Help narrow down my FFS surgeon list!

[Kamiki]

Face is next on my list. Narrowing down my short list, but ironically I keep finding myself drawn to the less aggressive surgeons despite my feeling that I need some work and non aggressive may not cut it.


#20 of 20 on page 1 of Dr. Speigel's is my ideal level of transformation so I know he is capable of it. http://www.drspiegel.com/ffs-surgery-photos/


Of Dr Mayer it is Gia who appeals to me, but I see no one with my general range of needs in his portfolio on his website.


I have signed up to join the FFS group and was accepted this morning.



What I "think" I need.

Orbital Bony Contouring
Brow Bossing work ( I think that is what it is called...)
Rhinoplasty
Eyebrow lift
Possibly Cheek Implants
Blepharoplasty
Hariline advance (maybe, if it is done I think I want my widows peak gone mostly)
Facelift



What I feel may be optional

Chin work, shaping or implant
Jaw work, tapering


So Jaw Taper and Chin work are the two things I am unsure of. I would be fine with an implant if I need one however.


With that said does anyone have any suggestions I may want to look into.



Requirements-

Must be a US surgeon. - I really want to postpone travel until I am done and leave the country carefree and comfortable. My plan is to continue with the next step of my transition by (as I did before) leaving the area I was in and starting anew. I plan to do it abroad and so not want to take anything with me, sort of like walking away from the old me in a symbolic way.


Needs to be skilled with the upper half of the face - AS the majority of my work is above the jaw, being a spectacular jaw surgeon is not necessary, I need a good forehead surgeon.



So why these two on my list now all said? I did contact Ousterhout and have not yet contacted Zukowski.

Two reasons,

Ousterhout was highly unprofessional when compared to Speigel in regards to a consult. Spiegel was simple on the ball.

Zukowski has had more bad press than the others (defamation, and a lost patient under GA), but after some comments from others here I am going to contact him as well.




Kami

[JessMo]

My experience with Dr. Leis in Philadelphia was fantastic! His bedside manner is, well, as a former student put it "he's getting older..." His sense of humor might be broken. But he is a fabulous surgeon, a professor at a nearby first class university, a global lecturer on the subject of FFS (a visiting doctor from Brazil observed my surgery and he Dr Leis regularly spends time speaking in Europe), and currently my favorite human being on the planet.

And his price was half what I've seen quoted elsewhere.

I'm getting ma'amed without even trying at 4 weeks post op. So. Cool.

[JessMo]

My experience with Dr. Leis in Philadelphia was fantastic! His bedside manner is, well, as a former student put it "he's getting older..." His sense of humor might be broken. But he is a fabulous surgeon, a professor at a nearby first class university, a global lecturer on the subject of FFS (a visiting doctor from Brazil observed my surgery and he Dr Leis regularly spends time speaking in Europe), and currently my favorite human being on the planet.

And his price was half what I've seen quoted elsewhere.

I'm getting ma'amed without even trying at 4 weeks post op. So. Cool.

[Lauren1]

I would consult with multiple surgeons even ones who don't do FFS but are good at face lifts. But if you're looking for a brow lift, cheek implants, and a chin implant wouldn't all of those stretch out your skin a little (or just enough) to where facelift won't be necessary? I might recommend virtual FFS. I never used it but the woman who runs it gives very unbiased and educated opinions.

Lastly, I know Dr. Zukowski does a biplanar browlift endoscopically, which I believe shapes the bone, does a brow lift, and a scalp advance all at once. For full disclosure I'm going to Zukowski based on my needs. The defamation lawsuit was indifferent for me because really who cares thats between O and Z and has 0 effect on my result. The patient dying made me think long and hard, but she was nearly twice my age and I have no idea whatsoever what her medical clearance or history looked like. I think the statistic is 1/70,000 will die from GA. But was it the GA that killed her? I don't have the facts.

[Kamiki]

I have a set of pics going through Virtual FFS now.

Consult with Deschamps-Braly/Ousterhout this week as well as one with Spiegel on Monday.

Also thinking of talking to Mayer though I have yet to be extremely wowed by his work, both Spiegel and Ousterhout/Deschamps have a girl I find absolutely stunning in their results.

One of our lovely girls here had a huge amount of work done by Ousterhout and then got a second round visit with Deschamps and Ousterhout. She is probably the single most attractive FFS result I have ever seen. Of course I am talking about Stacyjintheway.

https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,177365.0.html

She had the following done "scalp advancement, hair line reshaping, brow lift, forehead recontouring, brow shave, rhinoplasty, cheek implants, lip lift, permanent upper lip augmentation by using the dermis from my forehead as filler, jaw contouring, masseter muscle shaving, sliding genioplasty, chin contouring, tracheal shave, fat grafting, some acne scare removal and a bit of a neck lift."

That is about how much work I need. And knowing that they can do that much and have such stunning results leaves me very attracted to their work.

Spiegel has 1 that similarly (not quite as much but similarly) wows me. #20 of 20 on page 1. The girl goes from a square chinned square faced male look, to a teardrop shaped v chinned feminine look, almost could be the sister of the original look. Though not as stunning as Stacyjintheway the transformation is of the level I feel I need. If I can come out of this half as beautiful as Stacy I will be ecstatic, as my deepest trans fear has always been that I will never be "classically" beautiful.




Kami

[ErinS]

I've met two Mayer alumna in person(Riya and Vanna) and both are stunning IMO. I don't need much work, and I'm pretty much already sold on him. I just started the consult process so far with him, and he and his office have been SO great.

[Paula1]

Some surgeons do have fatalities.

Most of them sadly are due to factors not attributable to the surgeon or his team.

With regards Alexandra who runs Virtual FFS, she is great but make sure that the surgeon of choice heeds her advice and not do his own thing unless you agree to it.

Also discuss whether any revisions that may have to be done are carried out to your complete satisfaction and not the surgeon's idea of satisfaction.

I get sick and tired of surgeons who promise you the world and then fall short of it.

The money us girls pay these people is incredible and they get very good livings from us.

To not give a 100% aftercare service is unforgiveable in my book.

I would consult with multiple surgeons even ones who don't do FFS but are good at face lifts. But if you're looking for a brow lift, cheek implants, and a chin implant wouldn't all of those stretch out your skin a little (or just enough) to where facelift won't be necessary? I might recommend virtual FFS. I never used it but the woman who runs it gives very unbiased and educated opinions.

Lastly, I know Dr. Zukowski does a biplanar browlift endoscopically, which I believe shapes the bone, does a brow lift, and a scalp advance all at once. For full disclosure I'm going to Zukowski based on my needs. The defamation lawsuit was indifferent for me because really who cares thats between O and Z and has 0 effect on my result. The patient dying made me think long and hard, but she was nearly twice my age and I have no idea whatsoever what her medical clearance or history looked like. I think the statistic is 1/70,000 will die from GA. But was it the GA that killed her? I don't have the facts.

[svaso]

I will give my thumbs up for Dr. Spiegel.  I had FFS with him 12days ago, and I am floored with the results I see in myself so far.  I was concerned that some said he was too conservative, but I didn't find that to be the case for me.  Dr. Spiegel is a master in allowing yourself to still look like yourself, just as a feminized version.  Also, his patients seem to have quick recoveries.  While I will experience a lot of swelling for awhile, I had very little bruising.  My avatar is 12days post FFS btw.

I had:
Forehead brow contouring w/ hairline advancement and brow lift.
Rhinoplasty
Lip Lift and fill
Naso labial line fill
Mandible and chin contouring
Cheek implants
Trachea shave

*I personally found that recovering overnight in a hospital setting made my recovery a bit more comforting.  The first few days after surgery were awful for me, and overtime my nurse asked what my pain level was, I gave it a 9.  I can be such a baby. 

[Kamiki]

Some surgeons do have fatalities.

Most of them sadly are due to factors not attributable to the surgeon or his team.

With regards Alexandra who runs Virtual FFS, she is great but make sure that the surgeon of choice heeds her advice and not do his own thing unless you agree to it.

Also discuss whether any revisions that may have to be done are carried out to your complete satisfaction and not the surgeon's idea of satisfaction.

I get sick and tired of surgeons who promise you the world and then fall short of it.

The money us girls pay these people is incredible and they get very good livings from us.

To not give a 100% aftercare service is unforgiveable in my book.

I have yet to see what she comes up with for my virtual.

I am actually more interested in the surgeon following MY desires than the Virtual FFS lady's. In the end it is MY new face.


Kami

[Kamiki]

I will give my thumbs up for Dr. Spiegel.  I had FFS with him 12days ago, and I am floored with the results I see in myself so far.  I was concerned that some said he was too conservative, but I didn't find that to be the case for me.  What Dr. Spiegel is a master in is allowing yourself to still look like yourself, just as a feminized version.  Also, his patients seem to have quick recoveries.  While I will experience a lot of swelling, I had very little bruising.  My avatar is 12days post FFS.

I had:
Forehead brow contouring w/ hairline advancement and brow lift.
Rhinoplasty
Lip Lift and fill
Naso labial line fill
Mandible and chin contouring
Cheek implants
Trachea shave

*I personally found that recovering overnight in a hospital setting made my recovery a bit more comforting.  The first few days after surgery were awful for me, and overtime my nurse asked what my pain level was, I gave it a 9.  I can be such a baby.

I am excited for my Spiegel consult tomorrow.

Ousterhout is later this week once Deschamps-Braly is back from conference.

Zukowski I contact tomorrow.

Mayer I contact tomorrow.

That gives me 4 distance consults.

I will then narrow it to top and second choice and do Face to Face with my top pick and if not happy with my second.

Then I book.

Kami.

[Kamiki]

Had my consult with Dr Spiegel today via Skype.

I will say he did not do much to sell himself. His whole speech amounted to,

"You are in an amazing starting point, so I am excited with where we can end up."

His suggestions were

Forehead
Brow/Eyebrow Lift
Bleph (lower)
Rhino
Jaw reshaping
Chin reshaping
Neck Lipo
Trach Shave

I will have an estimate tomorrow. I should be in touch with Ousterhout/Deschamps-Braly and Zukowski's offices tomorrow, also will contact Mayer's office.

Figure I can compare all recommendations, costs, and how much they sell me on their work.

But Spiegel seemed to indicate I already looked pretty good, something I do not feel comfortable with as a statement. I mean I know I have very feminized features from years of HRT, but I feel as if I need a bit of work and do not mind hearing it. I also would not have minded hearing "you look good, but I can make you beautiful/gorgeous," the very conservative nature of even his consult left me curious how the others will make me feel.

Also he would want to see me in either January or after my Wedding in May. I am assuming with chin and jaw work it will be similar times with the others for swelling and not having me puffy at my wedding. So we will see how it all pans out once I have other consults.


Kami.

[Kamiki]

Spiegel quote is in.

I am a bit flabbergasted.

He mistakenly put upper bleph, forgot rhinoplasty, forgot neck lipo, forgot the trach shave....basically he forgot half of our darn consultation.

Speigel is out. That is simply not cricket for a surgeon to do when it is imperative to see their best face (when choosing surgeons).

Unless he was going to do both upper and lower bleph at the cost of just upper, and was going to lipo and trach shave without charging me, then his quote is relatively rubbish as far as my needs go.

Calling Ousterhout/Deschamps-Braly's office manager today to see what the next step is.

Kami

[EmilyMI]

Spiegel quote is in.

I am a bit flabbergasted.

He mistakenly put upper bleph, forgot rhinoplasty, forgot neck lipo, forgot the trach shave....basically he forgot half of our darn consultation.

Speigel is out. That is simply not cricket for a surgeon to do when it is imperative to see their best face (when choosing surgeons).

Unless he was going to do both upper and lower bleph at the cost of just upper, and was going to lipo and trach shave without charging me, then his quote is relatively rubbish as far as my needs go.

Calling Ousterhout/Deschamps-Braly's office manager today to see what the next step is.

Kami

I had a consultation with Dr. Deschamps-Braly not too long ago, and even though he is my first choice for my FFS surgeon because of his well known name, but also his expertise and phenomenal work.  He quoted me a price that was almost twice the price that other surgeons quoted me for similar FFS procedures.  Sadly that is just too costly for me and in no way I can afford so I am looking at other surgeons right now.

[Paula1]

Back in 2004 Dr O quoted me some high amount for FFS and then quoted almost as much down the road for a face lift and other soft tissue work.

These prices were simply unaffordable at the time so he lost my business.

I had quotes from Doctors Zukowski and Supporn that were much less.

I went with Dr Z in the end because he also carries out soft tissue work at the same time as the FFS, not that I needed much thankfully.

It was rumoured at the time that Dr O lost a lot of money in the dot.com bubble and had to keep working way past normal retirement times for a surgeon. Hence his high prices to get back the money he lost.

It is said that he even catnapped during lengthy procedures.

Looks like the 'high price' scenario is being maintained ( they could hardly cheapen the price now) but the most expensive does not necessarily mean it's the best.

I have seen many Dr O's older girls post FFS at various conferences in the USA over the last 10 years and some needed face lifts and soft tissue work especially around the jaw/chin which just makes the whole affair ridiculously expensive.

Paula 1

[Lauren1]

It is said that he even catnapped during lengthy procedures.

I'm at a loss for words.

[Kamiki]

I am giving Spiegel a second consult.

Consulting with Deschamps Braly this week.

Kami

[carrie359]

Kamiki,
I had an in person with Spiegel.
I am still considering him but having a consult with Dr. Z in the morning. 
Its so weird that everyone says I don't need FFS then Spiegel quoted doing just about everything on me.. but that could be my fault.. I said I want to look as good as i can.
So that included face lift to.
My nose would look great on any woman and he quoted doing it too..
So we will see.. I am just excited to be soon getting the fem face I always wanted.
Keri

[Eva]

Hi Carrie, Ive done an in person with Dr Z and I really liked him, he's a good guy... He's a Chicago guy with a pretty strong Chicago guy personality.... I can see how he could be intimidating to some but he's OK in my book... I havent ruled him out yet BUT... I set up an in person with Dr Speigel today and booked the flight... I'll be there near Christmas... I hope the weather cooperates.... 

Good Luck Its harder than I thought it was gonna be to make up my mind

[Paula1]

Yep Dr Z has a very strong personality and make sure that you both agree and what needs to be done.

Hi Carrie, Ive done an in person with Dr Z and I really liked him, he's a good guy... He's a Chicago guy with a pretty strong Chicago guy personality.... I can see how he could be intimidating to some but he's OK in my book... I havent ruled him out yet BUT... I set up an in person with Dr Speigel today and booked the flight... I'll be there near Christmas... I hope the weather cooperates.... 

Good Luck Its harder than I thought it was gonna be to make up my mind

[deeiche]

Anyone heard of Dr Mardirossian in Jupiter Florida?  He worked with Dr Spiegel for a number of years.  If you look at a list of papers Spiegel has authored you see Dr Mardirossian listed on at least one of them.

I did a search here and there were no hits.

g.day