Hi all,
I signed up on Susan's place on the 1st of April because a post concerning a FFS surgeon came up while I was doing a Google search on something else. Since then I have discovered a really great forum which has already allowed me to encounter some very interesting people and even have a first new friend from afar around for dinner recently.
Having already done a very complete FFS, pretty well every procedure in the book except tracheal shave, it is not the subject which interests me most . However given how much many of us invest in this step in our transition, I couldn't help but notice that many people here are drawing conclusions about results from photos which really don't tell you anything.
When you consult a surgeon for FFS, the process always starts with standardized photos taken from in front, left and right oblique, left and right profile and from below the chin. These photos are taken with good light, hair tied back, without any make-up and with good optics to minimize deformations. This allows the surgeon to suggest what procedures would be useful and this is always confirmed during the pre-surgery visit.
To objectively understand how good the results were, apart from how people react to you live, there is only one valid method, it is to take exactly the same sort of photos as pre-surgery (good light, hair tied back, no make-up) , usually at least four months afterwards and compare them side by side with the pre-surgery photos.
No matter how happy, or unhappy, the person who posts the photos, anything other than this actually provides very little useful information. Why? Simply because we all start from a different place and the final result on a person who looked very good to start with will generally be better than the result from someone whose starting point was more difficult.
My own surgery changed my face so much (for the better) that even my eldest daughter failed to recognize me the first time we met a couple of months after my surgery. I'm still not pretty though and never will be in spite of the fact that my surgeon did quite a pretty remarkable job and that's because my face was very masculine to start with and I'm already 55.
I have found only one dedicated resource on the web which is really good regarding FFS, this is:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ffs-support/ .
Among other things, there are more proper before and after photos (as described above) than you will find anywhere else on the web. It is easier to post them there than here as they are only visible to members. There is also a whole pool of people who have researched the subject extensively and who can provide quality advice on pretty well any question you raise.
Based on that, I would strongly advise anyone considering FFS to first sign up on the Yahoo ffs-support group, stay around a while to really learn a bit about the subject and only make a choice of surgeon when you are sure you understand all the issues. A poor result with FFS can be pretty devastating, both for your self-image and your wallet, so it is well worth researching it properly up front.
Best wishes to all.
Donna
