So I've hit sort of a wall that's discouraging me, and that's the cost of FFS. I have my heart pretty set on Dr. Spiegel (who is thankfully very local for me), but he is really expensive from everything I've heard and read.
I want to get a quote from him, but I'm probably at least 2 years off from getting FFS. I barely make $14,000 a year (I can save it all, though, thankfully). I really want to know what I'm working towards in terms of cost, but I don't know if surgeons like or care to give quotes to people who probably won't even see them for another year or two. I also have no idea if Dr. Spiegel's consultations in particular are even free, and if they aren't, how much they cost.
I'm also a little overweight and I don't know how that plays into a surgeon sizing up your face. I feel like I should probably lose the weight before I even ask.
Can some of you girls who have gone through all this before tell me what the deal is, how I can approach things, what to expect? This anxiety over not knowing what my goal is is killing me. I really need to know what I'm in for financially right now and the only way I can think to find out is to get Dr. Spiegel to tell me.
I received a quote from Dr. Spiegel this week, too. Unlike you, though, I traveled in from out of state to do so. I am on a much faster track for FFS than you are, so I have accelerated my search accordingly.
My initial impression was positive for Dr. Speigel and his office staff is nothing short of terrific. He is my first choice right now, but I am reserved because of the price tag, too. Broken down by item, his rates seem about 35-50% higher than what I could get by "cherry picking" the services of a variety of surgeons. But, if his results are superior, it seems with the price. That's my struggle right now. I am uncertain that his work should command such a premium.
Best Wishes,
Tia Jolie
I know with Dr. Zukowski the quote he provides is good for a year. I would imagine most doctors they would offer some sort of guaranteed (but time sensitive) quote like that. Even if you just get a quote now, you can expect prices to go up 5-10%, if at all, a year from then. With that in mind, get a price quote so you can at least start planning and budgeting for the cost. Don't forget about travel expenses, too.
As for consultations, a lot of surgeons will do in person/email/phone consultations for free or maybe up to $200. The best thing to do is call and ask for information about consultations. Other people can tell you what procedures they were quoted and their costs, but keep in mind your wants may be different, and different combinations of procedures will likely be a different price.
Thank you for your replies. I live 30 minutes away from the surgeon I want to go to, so my only real cost is the surgery itself. I didn't think of calling to ask the price of consultation -- I will do that.
Side note because I wanted to clarify: in my initial post I mentioned what I make yearly, but I am actually jobless. That's just the amount of money I expect to be able to save with most minimum wage jobs.
Many doctors do evaluations and send quotes by email, actually. I just wrote a post that could be of interest tonight, actually.
Quote from: A on October 29, 2012, 07:27:34 PM
Oh, by the way. My girlfriend shopped around surgeons quite a bit too, and she said a lot of good things about these, mainly the first one:
http://facialfeminization.eu/ (http://facialfeminization.eu/)
http://www.chet-plasticsurgery.com/ (http://www.chet-plasticsurgery.com/)
She got a quote from the first (Belgian) one. She asked for all the procedures she thought she might maybe want, so it comes up expensive, but naturally, you can substract the stuff you don't want and get an idea of his prices. According to her (and she's pretty awesome at searching), he's pretty expensive but has amongst the best results.
Here's an ugly version of it. I saved the PDF as a Word file to remove private info, and it ended up that way. :p
http://www.mediafire.com/view/?80syck5sv7nz9bg (http://www.mediafire.com/view/?80syck5sv7nz9bg)
Maybe it'll help you.
Spiegel does charge for consultations but they subtract that from the total cost if you choose to use him. He is expensive but I feel that he is worth the cost. I had my FFS about a year ago with Spiegel.
Hey Sybil,
I think ffs is just plain expensive no matter where you go, you know? For anxiety, I think the hardest thing is having no clue what you'll look like afterward, some people have a really tough time with that. I think for me, it was a combination of not knowing what I'd look like, where I'd be working, how my transition would be and basically just having no clue what my life would be like 90 days from surgery. I think those are all normal feelings and that you work through and process them and journal about them and talk to friends about them and all that kind of thing, if that makes any sense. I got down to 143 before surgery and I got as low as 132 3 weeks after surgery. I've put about 20 pounds back on (surgery was in 2008) but I'd loooove to be back to 132, even though people said I looked gaunt. I don't know, I like skinny...on me. Anyway, good luck and keep us posted :) Meghan
Quote from: MeghanAndrews on November 08, 2012, 07:56:37 PM
Hey Sybil,
I think ffs is just plain expensive no matter where you go, you know? For anxiety, I think the hardest thing is having no clue what you'll look like afterward, some people have a really tough time with that. I think for me, it was a combination of not knowing what I'd look like, where I'd be working, how my transition would be and basically just having no clue what my life would be like 90 days from surgery. I think those are all normal feelings and that you work through and process them and journal about them and talk to friends about them and all that kind of thing, if that makes any sense. I got down to 143 before surgery and I got as low as 132 3 weeks after surgery. I've put about 20 pounds back on (surgery was in 2008) but I'd loooove to be back to 132, even though people said I looked gaunt. I don't know, I like skinny...on me. Anyway, good luck and keep us posted :) Meghan
wow. you thought about it alot more than i did. i think the only thing i wondered was if i could hide it. i actually think i asked you just before FFS? and you said it would be hard to hide and it so was. haha. but yup you are a thinker. and smart. 8)
Thanks for the further replies! I probably should just soldier on and try not to sweat the small stuff. I mean it's all stuff I want to do no matter what, right?
And thank you aprilrain for telling me that about Dr. Spiegel subtracting the consultation cost from the surgery cost. That's actually really helpful and encouraging, since I'm almost certain I'm going to go with him.
I so agree with you Meghan,me too it's a combination: not knowing what you will look like, not having a clue what my life would be like 90 days from surgery and will I need to change job and city or will everybody I know accept me. That is scary.
Quote from: MeghanAndrews on November 08, 2012, 07:56:37 PM
Hey Sybil,
I think ffs is just plain expensive no matter where you go, you know? For anxiety, I think the hardest thing is having no clue what you'll look like afterward, some people have a really tough time with that. I think for me, it was a combination of not knowing what I'd look like, where I'd be working, how my transition would be and basically just having no clue what my life would be like 90 days from surgery. I think those are all normal feelings and that you work through and process them and journal about them and talk to friends about them and all that kind of thing, if that makes any sense. I got down to 143 before surgery and I got as low as 132 3 weeks after surgery. I've put about 20 pounds back on (surgery was in 2008) but I'd loooove to be back to 132, even though people said I looked gaunt. I don't know, I like skinny...on me. Anyway, good luck and keep us posted :) Meghan
I am getting forehead surgery with Dr Spiegel on Dec 20. He is very expensive (total fees are about $11,000) - I think much more expensive than others. I am going to him because his he appears to be one of the best for foreheads and he is local, and I can afford it. If you are on a very tight budget, as it appears, you should look elsewhere - maybe oversees.
Hi honeyb,
$11,000 would be great for me, but I want more done. I'm thinking forehead, nose, chin, hairline (I have lots of hair but not the best hairline), and maybe cheeks. I'm not sure about cheeks yet. I've done some poking around and I expect to need $30,000 for him, maybe a little less.
To be totally honest, yeah, $30,000 is a daunting figure. I live at home with a caring mom who asks little of me, though, so I can save up for a good while (1.5-2 years I'm thinking). I don't have lots of (or any) bills to worry about. He's very local for me, too; I live in Stoughton, MA.
I have my heart set on him. He just feels right to me. I'm willing to work for it and I think it'll be worth every penny when I finally get it overwith. For me, this is one of those things in life where you really just have to cast out for your dreams. I came to terms with that long ago.
I wish you the best of luck on the work you're getting done with him. I'm sure it'll turn out great and I'm crossing my fingers for your happiness.
Thanks and best of luck to you on your journey. I'll let you know how it goes.
Quote from: Sybil on October 17, 2012, 05:56:31 PM
So I've hit sort of a wall that's discouraging me, and that's the cost of FFS. I have my heart pretty set on Dr. Spiegel (who is thankfully very local for me), but he is really expensive from everything I've heard and read.
Can some of you girls who have gone through all this before tell me what the deal is, how I can approach things, what to expect? This anxiety over not knowing what my goal is is killing me. I really need to know what I'm in for financially right now and the only way I can think to find out is to get Dr. Spiegel to tell me.
When I was transitioning the options were extremely limited. There were only 3 doctors I knew of who did it. Doctor O in California, a doctor in the UK and one in Belgium. I remember going to see Dr O and getting a quote of around $30K and thinking "where in the hell am I going to get that kind of money?" So I joined that yahoo FFS group and read, read, read and studied. I coud tell you a chin job from a sliding genioplasty. A couple of post-op friends said go see Dr Brassard in Canada. At that time I had about $15K saved up, that was my limit. So I hopped in the car and drove to Montreal and got advice from Dr Brassard. I was so pleased with what they said that I booked the surgery before I left. In the end I did my forehead, nose and trache shave. Fast forward a few years and my srs was finally out of the way. I always wanted to do my bottom jaw but Dr O didn't want to do it, he likes doing things his own way, but Dr Suporn in Thailand was happy to do it for me. The price was very reasonable so I threw in a boob job and off I went.
In the end I got the same things as Dr O face job for $10K less but it took 2 trips to the operating room, 2 recoveries. I guess what I am trying to say is, if after 1 year of saving you have $10K then try and see what you can shoe horn into that $10K. You might be surprised. Don't be discouraged by surgeons who hand out the blue plate special. You can save as long as you want or get it done fast it's up to you. I could have saved another year and went back to Dr O, but to be honest I wanted it done and I wanted it done now. So I chose the options at hand. In the end I can say I turned out rather well :)
FFS is a very personal and touchy thing since it's about someone' face. What I can say for certain is that for me the most drastic change came from the nose job. Getting a nice upturned feminine nose made a huge difference to making my face more feminine.