Here is my honest review of my surgery with Dr Bart Van De Ven, as promulgated on Realself site (With pics) dated 2nd May 2016. Now 3 years post-op.
1st session Sept 2011
Procedures:
Forehead recontouring with orbital recontouring + Hairline correction + Browlift, Blepharoplasty lowerlid, Rhinoplasty (Nose reduction), Earlobe reduction, Lipfift, Trachea shave, MACS facelift, Lipo-filling face: cheeks, nasolabial folds, vermillion upper lip, mental fold.
Problems with surgery:
There was a two hour delay in the start of my operation. Supposedly, due to the anaesthetist not turning up. Patient care at whilst under general anaesthesia wasn't good. I had ulna nerve damage at the elbow of my left arm, due to it being badly positioned arm during the long surgery (Still have problems with it now) and a painful bruise at the bottom of my spine, probably caused when moving me from theatre to recovery. Whilst under anaesthetic, I had two extra procedures carried out on me that I was not aware Dr Bart was going to do. They certainly were not discussed preoperatively. They were, liposuction of my neck and stuffing my upper lip with skin left over from the forehead surgery I had. This is assault! The latter also resulted in two very visible scars on my neck (The other was for the trachea shave) instead of just one. Discharged from hospital to hotel 11am next day with excessive swelling and no facial compression bandage.
The good:
Bone work was good. Happy with forehead and nose.
The bad:
Soft tissue work was disappointing. Puckered scar line left lower bleph. Scars badly positioned under both eyes. Expanding scar right temple area near endotine. Resulting in infection (Controlled with antibiotic) this resulted in baldness right temple area. Large Haematoma around trachea shave making adams apple seem larger than it was before. The resulting internal scarring means adams apple is still quite prominent and it's not helped by the internal scarring caused by neck lipo-suction. Neck will have to be revised by an experience surgeon, once internal caring has softened, in a few years time. A MACS facelift is not a suitable procedure for people in their 50s. The vector is only upwards and leaves the neck saggy.
The ugly:
Adhesions left jaw line. Scarred/bald right temple area. Bleph scars, left one worse than right. Permanent uncomfortable, watery eyes. Ear lobes attached to side of face. Right side bad lazy stitching . Saggy neck.
2nd Session Oct 2012
Procedures:
Revision lipo-filling upper lip, Revision forehead (brows dropping) plus another extra procedure, chin-recontouring with a view to revision of MACS lift due to adhesions along left side jawline, when chin swelling recedes.
Problems with surgery:
None.
The good:
Chin work was a good decision.
The bad:
Permanent lump appeared on right side skin above top lip after lipo top-up to lip vermillion. Forehead nip n tuck didn't do anything, brows continue downwards.
The Ugly:
Not much changed as swelling disguised chin work.
3rd Session April 2013
Procedures:
MACS facelift revision, lip lift revision, Left eye scar revision (Laser resurfacing).
Problems with surgery.
Woke up from surgery with paresis to the right side of my face. My right eyebrow was collapsed and wouldn't move. My lips were not competent on the right making it difficult to speak (Labial sounds, Ems, Bees and Peas impossible) and I couldn't drink the water she offered me. I told the recovery nurse to record it in the "book". Dr Bart came in and ask me to smile, which I did. He seemed not to worry about my permanent wink, wonky pucker or inability to drink or talk properly. Three years since surgery I still have permanent nerve damage to my motor nerves affecting to submandular, buccal and temporal branches. When back in my hotel (Discharged next day at 11am again) I discovered that Dr Bart had also ruptured my parotid gland on the left side of my face filling my face with saliva and making it difficult to breath. I had to go back to the hospital on Monday (Op was on Thurs) have a vacuum drain bottle permanently fitted. I could see the bottle filling with saliva when I ate. I lost a fair bit of weight! This also meant I had to plan for a longer stay in Ghent adding £500 to my travel and accommodation expenses. The lip lift revision was lopsided and the scar under my right nostril is badly puckered. My right earlobe has "pixied" and both ear lobes have dog ears. I think this proves my previous analysis that with Dr Bart, it is a case of – Bone work good, soft tissue work bad. I have tried seeking a lawyer in the UK to sue Dr Bart for his inept workmanship. But they will not take a case to the Belgian courts as it is too expensive and difficult to do on a no win no fee basis. A lawyer, I spoke to, did actually win a successful case suing a Belgian surgeon in a Belgian court. But two years later, his client is still waiting for her compensation to be paid. Be warned, Dr Bart's bad work is protected by this fact also by the fact that transgender people are reticent about going public.
The Good:
I look like a female, from most angles.
The Bad:
I can't speak or eat properly which has badly affected my social life.
The Ugly:
Due to the number of obvious scars and lop-sidedness, I look operated on!
