Face-to-face consultation at Facial Team Marbella in Sept. 2017

[Pengola]

You are very lucky! Congrats dear! Somebody else must have called off her surgery I guess. Wishing you a pleasant stay and quick recovery! Hope you'll not be alone out there.

By the way, what do you mean by "as their technique is done to compliment Yeson's vocal feminization surgery"? Is there a link between Facial Team and Yeson? I can hardly imagine.

Yes there is a link between them. Anjaq sent it And yes someone cancelled so i got squeezed in. Flights are a nightmare however from Australia. More than 30 hours including 2 lay overs over 3 flights! But im excited to do my adam's apple removed finally. Also when i visited Yeson they told me that so far FacialTeam is the only clinic they recommend for the tracheal shave because they havent seen any damage to the voice quality. So even though its alot more expensive than Thailand and Korea, i dont mind paying the money for the extra assurance, at least it calms it down not having to worry.

[judithlynn]

Hi Saskia;
I had my consultation done in person last November in Marbella. I stayed in the 300 bedroom resort right next door to the Clinic for 5 days. Its was very comfortable and because it was off season it was very cost effective. The food buffet style was very nice (breakfasts were excellent). It also has two beauticians, so I availed of them by getting my nails and toenails done as well as a bikini line and full leg wax. Which i needed as I was then able to use the swimming pools without embarrassment because of my high thigh cut low back swimsuit . The two pools were great and it was only a short walk to the beach. I also hired a car from Malaga Airport. I also had a really nice  few hours with Jenny and her team at Jenny Nest and then went out to dinner with her and guests in Marbella. I had a really nice time there as well as meeting two other amazing Transgender women from the UK. By the way I also had a consultation whilst in Marbella with Dr Aslani at Cirumed http://www.cirumed.es Dr Aslani does BBL and is one of the foremost surgeons doing that work. Well worth approaching him to get a quote. I was very surprised at how cost effective his prices were. He also does fat transfer breast augmentation using BodyJet EVO fat transfer technology.
Judith

[anjaq]

I must say, however, that you should not to take the VFFS simulations too literally.  There's no way Ms. Hamer can anticipate some anatomical factors which can influence what can be actually be accomplished by the surgeon.  In my case, the thickness of my skin limited how much my nose could be narrowed.  If you compare the VFFS images with my actually results 3 months post-op, you can see the differences.

Did you post the comparison somewhere? It would be interesting to see the differences between the simulation and reality.

Can the doctors not use touch or the CT scan to determine things like the skin thickness of the nose and thus before the surgery tell you if there are limitations and maybe Alexandra can even put these in the virtuals?

BTW, several of the other surgeons that I consulted with barely looked at the VFFS images, and dismissed my concerns about doing forehead recontouring without a CT scan to determine the thickness of the bone covering the frontal sinus cavity.

Well as long as they do type 3 forehead, there is no need to make a scan or Xray. If they want to do burring only, they clearly should get one!

[Saskia_F]

I started with a Skype consultation with FT after purchasing a virtual FFS from Alexandra Hamer.  Based on her analysis and the FT consultation, I sent in my deposit and locked in a surgery date.  When I arrived in Marbella, I had a face-to-face consultation with Drs. Simon and Capitan to finalize the decision on what surgeries would be performed.  There were no changes from the initial consultation (forehead reconstruction, rhinoplasty, lip lift, and trachea shave). 

The VFFS was very helpful for me in making a decision on which surgeries to pursue.  Other surgeons recommended things that might have made minor improvements, but were not deemed necessary by Ms. Hamer or FT.  I'm very satisfied with their recommendations. 

I must say, however, that you should not to take the VFFS simulations too literally.  There's no way Ms. Hamer can anticipate some anatomical factors which can influence what can be actually be accomplished by the surgeon.  In my case, the thickness of my skin limited how much my nose could be narrowed.  If you compare the VFFS images with my actually results 3 months post-op, you can see the differences.  Having said that, I'm glad that I had the VFFS done.  It helped resolve the uncertainty that I was feeling about what to do.

BTW, several of the other surgeons that I consulted with barely looked at the VFFS images, and dismissed my concerns about doing forehead recontouring without a CT scan to determine the thickness of the bone covering the frontal sinus cavity.  I did not want to risk perforation of the anterior wall of the sinus cavity, or have bone filler used to shape my forehead.  That was a huge factor in my decision to choose FT over several surgeons here in the US.

Dear Clara,

thank you so much for your elaborations. That helps a lot indeed! All in a nutshell, doing the vFFS with Alexandra at Facial Team in Marbella is the best choice in terms of getting the time needed to do all necessary examinations and to discuss what's best for me to get done.

To be honest, I didn't even consult any other surgeon for my FFS since I meanwhile believe FT is the best choice whatsover, based on my investigations an our sister's opinions. You have a point in saying the vFFS results should not be taken to literally. I guess a "match" of around 70 to 75 % could possibly be achieved. Anything else would probably be wishful thinking.

Did you add a picture with your post? I can't see it. It directs me to another page.

[Saskia_F]

Yes there is a link between them. Anjaq sent it And yes someone cancelled so i got squeezed in. Flights are a nightmare however from Australia. More than 30 hours including 2 lay overs over 3 flights! But im excited to do my adam's apple removed finally. Also when i visited Yeson they told me that so far FacialTeam is the only clinic they recommend for the tracheal shave because they havent seen any damage to the voice quality. So even though its alot more expensive than Thailand and Korea, i dont mind paying the money for the extra assurance, at least it calms it down not having to worry.

Dear Pengola,

goodness gracious me! All the way from Australia! That's quite something ... Are there no surgeons available for the likes of us? If this is your first time in Europe then enjoy your stay and a totally different culture  I am keeping my fingers crossed for you. You'll most likely come alone, but I hope you'll make the acquaintance of a nice sister out there in Marbella.

[anjaq]

Flights are a nightmare however from Australia. More than 30 hours including 2 lay overs over 3 flights! But im excited to do my adam's apple removed finally. Also when i visited Yeson they told me that so far FacialTeam is the only clinic they recommend for the tracheal shave because they havent seen any damage to the voice quality.

Haha - same story for me going to Korea for the Yeson surgery - 26 hours travel time, 2 transfers, one of them in Bejing almost got us turned back... To Marbella it is only 5 hours and one transfer - and only because I am cheap and do not want to pay double for the 3h direct flight

[anjaq]

I had my consultation done in person last November in Marbella. I stayed in the 300 bedroom resort right next door to the Clinic for 5 days.

That is a different resort than the one they recommend now though, right? Cause this one now is about 10 min by car from the clinic. Called Aldea.

The BBL sounds interesting. I had a fat transfer this year but it was mainly for the breasts. I would be interested to reshape the lower body as well, sadly I have issues with weight and it tends to go up by 6 kg and then I diet and it goes down again - bad conditions for a fat transfer, I think. How much does a BBL cost and do they also do fat reduction at the upper arms and neck?

[AnonyMs]

Regarding BBL, there's some reviews on realself and of Cirumed that are worth looking at. There's one or two negative ones that are quite interesting.

[Pengola]

Dear Pengola,

goodness gracious me! All the way from Australia! That's quite something ... Are there no surgeons available for the likes of us? If this is your first time in Europe then enjoy your stay and a totally different culture  I am keeping my fingers crossed for you. You'll most likely come alone, but I hope you'll make the acquaintance of a nice sister out there in Marbella.

Hrmmm from my experience with Aussie surgeons, they are just not that specialised. Its usually one surgeon performing everything from lipo to breast to nose to eyes. I rather go to a very specialized facility with surgeons who do not act outside their speciality for my surgery. Ive done surgery in Australia, US Thailand and Korea and ive only had completely satisfactory work done in Korea because the surgeons are very specialized. The other surgeons i went to in the other 3 countries would do one procedure well but the others would require revision . Korea however isn't good for tracheal shave. I was going to go to Thailand for it but Yeson told me that they have seen so many patients who have had a change to their vocal quality following the procedure except the facial team. Dr Simon also said they have discussed with Dr Kim on how the procedure should be performed to maintain vocal quality for the voice surgery following the tracheal shave. Interesting thing i learnt from the skype consult which is what dr kim said also, is that the risk isnt so much damaging the vocal cords which if the incision is done right you should not even see the vocal cords. The risk is affecting the muscle which supports the vocal cord so facial team is extra careful to maintain the integrity of the structure whilst maximum the reduction process.

All my friends are like "but u get to chill in marbella". But to me I don't enjoy the beach. I like the cold and i enjoy shopping in a megacity like new york tokyo hong kong etc haha. Plus I literally have to fly back the moment i finish the surgery because work has me swamped this month. It would be nice to meet some sisters at the clinic tho. I could use some company!

[anjaq]

Regarding BBL, there's some reviews on realself and of Cirumed that are worth looking at. There's one or two negative ones that are quite interesting.

I checked. There seems to be very few negative feedbacks overall - I think it showed me less than 5% of 3 star or less, I consider this good as no surgeon is pefect unles she sues all people writing negative results - lol

Or did I look in the wrong place?

[Mangothedog]

Are the waiting times really that lengthy? 6 months from consultation seems like forever...

[MeghanMe]

I've got two months to go on a seven month sentence, errrr, I mean, waiting period. But yeah, for good surgeons, it seems like four to six months is a typical wait. Maybe even a little low. You might be able to get in sooner if you have fewer procedures.

[Saskia_F]

Are the waiting times really that lengthy? 6 months from consultation seems like forever...

Oh yes, currently the waiting list is 6 months, Carmen from FT told me. However, if you're flexible enough, you might be lucky to get an earlier surgery slot due to someone else who might have cancelled her appointment.

[Saskia_F]

I will be there in End of August because the consultations in other cities wer enot clear enough, no 3D scans, not enough time, I guess. As I understand it it is like this: consultation is free except travel and room. If you want to book a surgery date you can do it at any time if you pay a deposit, but if you withdraw the date, they charge you those 400-600 EU for rescheduling the date to another patient. But its the only way to save you a date for surgery, if you do not do that, it means if you go for a date, you will have to accept 6 months advance booking and also the quote they give only is valid half a year, after that, prices often increase.
The virtual images Alexandra does are only available during the consultation unless you pay her her regular fee, in which case she will do them properly and not just a quick version and you get them in email. She did mine during a consultation but I did not buy them. Later I did take new pictures and sent them to her to make it again and then paid for it to keep them.

Good morning Anja,

I got news from Alexandra Hamer. I touched base with her recently, asking if I'll be "allowed" taking my vFFS pictures home after FFS consultation. She affirmed same on the ground that FACIAL TEAM indeed pays for them. They will be emailed after consultation.

My 2nd question was if it's feasible to conduct another 'version' of vFFS, meaning using long hair (since I'm still wearing short hair) and I'm dying for having a post vFFS pic showing the 'full result' as kinda incentive to bridge my time until my FFS surgery. She said I could of course hire her on a private basis after consultation to get this done too.

Very glad to hear that and I'll definitely make use of that even though I will have to pay for it 

[Saskia_F]

Hi Saskia;
I had my consultation done in person last November in Marbella. I stayed in the 300 bedroom resort right next door to the Clinic for 5 days. Its was very comfortable and because it was off season it was very cost effective. The food buffet style was very nice (breakfasts were excellent). It also has two beauticians, so I availed of them by getting my nails and toenails done as well as a bikini line and full leg wax. Which i needed as I was then able to use the swimming pools without embarrassment because of my high thigh cut low back swimsuit . The two pools were great and it was only a short walk to the beach. I also hired a car from Malaga Airport. I also had a really nice  few hours with Jenny and her team at Jenny Nest and then went out to dinner with her and guests in Marbella. I had a really nice time there as well as meeting two other amazing Transgender women from the UK. By the way I also had a consultation whilst in Marbella with Dr Aslani at Cirumed http://www.cirumed.es Dr Aslani does BBL and is one of the foremost surgeons doing that work. Well worth approaching him to get a quote. I was very surprised at how cost effective his prices were. He also does fat transfer breast augmentation using BodyJet EVO fat transfer technology.
Judith

Dear Judith,

glad to read a happy story like this  Almost sounded like holidays ... Seems like Jenny and friends are real social people.

Before you even suggested it, I contacted Cirumed in Marbella and eventually talked to Jenny De Bonis Amann on the phone. I am even more excited to read your opinion about this clinic. Jenny answered all my questions so far - we talked about 20 minutes. Cirumed was founded in 2009 and naturally they have a lot of transgender patients. During my FFS consultation in September I intended to drop by Cirumed as well, but it's unfortunately a Friday where they don't conduct consultations. She said also a Skype consultation would be possible, but I prefer to fly down for a face-to-face meeting since it is merely a 2 hrs flight for me. Based upon online Reviews and the positive feedback here in the forum I am most likely going to choose Cirumed for my BBL. Also that BodyJet EVO fat transfer technology, that must be quite gentle, convinced me.

[AnonyMs]

I checked. There seems to be very few negative feedbacks overall - I think it showed me less than 5% of 3 star or less, I consider this good as no surgeon is pefect unles she sues all people writing negative results - lol

I agree, but have a look at this. He discusses the issue in some detail, but I've no idea if its correct.

https://www.realself.com/review/malaga-spain-es-31-year-male-brazilian-butt-lift

https://www.realself.com/review/miami-fl-brazilian-butt-lift-revision-bbl-dr-salama-male-patient

Cirumed worry me as they obviously spend a lot of effort on marketing. I'd have the same concern with Facial Team, except there's such a large number of independent reviews about them.

[anjaq]

Well - as I said, there will always be a few people who are saying they are unhappy - and probably some of them rightfully so. With fat transfer there is always a risk of the body not taking it, so the lipo works, the transfer goes away within months. its a risk of that kind of surgery.
There are also some patients of Facialteam that are not 100% happy and while Yeson is IMO still the best or among the top 3 at least regarding voice surgery, there are several patients reporting no change from that either. So its more about the statistics. If 1 in 100 is unhappy because not enough changed, I consider it a good surgeon. If 1 out of 100 has a horrible result worse than before, I see it differently and of course if someone has a 80:20 chance of getting it good its a high risk and maybe not a good surgeon.

Facialteam does a lot of marketing indeed. It makes me nervous, to be honest, as I generally dislike people who do that much marketing for anything.

[AnonyMs]

He also said he thought the other BBL results on realself were not good, but I don't know enough about it to judge for myself.

[Saskia_F]

Hi folks,

since my appointment at Facial Team is getting closer - next week - I am wondering what basic questions I could take up in my questionaire to ask the surgeon(s).

I know that each patient is individual in what could be done. But does anyone have suggestions or is there a sample questionaire somewhere available where I could retrieve a couple questions from?

[anjaq]

Basically this is how it is probably going to go. You will have to fill out some forms, then get the CT scan, then sit a while and have coffee and get photos taken - several sets for documentation, 3D imaging and VFFS - then you get the consultation. The surgeons usually will have printouts of the CT and photos and will want to also touch your face to feel the things they see on the scan.
Then it depends - if you go there for the first time, they can go on and tell you what features are most masculine, which should be adressed, what to do about it and they can draw lines on the CT scan to show what they would change. If Alexandra is there, she also will do a live photo simulation of the things discussed so you can see the outcome.
If you have any specific questions, you should not them and probably will either have to intterrupt the assessment, or better wait until the assessment is ending and they ask you what you want to know. But overall it can be a dialogue.
So the standard questions will be answered anyways, its up to you to ask specific questions that you have in mind - like if you have some part of the face that worries you most or that you have a specific image how it should me in your head - you can discuss this. In my opinion, Alexandra is rather reluctant to consider personal beauty choices, but the team is not, they will even accept if you want some masculine features because it is a family trait and not try to talk you out of it. They do have some limits though where they will not go - they do not take away as much bone as some other surgeons may accept to do, for medical reasons.

So genreally - they will be doing a "presentation" and guide you through the consultation if you do not ask, which is fine, but if you want to know some specific things or individual questions, write them down and either ask them when they talk about the area in question or ask them at the end of the process. If you already know some things about FFS you can tell them , so they save time explaining how a FFS is done and what a FFS is.