualFFS profile by Josie H, on Flickr

[reborn]

I just saw the scans and yes, you need type 3 reconstruction. It is a good doctor search point. Search for a doctor who does good type 3 work. So Spain, Belgium, Argentina, Boston, LA... a few to name.

[josie76]

I just saw the scans and yes, you need type 3 reconstruction. It is a good doctor search point. Search for a doctor who does good type 3 work. So Spain, Belgium, Argentina, Boston, LA... a few to name.

Of the surgeons I have spoken to or gotten quotes from, these do type 3 forehead.

Dr Telang, in Mumbia India
Dr. Patel, Chicago IL
Dr. From Belgium
Dr. Chernoff, Indianapolis IN

Belgian doctor has second best pricing and includes 5 days room and board with the nursing care. He will do it all in one surgery.

Dr. Telang, through PriyaMed has best price but does it in two surgeries and requires a 21 day stay. They also provide room board and the medical care.

Dr. Patel would do it in two stages. He is trained in plastic, maxiofacial, and craniofacial and would do my deviated septum also inside my nasal cavity.

Dr. Chernoff would do it in two stages also and would do my deviated septum. He is board certified in three areas which includes ENT.

The virtual FFS was from the Belgian Dr.

[Sonja]

wow josie - those x-ray type scan are amazing!

I have no idea who you should choose - I suppose your best course of action is to speak privately with people who have used these people and see what their experience was like.

Take care,

Sonja.

[josie76]

wow josie - those x-ray type scan are amazing!

I have no idea who you should choose - I suppose your best course of action is to speak privately with people who have used these people and see what their experience was like.

Take care,

Sonja.

Right now I'm leaning toward the doctor in Belgium because of the price for one. But I really liked talking with Dr. Patel also. If I could find out that my insurance would cover the septoplasty and anesthesia I would likely go to him.

I did just get an email today saying my passport is on the way back to me. That was a whole other issue.

[deeiche]

do a search for my FFS thread.  I had massive frontal sinus.

3 years after surgery with Dr Rossi in Buenos Aires I am quite happy with the results.  I also had hair transplants done in Buenos Aires the week before I returned home.

I would not hesitate to return to Dr Rossi for additional work, unfortunately my spouse has health issues and I can no longer be away from her for several weeks.

[Katie]

Rule #1 I dont pick a doctor because of his personality. I am going to spend perhaps an hour of my life talking to this person and never see them again.......... all I car about is if he has a good track record and $$......