Panicking Over FFS

[sysm29]

Hi.  I am desperately looking to find the right FFS surgeon.  I live in Allentown, PA.  I've only met one- Dr. Leis and while he was nice, I have my doubts.

Here is what I need done:
Forehead/hairline
Brow bone/bossing
Nose
Chin- I want it shortened and pushed out.
I'm one of those people with the nose out and the chin back on the side.
The jaw I think although Dr. Leis doesn't do that
Definitely the adams apple

Here are the FFS surgeons in the US:
Dr. Leis- More subtle, a nice man, he's the closest.
Dr. Spiegel- I've heard some not so great things but one thing I do hear is his nose jobs are good.  In Boston.
Dr. Ousterhout- Very intense with the bonework, I hear he gives everyone the same nose.  Very far away.
Dr. Beck- Newer, I haven't heard much about him but I did talk to him on the phone and he was nice.  Very far.
Dr. Zukowski- He seems to have a lot of happy women, but his personality IS like a used car salesman.  Hes also far.

I don't know of any others.

I'm very depressed about it.  I'm scared that if I do too little, it won't be enough and I'll have to go to another surgeon.

All I want to do is see the female version of me.

I'm 26, Italian descent, dark features, man's face, woman trapped inside.  I have very short hair, am on spiro, and I don't pass.  What can I do to become like the other beautiful women that had FFS and are now so happy?  It's the FFS that I need.

[Jeneva]

Did you really feel like Dr. Zukowski was a used car salesman?  Wow I didn't get that impression at all.  I would agree that he gives a lot of options, but I never felt like he was pressuring me to pick the more expensive one.  When we first talked he even told me how we could break things out into options to make it fit my price range.

For example for me when I asked about including a BA, he suggested saline and not silicone breast implants even though silicone is more expensive.  He also only offered them as options and would have let me buy it later at the same price.

Once I said I didn't want to do the cheeks he dropped it and we moved on.  I honestly thought he was very nice and VERY affirming.  Perhaps he 'honey''s too much, but I think that is his way of making sure we know he understands how we feel and respects that.

Maybe I'm just a sucker, but I really felt he was a great ally for transwomen, and that he truly wanted to help us.

Now maybe I'll be singing a different tune next year when I get back, but right now I was impressed with how he treated me and didn't think he was shaking me down at all.

Please be careful and don't place too much importance on FFS.  It is a wonderful tool to build self confidence, but I think that you can never pass until you are happy for and confident in yourself and not because you've had surgery X or Y.

I'm 38 and 5'11" with a horrible hairline.  On looks alone I would never pass.  Yet a month ago after a therapy appointment I had to run to a few stores.  I knew I was going to have to do that so I dressed a bit nicer than normal (I'm a t-shirt and jeans gal usually).  Even at the therapist's office I got a compliment from a leaving client (and this is not a gender clinic - I am the only transperson there so it wasn't a you look good for a ->-bleeped-<- putdown).  While I shopped because I was confident in myself I got no weird looks at all.  I actually got smiles of greeting from most of the other women.  If FFS helps you feel more confident in your appearance then great.  I'm not saying don't do it.  I'm doing it myself next month.

[Forever21Chic]

Did you really feel like Dr. Zukowski was a used car salesman? 

  Lol i kinda got that impression from him too but everyone from Chicago talks like that!

  He reminds me of a butcher with that lab coat on....

[SandraJane]

Hi.  I am desperately looking to find the right FFS surgeon.  I live in Allentown, PA.  I've only met one- Dr. Leis and while he was nice, I have my doubts.

Here is what I need done:
Forehead/hairline
Brow bone/bossing
Nose
Chin- I want it shortened and pushed out.
I'm one of those people with the nose out and the chin back on the side.
The jaw I think although Dr. Leis doesn't do that
Definitely the adams apple

Here are the FFS surgeons in the US:
Dr. Leis- More subtle, a nice man, he's the closest.
Dr. Spiegel- I've heard some not so great things but one thing I do hear is his nose jobs are good.  In Boston.
Dr. Ousterhout- Very intense with the bonework, I hear he gives everyone the same nose.  Very far away.
Dr. Beck- Newer, I haven't heard much about him but I did talk to him on the phone and he was nice.  Very far.
Dr. Zukowski- He seems to have a lot of happy women, but his personality IS like a used car salesman.  Hes also far.

I don't know of any others.

I'm very depressed about it.  I'm scared that if I do too little, it won't be enough and I'll have to go to another surgeon.

All I want to do is see the female version of me.

I'm 26, Italian descent, dark features, man's face, woman trapped inside.  I have very short hair, am on spiro, and I don't pass.  What can I do to become like the other beautiful women that had FFS and are now so happy?  It's the FFS that I need.

There are other FFS Surgeons, you just don't hear about them;

Barry Eppley, MD, DMD    Indianapolis      http://www.eppleyplasticsurgery.com/

Jeffery Weinzweig, MD   Chicago             http://www.femmesurgery.com/index.html

Eric Bensimon, MD           Montreal            http://www.facial-feminization-surgery.com/index.html

Stephen Pincus, MD        Beverly Hills       http://www.drstephenpincus.com/

William Kuzon, Jr., MD, PhD  Ann Arbor, MI  http://www.med.umich.edu/transgender/services/surgery.htm

Christine McGinn, DO      New Hope, PA        http://www.drchristinemcginn.com/services/elective/facialsurgery.php

[Jeneva]

  Lol i kinda got that impression from him too but everyone from Chicago talks like that!

  He reminds me of a butcher with that lab coat on....

There might be something to the Chicagoness of his voice. I'm mostly southern but I did live in IL for a couple of years and got used to that style of speech.

[Julie Marie]

Don't blame Zukowski's personality on him being a Chicagoan.  I was born and raised in Chicago and still live here.  I found him offensive and full of it.  He said to my girlfriend, "How did you get through life with THAT nose?"  That's not a Chicago thing to do.  Most of us actually have feelings.

On your list you mentioned "Chin- I want it shortened and pushed out."  It sounds like a sliding genioplasty.  This is something you should do some serious homework on before electing to have it performed.  There have been some cases where the post op patient broke their jaw while eating.  The procedure calls for cutting the jaw bone, inserting a spacer and screwing it back together.  There's a lot of force on the jaw bone while eating.  Approach this procedure cautiously and well educated.

You also have to understand FFS is not the same for everyone.  While a certain level of femininity can be achieved, beauty is not guaranteed, especially if you have images of a supermodel floating around in your head.  What you will ultimately end up with depends on what the doctor starts with.  The prettiest post-FFS women were pretty pre-FFS men. 

If you want to find out what can really be achieved, go to http://www.virtualffs.co.uk/.  Alexandra does a pretty accurate job in producing realistic virtual photos of what you can look like post op.  She also provides a detailed explanation of each procedure.  You can take the photos and send them to any FFS doctor out there and get their feedback as to how they will help you achieve whatever it is you want.  Some charge for the service, some don't. 

VirtualFFS isn't cheap but consider what you'll pay for the surgery itself.  It's your face, your calling card.  Don't skimp.  The surgeon who has no visual feedback about what it is you actually want, only has his or her interpretation of your oral description. 

The other nice thing about the virtuals is you know what to expect going in.  For me, it was great peace of mind.

[JenJen2011]

There are other FFS Surgeons, you just don't hear about them;

Barry Eppley, MD, DMD    Indianapolis      http://www.eppleyplasticsurgery.com/

Jeffery Weinzweig, MD   Chicago             http://www.femmesurgery.com/index.html

Eric Bensimon, MD           Montreal            http://www.facial-feminization-surgery.com/index.html

Stephen Pincus, MD        Beverly Hills       http://www.drstephenpincus.com/

William Kuzon, Jr., MD, PhD  Ann Arbor, MI  http://www.med.umich.edu/transgender/services/surgery.htm

Christine McGinn, DO      New Hope, PA        http://www.drchristinemcginn.com/services/elective/facialsurgery.php

You're right. I've only heard of one on your list.

To the OP, it is a tough decision. Just keep doing your research. Talk to as many surgeon's as possible, look at before and afters, talk to other transwomen who have gone through the process, etc and don't settle for less. Make sure you pick a surgeon who you feel is best for YOU.

[Whitney]

Hi.  I am desperately looking to find the right FFS surgeon.  I live in Allentown, PA.  I've only met one- Dr. Leis and while he was nice, I have my doubts.

Here is what I need done:
Forehead/hairline
Brow bone/bossing
Nose
Chin- I want it shortened and pushed out.
I'm one of those people with the nose out and the chin back on the side.
The jaw I think although Dr. Leis doesn't do that
Definitely the adams apple

Here are the FFS surgeons in the US:
Dr. Leis- More subtle, a nice man, he's the closest.
Dr. Spiegel- I've heard some not so great things but one thing I do hear is his nose jobs are good.  In Boston.
Dr. Ousterhout- Very intense with the bonework, I hear he gives everyone the same nose.  Very far away.
Dr. Beck- Newer, I haven't heard much about him but I did talk to him on the phone and he was nice.  Very far.
Dr. Zukowski- He seems to have a lot of happy women, but his personality IS like a used car salesman.  Hes also far.

I don't know of any others.

I'm very depressed about it.  I'm scared that if I do too little, it won't be enough and I'll have to go to another surgeon.

All I want to do is see the female version of me.

I'm 26, Italian descent, dark features, man's face, woman trapped inside.  I have very short hair, am on spiro, and I don't pass.  What can I do to become like the other beautiful women that had FFS and are now so happy?  It's the FFS that I need.

Is that Dr. Beck in San Mateo California? Just wondering, because we have one out here too if it's not. Though, I thought he only did BA and that sort of thing.

[lynn27]

Not sure how anyone couldn't be put off my Dr Z. He is pushy, must have called or had is associates call, dozens of times in the weeks after my visit. My wish list began with NO IMPLANTS (actually right there in caps), yet EVERY estimate he sent out to me included chin and cheek implants. every time we talked he pushed for things i didn't want. telling me unless i did it his way, forgot what i wanted, i would look awful.

the thing that really bugged me, and my wife, was when how he responded to my wife's inquiry about doing something about a few leg veins that have bugged her for years.... his reply, "sorry, I don't do BORING stuff"

the other thing i didn't like is he spends way too much time attacking his peers, Dr O and Dr Leis in particular. He must have used 1/3 of my consult to take shots at them.

in the end i liked Dr Leis, his accomidations and went with him. Very happy with the results.

Did you really feel like Dr. Zukowski was a used car salesman?  Wow I didn't get that impression at all.  I would agree that he gives a lot of options, but I never felt like he was pressuring me to pick the more expensive one.  When we first talked he even told me how we could break things out into options to make it fit my price range.

For example for me when I asked about including a BA, he suggested saline and not silicone breast implants even though silicone is more expensive.  He also only offered them as options and would have let me buy it later at the same price.

Once I said I didn't want to do the cheeks he dropped it and we moved on.  I honestly thought he was very nice and VERY affirming.  Perhaps he 'honey''s too much, but I think that is his way of making sure we know he understands how we feel and respects that.

Maybe I'm just a sucker, but I really felt he was a great ally for transwomen, and that he truly wanted to help us.

Now maybe I'll be singing a different tune next year when I get back, but right now I was impressed with how he treated me and didn't think he was shaking me down at all.

Please be careful and don't place too much importance on FFS.  It is a wonderful tool to build self confidence, but I think that you can never pass until you are happy for and confident in yourself and not because you've had surgery X or Y.

I'm 38 and 5'11" with a horrible hairline.  On looks alone I would never pass.  Yet a month ago after a therapy appointment I had to run to a few stores.  I knew I was going to have to do that so I dressed a bit nicer than normal (I'm a t-shirt and jeans gal usually).  Even at the therapist's office I got a compliment from a leaving client (and this is not a gender clinic - I am the only transperson there so it wasn't a you look good for a ->-bleeped-<- putdown).  While I shopped because I was confident in myself I got no weird looks at all.  I actually got smiles of greeting from most of the other women.  If FFS helps you feel more confident in your appearance then great.  I'm not saying don't do it.  I'm doing it myself next month.

[lynn27]

There is another doctor working in Dr Leis' office that you might consider, Dr Rumer.

Hi.  I am desperately looking to find the right FFS surgeon.  I live in Allentown, PA.  I've only met one- Dr. Leis and while he was nice, I have my doubts.

Here is what I need done:
Forehead/hairline
Brow bone/bossing
Nose
Chin- I want it shortened and pushed out.
I'm one of those people with the nose out and the chin back on the side.
The jaw I think although Dr. Leis doesn't do that
Definitely the adams apple

Here are the FFS surgeons in the US:
Dr. Leis- More subtle, a nice man, he's the closest.
Dr. Spiegel- I've heard some not so great things but one thing I do hear is his nose jobs are good.  In Boston.
Dr. Ousterhout- Very intense with the bonework, I hear he gives everyone the same nose.  Very far away.
Dr. Beck- Newer, I haven't heard much about him but I did talk to him on the phone and he was nice.  Very far.
Dr. Zukowski- He seems to have a lot of happy women, but his personality IS like a used car salesman.  Hes also far.

I don't know of any others.

I'm very depressed about it.  I'm scared that if I do too little, it won't be enough and I'll have to go to another surgeon.

All I want to do is see the female version of me.

I'm 26, Italian descent, dark features, man's face, woman trapped inside.  I have very short hair, am on spiro, and I don't pass.  What can I do to become like the other beautiful women that had FFS and are now so happy?  It's the FFS that I need.

[Emily Ray]

I am seriously considering Dr McGinn. I don't really want a great deal done. I met her at the Minnesota Transgender health conference and she was very sweet. She won't do very intense bone work and if she thinks you could benefit from that type of work she will recomend you go to someone else with more experience. She has done BA on several of my friends and they look fablous. If I do choose another surgeon for FFS I will probably go with Dr Zukowski. He has a good reputation with his past patients and as far as his personality or style is concerned I'm not looking for a nice guy but a great surgeon and he is just that.

Huggs

Emily

[lynn27]

The one thing that really impressed me with Dr Leis was the time he took with my consult. With Dr Z and Dr W it was barely an hour, with Leis we spent nearly three hours. He examined the interior of my nose, something no one else did, and discovered the deviated septum that complicated the surgery and ultimately added 1.5 hours to the OR time. He also took the time at the consult to remove a mole, gratis, on the side of my nose.

The other up side to Leis is the $50 a day recovery rooms with full kitchens he provides. In Chicago, we were easily looking at $100 to $150 a day for a motel room.

With McGinn, Leis and Rumer all in Philly it is worth investigating.

I am seriously considering Dr McGinn. I don't really want a great deal done. I met her at the Minnesota Transgender health conference and she was very sweet. She won't do very intense bone work and if she thinks you could benefit from that type of work she will recomend you go to someone else with more experience. She has done BA on several of my friends and they look fablous. If I do choose another surgeon for FFS I will probably go with Dr Zukowski. He has a good reputation with his past patients and as far as his personality or style is concerned I'm not looking for a nice guy but a great surgeon and he is just that.

Huggs

Emily

[Jeneva]

The other up side to Leis is the $50 a day recovery rooms with full kitchens he provides. In Chicago, we were easily looking at $100 to $150 a day for a motel room.

Dr. Z has negotiated a much better price for the hotel than the hotel shows on the website.

[Jeneva]

I am seriously considering Dr McGinn. I don't really want a great deal done. I met her at the Minnesota Transgender health conference and she was very sweet.

When I get my letters and can afford GCS I want Dr. McGinn to do it, but since both are travel for me I wanted Dr. Z for FFS since he specializes in that.

[lynn27]

Sure, and to be fair any of the costs should not be the modivating factor. Being comfortable with your doctor is the primary factor.

Dr. Z has negotiated a much better price for the hotel than the hotel shows on the website.

up side to being in leis' office, within a mile of his home, is the attention you do get. I understand Dr Rumer will have even better accomidations in the near future.

By the way, my friend's gcs went well and I am watching her sleep.

[lynn27]

SandraJane posed a question to me in an IM, I cannot reply to it, i guess, until i have 15 posts.

if Sandra doesn't mind I'll post part of her question and reply here.

Do you mean Jeffery Weinzweig, MD ,Chicago, http://www.femmesurgery.com/index.html ?

Can you tell me anything about him? You are the first one I heard mention him either on Susan's or the Yahoo FFS-2 Group

Yes my Dr W reference is DR Weinzeweig. He moved from Boston to Chicago several years ago. He primary field is tramatic skull injuries and he has been building a FFS practice. I saw him the same day I saw Dr Z. I was very impressed with him. I had made a last minute appointment with him and he saw me on a day he normally does surgeries only. He was 15 minutes late but I could see that he ran straight from the OR to his office. Very gentle manner, opposite of Z. I have one friend (Eunice), the one that referred me, that had nose work done with him recently. she is extremely happy but I haven't had a chance to see the results.

I had posted info on the yahoo FFS-1 a few months ago but the post was ignored.

He was my second choice, with Leis getting my work.

The one thing that really impressed me with Dr Leis was the time he took with my consult. With Dr Z and Dr W it was barely an hour, with Leis we spent nearly three hours. He examined the interior of my nose, something no one else did, and discovered the deviated septum that complicated the surgery and ultimately added 1.5 hours to the OR time. He also took the time at the consult to remove a mole, gratis, on the side of my nose.

The other up side to Leis is the $50 a day recovery rooms with full kitchens he provides. In Chicago, we were easily looking at $100 to $150 a day for a motel room.

With McGinn, Leis and Rumer all in Philly it is worth investigating.

[RhinoP]

I just made a thread about a Dr. Mayer, who covers many, many procedures and really has a pretty huge website and good number of results to show; I like his results better than many of the other surgeons who IMO give asymmetrical/fake looking/uneeded results half the time. He's in Beverly Hills. I don't have any experience with him though, and sent him an email a few days ago with my photos but haven't heard back. Overall though, just judging by his website, he seems to have a very modern style when it comes to proportions and seems to operate on a lot of young adults - always a good sign, IMO, as young adults tend require much more symmetry in order to keep the face looking natural for the age.

[Saskia]

I guess we all (ex FFS patients) have our favourite surgeon, the one we feel most confident with. I wouldn't say go to any particular surgeon, but to research like crazy, find ex patients, talk to them and find out all the ins and outs. But choose carefully, choose a surgeon who has been doing FFS a long time and who has a good reputation.
I did all of the above and finally settled on Dr Z in Chicago. I travelled from Europe and almost three years down the line am still totally over-awed by his skills. I went from somone who whilst passing OK still had confidence issues to someone who has 200% confidence in her appearance. The changes he made to my face are unbelievable and I'm so happy.
So do your research and know what to expect. - Good luck

[JenJen2011]

I did all of the above and finally settled on Dr Z in Chicago. I travelled from Europe and almost three years down the line am still totally over-awed by his skills. I went from somone who whilst passing OK still had confidence issues to someone who has 200% confidence in her appearance. The changes he made to my face are unbelievable and I'm so happy.

I have spoken to sooo many of his patients and ALL of them are happy and totally satisfied with their results. And I agree that his work is very impressive that's why I chose him myself.

[Saskia]

I have spoken to sooo many of his patients and ALL of them are happy and totally satisfied with their results. And I agree that his work is very impressive that's why I chose him myself.

Well - you are in very safe, capable hands, and have nothing to worry about. My advice to you is never, ever, skimp on the massages. It's the key to a good recovery from the swelling. Take the time to massage completely and for the full time. What I did to pass the half hour massaging sessions was to put on the TV and watch something. It really helps to make the time go quickly as the massaging sessions quickly become tedious and boring. Good luck and hope you get the look you are after