Doubts about FFS

[Carolinae Lee]

Hi, newbie here!

I've been thinking about having FFS in the following months, but there are a lot of questions I've yet to see answered (or haven't found the place where those answers lie).

After lookig through a lot of comments and pages of FFS surgeons, I'm leaning towars Dr. Chettawut, Dr. Spiegel or Dr. Bart van de Ven (in that order). But besides the stories of quicker recovery from Spiegel patients and the subtle changes he makes, I would like to know a couple (as much as possible) about the other two. I've also heard that Dr. DiMaggio is good, but never seen or heard about his results outside from the ones that can be found on his website.

Outside of prices, attention, post-operative care and accessibility from them. I'm partially scared about the loss of sensation in my whole face/head. I've read and heard from other women that the top of the nose, head and chin tend to remain numb for a couple of years if not forever (as said by Dr. Z on his site). How much of this is true? Do you lose all sensation in your face and head? I know anyone is different and your mileage may vary, but is it there some kind of "standard" of how much sensation do you loss and how much it takes to recover it?

I ask about this mainly due to the fact that 6 years ago I had surgery in one of my legs and still to this day I don't really have that much sensation from under my knee to the very beggining of my ankle. The Dr. told me it would take a couple of months to a couple of years to recuperate sensation, and after 3 couple of years and 36 couples of months I'm still waiting

Will this happen to my face/head as well?


As for Dr. Chettawut, I've seen groups on yahoo, blogs and youtube videos talking pretty bad things about him. Mostly how he ruined someone's forehead, nose and breasts (mostly from someone called Sina Weber on youtube). Other sites say this is nothing but some type of conspiracy and difamation campaign made by other Drs. jealous of his work. But I don't know who to believe given the lack of information about him on the internet from non Thai patients).
His before and after results are the most impresive I've ever seen, that it would be sad to go to Thailand with such high life-changing expectations just to have my life ruined.

Sorry for the long post, but I have many-many doubts and questions I'd like to clear because I'm a little too scared to think that by achieving my life dream, I might be exposing myself to not-so-wanted results that could make me regret this whole decision and feel not really that happy at all afterwards.

I'm aware that some sensation loss may and will happen and I don't have that much trouble with it if that's the cost of looking as I've always wanted to, but not getting the results plus not being able to feel my face/head for the rest of my life worries me a lot.

Thanks in advance for everything, I'll really appreciate your feedback.

-Carolina

(Btw, I'm 23 and have been on HRT for 3 years and 4 months)

[Mariah]

Hi Carolina, welcome to Susan's. I look forward to seeing you around the site. Good luck and Hugs.
Mariah

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[mmmmm]

FFS-Support yahoo group (mostly its archive) is your best friend for gathering information about surgeons... you can find many before/after results there.
But in the end it doesn't matter who was the best surgeon for someone else... you need to research and choose the best surgeon for what your face needs, and what you want. Comparing yourself with others patients can only tell you so much.. understanding about procedures, differences between surgeons, their approach and their skills, can tell you a lot more.

You can see quite some patients of dr. Spiegel and dr. Bart here on this forum... For more results from dr. Di Maggio you should go to his facebook page, or contact patients privately. There aren't many results available from dr. Chettawut outside of his page, I remember I saw quite a few Yahoo group... I don't find results from his website very convincing, but I know of one totaly amazing result, and a couple other decent... These (sadly for him) aren't on his website. I saw overall more convincing results from dr. Suporn, but there aren't many, as he is primarily wanted for his SRS service.



What nerve damage is caused is largely dependent on a bad luck. I'm shure most if not all of these experienced and well known surgeons are really careful with working around nerves. Sadly mistakes can happen. Although it is mostly temporary loss of sensation, I can understand how silly it must be, if it happens on chin or jaw, and it lasts for months. You can expect temporary sensation loss on top of the scalp, behind the cranial or hairline incision, which you need for any proper forehead work/reconstruction. In my case, it was a little weird to get used to at first... but after a couple weeks it slowly started to come back, and at little less than 5 months now, it basically back to normal. I didn't experience any other sensation loss, despite having chin and jaw work (which is what many people report...). Don't believe everything that dr. Zukowski writes on his webpage, as he needs to advertise his services a little differently than those surgeons who can simply present a couple side-profile photos with amazing forehead&orbital results, which will speak for itself. I would write exactly the same things, as he did, if I would be in his position...


To make shure you don't regret anything... research, knowledge and developing you own opinions (regardless of what other people write on forums..) will be the key. Don't feel you need to rush into anything... I researched this topic for 2+ years, before I even made a final decision to go for it... By that time I knew exactly who was a surgeon I want, and what kind of result I want. Rushing into anything, or choosing based on price or distance(-this is the stupidest reason) is a gamble.. incredibly some people are willing to gamble with their face. Please don't

[Carolinae Lee]

I really appreciate your response, I'll take your advise of better wait to know every surgey well enough before getting FFS done.

I've always thought I have bad luck for everything, hope by the time I get FFS none of that is still present!

P.S. Just got to see Dr. Di Maggio's work on his facebook page, it is indeed pretty impressive.

[Jennygirl]

I had a Type I forehead w/ hairline lowering with Dr. Mayer. Happy to report- barely any nerve damage on my scalp. Itching and numbness was present for the first 6 months or so, and now at about 18 months the nerves seem to be darn near all the way back- to put a number on it I'd say 90%. It's not noticeable to me anymore.

It was hard for me to believe at first that full feeling would ever come back, but it did at long last. I totally understand your anxiety about it!

Best of luck with your decisions!

[Hannahh]

Hi Carolina,

I totally understand your concern.Yes, there is a risk but as mmmmm said : bad luck.
So it depends also what you need. If you don't need to change your chin, risk of this nerve seems to be 0%.
About recovery, it is not just a surgeon choice : it depends a lot of you : your age, your smoking and alcohol past, your health, your sport life, your food life, your mental... So recovery can be fast or can be slower... It depends also what you do.
Nose seems to be a long recovery.
About the 3 surgeons your name, in my opinion, I prefer Dr Bart. I think, he is the one that goes farthest.
I always asked myself if ffs surgeons are influenced by their culture and "nationality". The characteristic  of race people seems to have some specifications.
lose all sensation seems rare. So,what you lose, in general, is temporary : 2 weeks, 1 month, 6 months... and it is not an on/off switch ; each day you gain a little more.
If there is one truth, it will be easy. The human richness is our differences. Then, after a surgery (or a lot things in life) you get your own results.
Warmly,
Hannah

[possessed]

Ok. I had full FFS and full revision after. The doctors deattach the skin from underlying tissues in which process the sensitive nerves are also deattached from the skin. So sensation loss is unavoidable. Likely it returns. I had my last FFS in 2011 and by now most of the sensations have returned back to normal. Let's say 95%. I had SRS with Chett and I saw some FFS patients there. They all looked like great results to me even though I had my FFS done by another doctor.  Every face is different. Do your research and make your own choice based on your individual case.

[SorchaC]

I think what has been said already covers allot of your questions. I certainly wouldn't be too put off by the facebook stuff about Chett. I'm not saying there wasn't some issue with a surgery because maybe there was but I am sure he didn't set out to damage anyone in the same way certain other FFS surgeons have been accused of things.

I am currently doing my own research for some FFS and have had quotes and opinions from 3 surgeons including a face to face with Chett. All have been impressive in their own way and all seem to agree on what I need save Dr Rossi wants to do a type 3 forehead and the other 2 didn't but that could be preference on how to do certain procedures. I am excited also because Dr Z is going to call me on the phone next week all the way from Chicago for free just to talk to me about the photo's I sent him. At the end of the day it will depend on how you feel about a surgeon. Talk to as many as you need to before deciding and then as Hannahh said make sure you're in the best shape you can be to recover as well as possible.

Good luck in your decision and the subsequent op to follow.

Hugs

Sorcha 

[charlotte15]

Carolina,

I totally understand your fears as I had the exact same ones.

Like you, I was mostly afraid of sensation loss, as I also suffer from that and I know how maddening it is. Unfortunately, after 3 years the odds of recovery are slim to none. I was also afraid of scars, so I opted against what would leave visible scars (ex: hairline advance) even if I was uncertain until the very last minute.

About sensation loss in FFS, having been recently under the knife, at the moment I'm mostly disturbed by my lips. I mean, there is at best a tingling in my lower lip. Yet at least it started moving recently. My friend told me that for the days before it looked like half my face was paralyzed as we know someone like that.

My forehead is insensitive at the moment, but I knew about that. It brings me bad memories, but I know that a lot improves in the next week. So it just depends on your luck and good star.

Meanwhile, don't leave anything else to chance. Learn the best you can about the surgeons. Looks at the good,  but also the bad press. For me, bad reputation speak much louder than good reputation. It's easy to fake good results by only selecting the best before/afters. It's not easy to silence a patient online.

About the geography, please know that the surgeons discussed here are but a tiny sample. There are a lot more. Try to join the various groups: the yahoo group mmmmm mentionned, and the facebook group that jhulyglow mentionned in another thread.

Be safe. You only have one face.

Charlotte