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FFS with Dr. Rossi, June 2015 + Revisions/New Procedures, August 2016

Started by RubyAliza, May 25, 2015, 12:44:54 PM

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RubyAliza

Hi J,

    When I first got out of the surgery, my partner took a photo before the swelling hit and there wasn't that "concavity." It looks that way because my eyebrows and middle forehead swelled. I was very worried of course but Dr. Rossi assured me it would go away in 2-3 months and he checked it twice after the surgery. Six and half weeks later and it looks like he was right :) The swelling and look of concavity have gone done significantly. Maybe I should have expected that to happen because I had multiple visible veins at that spot on my forehead before the surgery. Extra blood supply = more swelling. Also I got hair transplants two weeks after the first surgery so that practically doubled the swelling.That being said, I have very little chin swelling, so I guess I was the opposite of most patients. Kinda of balances it out I guess.

    I'm not a supermodel haha I was never going to be amazingly pretty but I don't get "clocked" anymore at all, probably because of my profile. The only revision I'm considering is raising my brows at bit when I go get body contouring surgery with him (Dr. Rossi has a good revision policy that I believe all surgeons should have - if you are really unhappy or their are complications, you only pay the operating room costs to revise). I remember in one of your posts you mentioned your eyebrows were too high/arched but I actually like that. Maybe we should trade eyebrows ;) That being said I haven't yet got my eyebrows shaped so they are still big and bushy. Maybe that will solve that problem.

   At this point, I think I've pretty much reached the limit of how feminine I can get through face surgery. I suppose I could try to push the limits by trying to make my jaw smaller, but might be too much of risk for nerve damage. I'll need to let the hormones work longer and grow my hair out (I've only been full dose for a year and a month and technically full time for about 3 months - still "young" in the transition process).

   I'll post more photos eventually but I need lots more time to heal and to let my hair grafts grow out. Most likely I'll post at the three month mark and hopefully the forehead swelling will go down. If it isn't down by then, I will get ultrasound treatments to break it down and dissolve it.

    Wanna hear something messed up though? My health insurance, San Francisco Health Plan, might start covering ffs! I found this out right after I got home :( Still though, at least I got to be myself sooner.

- Ruby
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possessed

Hi Rubi,

I am sorry for giving you suggestions but I think your eyebrows are in perfect position. Some eyebrow shaping will  be enough. When I had my first FFS with Dr O I forced him to lift my eyebrows too high and after I ended up looking like a witch that lead me to revision. I think that Dr Rossi and his wife with her dental work had done an amazing job with your face and teeth. Enjoy your new face and the new life :)
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RubyAliza

possessed - Thanks, suggestions are definitely appreciated. How lucky you were to get your surgery with Dr. O :)  I'm sure he did a wonderful job. I hope brow shaping does make enough difference so I would have no reason to get a revision. Amanda said that the swelling in my forehead/brows are affecting their shape/height. Dr. Rossi did put them higher initially he said.  Also, I've heard it's normal for them to drop a bit. I'm a bit of a perfectionist but it's time to just let go and not be a control freak with my body. The less surgery the better, I'm thinking nowadays.
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RubyAliza

   A few more photos at 2 1/2 months post op. Recently had fat transfer to the lips here in San Francisco so Dr. Rossi doesn't get cred for that. No makeup, just a tiny bit of mascara. Sorry for the blurry 3/4ths photo:







   I'm very happy with the results, especially as the forehead swelling goes down. It's even flatter than before! My side profile is actually more feminine than my front nowadays, which is strange. In the photos you might be able to see the hair transplants growing in nicely. Talk to Amanda - I believe she's will be or is now offering hair transplants as part of T-Change at a very, very competitive price.  I'd say he's a fantastic surgeon, highly skilled. I believe he's top ranked at the military hospital where he works (he also works at a children's hospital too I believe).

   Here's a follow up on body contouring. I got lipofat transfer to hips/butt and lips at Glow Surgical Arts in Redwood City. The price was only a bit more expensive than Argentina but I'd rather not try to take a 16 hour flight after this kind of surgery so I did it here. Breast Augmentation later.

   I'll post again probably after more healing. Nice to be back on these boards after a few months away.

- Ruby
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deeiche

I noticed the hair was growing out along your hairline, that is good for 2.5 months. I know you were concerned about your brows but I think they look great.

Thanks for the update.
"It's only money, not life or death"
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SorchaC

You are looking great :) Lovely results.

Thanks for sharing the new photo's

Hugs

Sorcha  ;D
Full Time : July 2007,  ;D ;D
HRT : December 2007,
GRC, (Gender Changed on Birth Certificate) December 2009,  :eusa_clap:
SRS Dr Chettawut March 2015, ;D ;D
  •  

possessed

#66
Quote from: RubyAliza on August 18, 2015, 11:22:49 AM
   A few more photos at 2 1/2 months post op. Recently had fat transfer to the lips here in San Francisco so Dr. Rossi doesn't get cred for that. No makeup, just a tiny bit of mascara. Sorry for the blurry 3/4ths photo:







   I'm very happy with the results, especially as the forehead swelling goes down. It's even flatter than before! My side profile is actually more feminine than my front nowadays, which is strange. In the photos you might be able to see the hair transplants growing in nicely. Talk to Amanda - I believe she's will be or is now offering hair transplants as part of T-Change at a very, very competitive price.  I'd say he's a fantastic surgeon, highly skilled. I believe he's top ranked at the military hospital where he works (he also works at a children's hospital too I believe).

   Here's a follow up on body contouring. I got lipofat transfer to hips/butt and lips at Glow Surgical Arts in Redwood City. The price was only a bit more expensive than Argentina but I'd rather not try to take a 16 hour flight after this kind of surgery so I did it here. Breast Augmentation later.

   I'll post again probably after more healing. Nice to be back on these boards after a few months away.

- Ruby


Wow, you look amazing. Really great results. Your eyebrows look great and any more lifting will lead to "plastic surgery" looks. It all looks very natural. I really like how your nose turned out. I find most of the FFS results to fail with noses. Your chin and jaw are totally feminine and I don't think you need any more work in those departments. You are right that your profile looks more feminine than the front looks. What I think it is you miss volume in your chicks and temporal areas. If you let the HRT work you will get it naturally especially after the SRS the fat distribution to the face seems to increase. In case you go for round 2 fat transfer you may ask the doctor to do some fat transfet to your chicks and the temporal areas of your forehead. But even without it you look passable, feminine and beautiful. A great selection of doctor.
How did the fat transfer go as I am considering one soon?
Did you see Dr Bowers for your SRS? How did it go?
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RubyAliza

Nice to hear from a few familiar forum goers :)

Deeiche: Transplants are growing quickly, aren't they? The doctor Amanda brought me to, Dr. Bruno Szyferman, is incredibly humble but certainly talented. I chose to go with the incision in the back method and it's almost invisible. My hairdresser who's seen plenty of these incisions said it was by far the best. I just love the shape he created too, no way it would have been this perfect with hairline lowering. From the looks of it, it'll be pretty dense too :) The price was crazy affordable, less than half what Dr. Arena's in Mexico was asking for (Dr. Arenas does transplants with Cardenas, who I was thinking of going to for FFS initially).

Sorcha: Hi! Hope you're doing well. Thanks for the complement :)

Possessed: Thanks again. You're right about the eyebrows, I think. Shaping helped. They are also swollen a bit still. Jaw and chin are perfectly fine, any smaller would not be proportional to my face. Dr. Rossi is particularly good with chins using the sliding genioplasty. His wife, an oral surgeon, helped too in the operating room. For some reason I had very little swelling in the lower section of the face.

   Before/afters on the nose show a very big difference. It flows smoothly from the forehead too. Of all the swelling, it's still the worst here. It's a bit asymmetrical if you'll notice, because of the swelling on one side. As for the front not looking as feminine, perhaps it's just how the chips fell. My upper lip is long in regards to my face as a whole, that's one possible issue. Can't do much more as my teeth are already showing. That's why I did the lip fat transfer. But you're right about the fat transfer. I was thinking the same about cheeks/temporals (we're on the same page there). However. I've only been on a full dose of hormones for a year and a few months. My testosterone levels are stubbornly high, my doctors says. Orchiectomy or GRS are the only way as medications don't work as well as I wish. They're still in high end for a female. I did see Dr. Bowers and the wait time is over two years. I'm going to wait as I have my heart set on her.

   Another reason I decided against fat transfer to the cheeks/temporals at this time is because I don't know how my body will reabsorb fat. Also, I am already doing so much else. Less than a week ago I did tumescent lipo from the upper arms, flanks, lower back, stomach, and a rather massive transfer to the butt/hips (smaller transfer to the lips as well). The doctor used smart lipo to finish it off making my recovery much better, while shrinking the skin from the inside with a laser. Right now, it looks incredible really, the doctor and I were kind of blown away at the difference it all makes. But I am crossing my fingers that my body won't just take most of it back. If it stays, I'll go forward with the fat to the cheeks/temporals. I'll go to Dr. Rossi for that and a breast augmentation as I trust him, would like to see Amanda again as well as explore the city of Buenos Aires.

    Hope this thread is useful for others. I chose to do it because I believe insurance should pay for it considering facial dysphoria is as bad as genital dysphoria, or at least was in my case. Since insurance doesn't pay, someone needs to go public with their experiences with high quality, aggressive, and affordable options in other countries. I'm not for one surgeon or another so much as I just want others to know they can trust Dr. Rossi.

- Ruby

   



  •  

ClaudiaLove

Quote from: RubyAliza on July 03, 2015, 11:15:48 PM
Hi Greta,

   Different strokes for different folks, as they say. I got a great vibe from Dr. Rossi when I met him. Amanda, who knows him well, told me that he's worked with many trauma patients before and I got the sense that he is a very compassionate person. I'm sure Dimaggio is nice too, but I got an email back from someone who works for him in broken English that may or may not have been unintentionally rude. I was told that my face would be "a challenge" lol like thanks! I know I am ugly haha!
- Ruby


I was told my nose is difficult and my chin is a challenge :P
At the moment i took it personally and it was on of the reasons i didn't consider him anymore , i really think they could tell it in a different manner . Now i see maybe this is their standard terminology .
Maybe this is also for the patients to feel complexed and believe they are hopeless , so after an average result they wouldn't blame the doctor .


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RubyAliza

Quote from: Claudia_FF on August 19, 2015, 02:59:10 AM
I was told my nose is difficult and my chin is a challenge :P
At the moment i took it personally and it was on of the reasons i didn't consider him anymore , i really think they could tell it in a different manner . Now i see maybe this is their standard terminology .
Maybe this is also for the patients to feel complexed and believe they are hopeless , so after an average result they wouldn't blame the doctor .

   Glad I'm not the only one who felt that way. But it's just unnecessary to say that I am a "challenge." The broken English was disconcerting a bit, but wording or language would not have stopped me from going to Dr. DiMaggio. His office can learn and change that easily. I know he's a very good doctor, no doubts on that. However, the price for Dr. DiMaggio was significantly higher and at this point in my life as an English Instructor, I needed to take this step. Waiting another year to save was not an option. Furthermore, from the before/afters I saw, and verifying Dr. Rossi's credentials led me me to believe he would be a very good doctor. And he was - my thread is fair and balanced, just letting others know that he is trustworthy, highly skilled, and a very humble, kind person. No need to take down another doctor to make that point. Now people have two fantastic options in Buenos Aires - Dr. DiMaggio and Dr. Rossi. Everyone wins.

    As for the question of experience, Dr. Rossi is an experienced maxillofacial surgeon and getting more and more experience with every surgery. At this point, I would say he is now amongst the top-tier of surgeons. His team is fantastic as well, I had a chance to meet them. And my forehead, nose, and chin weren't too much of a "challenge" for him and I have proof from photos for that. To me, the results aren't just average but far exceeded my expectations. I may not look as pretty as some girls on this forum :) but I have no trouble passing in public even without any makeup, and that was the most important goal.

    Last thing I'll say ClaudiaFF is that you look great in avatar icon :D only wishing you the best!

- Ruby
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SorchaC

Quote from: RubyAliza on August 18, 2015, 08:53:09 PM

Sorcha: Hi! Hope you're doing well. Thanks for the complement :)


Hi Ruby,

I'm going along reasonably well thank you :) I'm glad things are going well for you :)

Hugs

Sorcha  ;D
Full Time : July 2007,  ;D ;D
HRT : December 2007,
GRC, (Gender Changed on Birth Certificate) December 2009,  :eusa_clap:
SRS Dr Chettawut March 2015, ;D ;D
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bamar86

Wow ruby you really do look amazing and so pretty. I only see women when I look at these pictures.  I really want to thank you for doing this thread and giving us the opportunity to learn about your journey. Its only a week now until I fly to buenos aires. I will endeavor to do the same as you did. I honestly don't even feel nervous after reading all you had to say. Now I just feel impatient to get this next week over and done with (im working the next 6 days straight and then I fly out). Gotta keep that coin rolling in haha, being trans can be rather expensive! And all I see when I look in the mirror is male which really messes with my head. You've given alot of girls so much genuine insight and I thank you for that.



Chloe
Started HRT in December 2014

Had ffs with Dr rossi September 2015

Srs and BA dr chettawut Feb 27 2016
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deeiche

Quote from: bamar86 on August 22, 2015, 10:13:11 AM
Wow ruby you really do look amazing and so pretty. I only see women when I look at these pictures.  I really want to thank you for doing this thread and giving us the opportunity to learn about your journey. Its only a week now until I fly to buenos aires. I will endeavor to do the same as you did. I honestly don't even feel nervous after reading all you had to say. Now I just feel impatient to get this next week over and done with (im working the next 6 days straight and then I fly out). Gotta keep that coin rolling in haha, being trans can be rather expensive! And all I see when I look in the mirror is male which really messes with my head. You've given alot of girls so much genuine insight and I thank you for that.

Chloe
I'll be getting there about two weeks after you.  There is another good set of Dr Rossi posts on a tumblr site, she had surgery with Dr Rossi about 10 days ago.  She posted a link to her tumblr page on the Yahoo FFS group.

good trip
"It's only money, not life or death"
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bamar86

Oh okay thank you very much. Its a shame we aren't going at the same time!
Started HRT in December 2014

Had ffs with Dr rossi September 2015

Srs and BA dr chettawut Feb 27 2016
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possessed

Is somebody of you girls getting the mandible angle reduction? My friend is having a problem to find an aggressive enough doctor for that surgery. I would love to see how that part of the surgery turns out
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bamar86

I'm not sure what dr rossi plans to do with my jaw yet. He just said he would be doing tapering of my jaw line.  But I'll keep you posted when I do find out. My before photos weren't very clear so I only got a rough idea which I didn't mind as I'd prefer to find out more when I have my consultation.
Started HRT in December 2014

Had ffs with Dr rossi September 2015

Srs and BA dr chettawut Feb 27 2016
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possessed

Quote from: bamar86 on August 23, 2015, 01:55:38 AM
I'm not sure what dr rossi plans to do with my jaw yet. He just said he would be doing tapering of my jaw line.  But I'll keep you posted when I do find out. My before photos weren't very clear so I only got a rough idea which I didn't mind as I'd prefer to find out more when I have my consultation.

I will be following your experience
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RubyAliza

Quote from: bamar86 on August 22, 2015, 10:13:11 AM
Wow ruby you really do look amazing and so pretty. I only see women when I look at these pictures.  I really want to thank you for doing this thread and giving us the opportunity to learn about your journey. Its only a week now until I fly to buenos aires. I will endeavor to do the same as you did. I honestly don't even feel nervous after reading all you had to say. Now I just feel impatient to get this next week over and done with (im working the next 6 days straight and then I fly out). Gotta keep that coin rolling in haha, being trans can be rather expensive! And all I see when I look in the mirror is male which really messes with my head. You've given alot of girls so much genuine insight and I thank you for that.



Chloe

Thank you Chloe, I'm happy to keep this thread updated for you and others. I'm excited for you and deeiche :) Being trans sure is expensive but Dr. Rossi/Amanda are really amazing for offering FFS for affordable prices. I wish you safe flights, a successful surgery, and a speedy recovery. When you look in the mirror, you'll finally see what was meant to be, after lots of healing of course.

Also, I finally updated my avatar pic. Usually I take terrible photos, like the one I posted here earlier, but this one looks more like I do on a day to day basis. Minimal makeup - bb cream mixed with a bit of moisturizer, light eyeliner halfway to the corner of my eye, and light mascara. I don't have time for an extended routine, only about 5-7 minutes. I never get clocked...

Until I open my mouth! Voice is an issue now. I don't have deep voice, it's just that sometimes out of bad habit, I'll slowly fade into my monotone guy voice. That'll take me a while to really get right.

At this point, I still will update in the future because I do have swelling and because my hair transplants have barely grown in. But I think from this point on, it would be nice to hear the experience of others with Dr. Rossi. Most people don't have a want or reason to make their experience public so I don't think we'll see too many public threads on the internet. The Yahoo FFS group might be good but I'm not a member. T-Change.com is pretty informative, especially with the before/afters which she does update from time to time.

Ciao ciao mi amigas,

- Ruby

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ever

You look lovely Ruby! your profile is stunning, and everything looks wonderful and feminine! thanks again for keeping things updated here!

(I don't use this site anymore, but just came back briefly when I heard from a patient, heard while while we were both in Argentina, that there was a worry on this forum about my abrupt leaving of this site.  I made a clarification post on my thread, to assure anyone who might've been made worried by my disappearance, and in the post I assured them about how great Dr. Rossi is and that everything with me had gone well. 

Bottom line, you're in great hands if you decide on t-change, as Ruby has also attested to from her personal experience, as well as from seeing other patients, including myself.  I've personally seen their work on me and two other contemporaneous patients, and yes, the t-change team is amazing in every respect. 

My decision to leave this site happened completely separate from the outcome of the surgery, my decision was unrelated to the possible outcome of the surgery, and in any case, I left the site nearly a month before my scheduled ffs date.  In my decision to leave, I simply wanted more privacy, and I would've left a message before I deleted my account, but I didn't anticipate anyone would notice.  My departure from here only had to do with privacy concerns and my personal comfort with interacting on such mediums.  I've come back only briefly to post an update and calm any worries others might've had.

In any case, my own ffs was a huge success, and I adore Dr. Rossi, and I wish everyone the best of luck in their transition.)
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deeiche

Quote from: RubyAliza on August 23, 2015, 07:37:13 PM
Thank you Chloe, I'm happy to keep this thread updated for you and others. I'm excited for you and deeiche :) Being trans sure is expensive but Dr. Rossi/Amanda are really amazing for offering FFS for affordable prices. I wish you safe flights, a successful surgery, and a speedy recovery. When you look in the mirror, you'll finally see what was meant to be, after lots of healing of course.
I appreciate being able to post here.  I come from a different era, who knows how many transitioned 30-40 years ago.  It was not a time to be public.
Oddly, this will be my first expense related to being trans.  In the mid-80's my employer, a very large semiconductor player to this day, self-insured and they made the decision to cover BA and GRS.  I did get laid off 3 days after returning from GRS, but then again so did several hundred other employees.  My previous rhinoplasties were covered by insurance too 'cause I was repairing work from a broken nose.
Quote from: RubyAliza
Also, I finally updated my avatar pic. Usually I take terrible photos, like the one I posted here earlier, but this one looks more like I do on a day to day basis. Minimal makeup - bb cream mixed with a bit of moisturizer, light eyeliner halfway to the corner of my eye, and light mascara. I don't have time for an extended routine, only about 5-7 minutes. I never get clocked...
I never wore makeup post transition.  Between working in a clean room and jock, dyke I did not need it in my social environment.  My opinion, I think everyone would be better off not wearing makeup.  It makes it easier to interact with folks at any time of day.
Quote from: RubyAliza
Until I open my mouth! Voice is an issue now. I don't have deep voice, it's just that sometimes out of bad habit, I'll slowly fade into my monotone guy voice. That'll take me a while to really get right.

At this point, I still will update in the future because I do have swelling and because my hair transplants have barely grown in. But I think from this point on, it would be nice to hear the experience of others with Dr. Rossi. Most people don't have a want or reason to make their experience public so I don't think we'll see too many public threads on the internet. The Yahoo FFS group might be good but I'm not a member. T-Change.com is pretty informative, especially with the before/afters which she does update from time to time.

Ciao ciao mi amigas,

- Ruby
Once again, I appreciate all your posts.  The Yahoo FFS group has seen more activity in the last week or so because of recent Dr Rossi threads.

take care
"It's only money, not life or death"
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