Quote from: Laurenza on July 25, 2014, 08:23:32 AM
Hi EmmaD I'd love to know what you thought of Mr Carlisle. Any chance to go see an Aussie instead of travelling far is high on my listof potentials....
That and I'm thinking of reassessing my preference for Chettawut after so many recent poor reviews...
Hi Laurenza,
Sorry for the long reply but this has helped me reflect on the day (it is 4am now and I have been awake for a couple of hours - sadly normal for me these days).
I saw Mr Carlisle yesterday. His approach is minimalist (his description) which isn't always what trans girls are looking for. He actually only wants to do Rhinoplasty and lift my eyebrows. Later he would look at slight face and neck lift. He doesn't like long surgical procedures (over 4 or 5 hours). As part of the rhino, he would touch up the nose to forehead join. The eyebrow lift would include slight upper eyelid work. He recommended a computer imaging person so I can get a better idea of what certain procedures do. He also wanted to get CT scans of my face to check on bones, mainly around my eyes to see if the dip down at the sides is bone related. Oh, the rhino would be open. Got the scans done yesterday too and took them home.
A worthwhile consult but it is priced for Australia! Brow and Rhino comes to $20k plus hospital and anaesthetist. Add in the second round of face and neck lift and I imagine the cost would double. The photo place costs about $500 (Carlisle thought) but it does take a few hours.
The benefit from seeing him is it gave me an expert's opinion and largely confirmed my view of what I need. He commented that patients from the trans community are good to deal with because we are pretty well informed about the options available. BUT he doesn't over-promise and plays down expectations a bit.
In case anyone is wondering, he agreed with me that I don't have much visible brow bossing so that debate isn't a starter!!! Lips, chin, jaw all OK too. He does promote non-surgical treatments and good skin care. He believes a few laser rejuvenation treatments would make a huge difference to my skin quality (which isn't too bad anyway). Will think about that.
Not a cheap day in the end but I am happy with what I learned. Question now is whether I continue with Mr Carlisle (more consultations) or be happy to go with an overseas surgeon but better armed with knowledge of what will give me the outcome I want. A couple of things Cardenas suggested I probably wouldn't bother with but otherwise, the approaches seem similar.
If cost and having multiple procedures weren't issues (I work and can't justify using all my leave on surgeries. Very unfair on my wife in particular), I would probably prefer staying home. I am leaning towards overseas at the moment even with the travel.
Decisions decisions.....
