hey I was just wondering if u could get ffs in Australia coz we were watching a video in class at school on Monday about a mtf transsexual who got facial feminization surgery but she flew to boston in the usa. I was wondering if u could get it in Australia coz im too scared to ever fly on an aeroplane and im not keen on going to another country coz of all the paperwork not to mention the danger. if so how much does it cost? thanks xxx

lol... I'm also crazy scared of aeroplanes... BUT I managed to do it for FFS! It was soooo worth flying 14hours away to the other side of the world to have it done with a surgeon I could really trust.


Think about it other way.. Staying in Australia is extremly dangerous... basically almost every single animal can kill you! Animals are 10000 times more safer in US or Argentina or Europe compared to Australia, or Africa...

Any competent plastic surgeon can do it, just whether they have the experience to do what you need. But as with a breast augmentation, the general consensus is to wait a while and allow hormones to do what they are going to do for you.

Quote from: mmmmm on May 06, 2015, 05:44:48 PM
Think about it other way.. Staying in Australia is extremly dangerous... basically almost every single animal can kill you! Animals are 10000 times more safer in US or Argentina or Europe compared to Australia, or Africa...

You know how you end up dead from Australian native animals? Stupidity, plain and simple.. OK, sharks are a slightly different matter, but hey, what's life without a little risk?

And hey, Black Widow spiders.. Rattlesnakes.. Bison.. None are particularly friendly.. Oh.. And sharks..

Any plastic surgeon can't do it, if you have significant brow bossing and need type 3 forehead reconstruction. That's maxillofacial surgery.

Or they can try, but with someone else forehead, not mine.

Quote from: charlotte15 on May 06, 2015, 06:47:07 PM
Any plastic surgeon can't do it, if you have significant brow bossing and need type 3 forehead reconstruction. That's maxillofacial surgery.

Or they can try, but with someone else forehead, not mine.

I wouldn't let a 'cosmetic surgeon' do it, but as all Australian plastic surgeons are also trained to do reconstructive work, they are at least familiar with the procedure. Again, experience is the key thing to be looking for.

EDIT: I should probably add my aunt is a plastic and reconstructive surgeon here in Melbourne and we have had several conversations about FFS, she hasn't done any FFS specifically, but was trained in all types of forehead reconstruction and many other facial reconstruction procedures and techniques. She spent some time doing work on trauma patients.

Forehead reconstruction isn't something plastic&reconstructive surgeons are trained for. Familiar yes, but this is advanced craniofacial surgery technique not so many surgeons dare to perform. It literally takes a lot of learning and there are not many "teachers" who do it frequently. Therefore you have tens of thousands of surgeons worldwide who can do rhinoplasty or can shave your chin or do a facelift, but only quite few who are able to do forehead reconstruction. And most of those are not in anykind of surgery business, but in institutional health care. And even out of those left, only a couple are doing it on a regular basis.....  yes, that would be some of those more or less known ffs surgeons.

If not for doing/needing forehead reconstruction, many plastic/cosmetic surgeons are able to feminize some aspects of face. How good they are at doing so, it's up to discover for those who choose not to go with experienced ffs doctor.

it's like you girls are speaking chinese to me right now. I thought you just go to the surgeon and pay them and they put you to sleep and make you as pretty as possible and then you wake up looking more like a girl than before you had the surgery.

Quote from: zoechantel on May 06, 2015, 08:17:46 PM
it's like you girls are speaking chinese to me right now. I thought you just go to the surgeon and pay them and they put you to sleep and make you as pretty as possible and then you wake up looking more like a girl than before you had the surgery.

In theory, yes. But you may wake up with a face that doesn't look very feminine, and if you don't have enough money to fix that, you'll be a very sad.

FFS is complicated, you can't just go to any surgeon (or you have a lot more trust that I do!). It depends a lot on your starting features.

Also not everything is crystal clear. Like for the hairline. If you have no hairloss, some say too high is too masculine, and would say you should have a visible incision to lower your hairline (then hair grafts). Other say too low is too masculine, and some people can have an incision hidden by the hair, with hair grafts only for the corners.

Sometimes the choice is dictated by your money. After thinking long and hard, I believe my hairline is good at the moment, raising it won't be too bad, and anyway I can't afford hair grafts. Also, i've my esthetic sensitivities and would not tolerate a visible scar. So I'll go with hairline incision.

Some girls care about keeping some resemblance to their old face. I don't care about that at all, I even would prefer my face to look different. All I want is as feminine as possible, so I'll tell the surgeon he can be aggressive with everything.

This is the kind of things you've got to think if you don't want to be sorry with the surgeon choices - you tell him what's ok, what's not.

Also, some surgeons have a reputation for disregarding you request - like "oh, you asked for type 3  reconstruction and paid for that? But when I opened you I though it was not necessary so I just did some bone shaving". That's like totally a black mark in my book. I have no trust for someone like that. I won't give names, do your homework and you'll see who that is.

Some girls are paying top money for him. I say that's the recipe for a disaster.

There's a yahoo FFS group, try to join it and read everything you can. And first, read the forum here to get an idea of the procedures that exist, and which ones you may need.

For example, when I started, I read every thread started in the last 2 months, but when I started discussing I realized I still didn't know much. After that, I read some more about some surgeons I found interesting, or the board members whose opinion I trusted. Finally, I contacted some members by PM to ask more details about a thing or another.

Then make your list of what you think you'll need, in order of importance.

Then send your picture to Alexandra of virtualffs, to see if she agrees with you.

It may take long or not. I've come to a list almost identical to what the surgeon suggested, identical to what Alexandra and other members suggested.

I'm about to part with my life savings *AND* take a debt to fly to a non english speaking country to get cut up. Sometimes I dream I'll wake up in a bathtub with one less kidney  Yet I know I did the best I could, and I'll take my chances (but girls, if you don't see more news about me on the forum after I said I'm flying it, uh, just don't go to the same surgeon lol)

If I fail, I didn't do my homework. My fault. No second try for me when my money will be gone.

Zoe, unless you have a facial deformity, there is no reputable FFSC who would operate on you until you are over 18 they need to wait until your bone growth stops. You will also see quite profound facial changes once you are on HRT.

For now keep your skin nice and smooth, moisturise and don't get sunburned. Don't smoke, lots of sleep and a healthy diet and excercise will put you in good stead for the future.

Quote from: Cindy on May 06, 2015, 09:07:50 PM
Zoe, unless you have a facial deformity, there is no reputable FFSC who would operate on you until you are over 18 they need to wait until your bone growth stops. You will also see quite profound facial changes once you are on HRT.

For now keep your skin nice and smooth, moisturise and don't get sunburned. Don't smoke, lots of sleep and a healthy diet and excercise will put you in good stead for the future.

Agree, also can attest to Cindy's last comment, very important! I now know!

L Katy

I agree with Cindy and Katrina. The only moment when HRT can influence your facial bones is at puberty.

If you can get on antiandrogen or HRT, you'll reduce the amount of FFS you might need, maybe even to 0. I don't know how it works in your country. Ask your doc about that.


So first invest in your health with a good SPF - and use it everyday, religiously

Hey Zoe, just thinking of the flying bit...
A long time ago, when I lived in the UK I had the opportunity to fly really cheaply, I found my self working in an Airline subsidiary. I wanted to fly out here (Aussie) to see what it was like, I had never flown before, was scared of it... But I did, do you know what, it was the best thing ever, it was a Jumbo and was like a Hotel (at the time) but you get over the hotel bit after flying heaps...

It was exhilarating and was such an adrenaline rush... Of course since then, i have flown so much its like a train ride, er bus, well one of 'em .

Anyway sorry to derail 

Katy

Quote from: Cindy link=topic=188157.
You will also see quite profound facial changes once you are on HRT.

/quote]

Hi  Cindy,
Just a quick question re this comment,
I am going onto Testosterone blockers and Estradiol tabs  in Sept and so far am staying married but with a partner that really prays I am not going to alter too much.
What do you call profound,just so I am prepared.
Hey, I know boobs are really hard to hide after awhile but am not rocking my boat too much as a 42  yr old marriage is at risk but feel it will hold up.
Thanks,
Anna

Hi Anna,

I don't want to hijack this young ladies thread but yes as you can see in the before and after section faces change. Muscles and fat change, a hairstyle can be everything. For me the haunting horror in my eyes went away. That changed my face completely.

No surgery. Just HRT. And happiness

i cant get on hrt or blockers it's really hard to get them in Australia and i have to be over 18.

All you need is a doctor who will agree to order and monitor your blood test results. You can get hormones and blockers anywhere. No need for wpath and gatekeepers. If you have accepting and supporting parents you can (and should) start with hormones at 12.

I'm 16 and my parents cannot afford them

Hormones could be covered by your insurance, and they're far less expansive than puberty blockers (except depo provera maybe but I'm not sure they'd give you that)

Maybe some are available OTC (I don't know Australia)

Go talk to your doctor, and explain him, you need someone you know and trust.

Don't think you know what he'll say until you ask. Waiting until your facial bones are totally turned male and to have ugly hair everywhere on your body won't help your future you  Nothing unfixable, but you'll be happy if you already have a super pretty feminine body.

Some doctors are cool enough to prescribe, pay and injects drugs for some of they patients, when they see there's no other way.

And some drugs can sometimes suggest sometimes a disease, sometimes an another. If the insurance has a problem with say gender ID disorder, maybe it'll accept you take medications against prostate enlargement that could have been caused by say an infection. (Duasteride is quite efficient)

Ask around. Doctors are more friendly that you think (surgeons, well, no that's another story :-) and could help with that.

Quote from: Cindy on May 07, 2015, 08:00:57 AM
Hi Anna,

I don't want to hijack this young ladies thread

Sorry, didn't realise , didn't think a PM would be appropriate.

Quote from: charlotte15 on May 10, 2015, 09:02:42 PM
Hormones could be covered by your insurance, and they're far less expansive than puberty blockers (except depo provera maybe but I'm not sure they'd give you that)

Even better, hormones are covered under the PBS here in Australia.. As I have a 'Health Care Card' I pay $6.10 per prescription for both my E and my T blocker.. I think the 'full price' for the E is about $20ish..