Honest answers please

I'm thinking everything or multiple rounds as I don't look female at all but more like a young glen danzig or Fabio

https://i.imgur.com/8afPJl0.jpeg

Quite honestly, you don't need FFS. You might WANT FFS, but you don't need it.

You have nice skin, cheekbones, chin, and I would kill for that nose! My biggest regret about facial surgery is scars. They are on my face and makeup does not completely hide them.

I think dressing feminine, with some jewelry, and maybe with a very light touch of makeup, you could pass easily. We are our own worst critics, so you will see flaws that no one else notices. I would save the money for much more needed things. Mine cost $11,000 out of pocket and I am still paying on that loan.

My honest opinion is you don't need it yet. Maybe when you get older, some touchups will be nice, but not now.

Totally concur with Lori Dee - a definite pass to my eye. Add makeup and accessories to emphasise. Really attractive features.

Mandy

Quote from: Mandy Spencer on July 29, 2024, 07:41:47 AMTotally concur with Lori Dee - a definite pass to my eye. Add makeup and accessories to emphasise. Really attractive features.

Mandy

Are you sure ? My nose angle and brow bone look f****** IMO

Well - I'm not sure what a perfect face looks like - I guess non of us see ourselves the way other's do!

I def agree with everyone else here, I don't feel you'd need any ffs.

But if you're serious about it then I'd prob get a consultation done and see what the doctor you choose has to say. They may end up not recommending as much as you feel you need.

Quote from: Lori Dee on July 29, 2024, 06:59:21 AMQuite honestly, you don't need FFS. You might WANT FFS, but you don't need it.

...................... My biggest regret about facial surgery is scars. They are on my face and makeup does not completely hide them.

Thank you for posting this, my wife is thinking of FFS, we're in fact doing the things to make progress towards it (I'm trying to find her a psychologist specializing in gender affirming care so she can get a letter from them), and she's planning on speaking with her gender affirming care physician at her next appointment. Her health insurance would cover it and we've saved enough money to cover the max-out-of-pocket. But.....

We've never seen scars. We've seen the results and they look subtle but impactful yet we've never seen scars. Could you please elaborate? How long ago have you done the surgery and are you confident that it went well? Where are the scars and how noticeable are they?

I've seen before and after pics of FFS, I've seen in-recovery pics, but I've never seen the post-healing scars.

No letters were needed. I found a local plastic surgeon and set up a consult. I explained what I wanted and he made some suggestions of things he could do while working in those areas.

I did not have any bone shaved (jaw bone or trachea). It was only skin. I had droopy eyelids and wanted a brow lift to take up the excess skin. The surgeon suggested that he would do a blepharoplasty at the same time to remove excess skin above and below the eye. He also did a cheek lift while doing the blepharoplasties of the lower eyelids.

He said the brow lift would involve cutting from the top of one ear over the top of the scalp to the top of the other ear. That would leave a scar on my scalp which could affect hair loss/growth in that area. After the procedure, I learned that isn't what he did. He did what is also known as a "forehead reduction" and the incision followed my hairline just above my forehead. That scar is quite visible, so I always wear a hat, wig, or topper to cover it.

The scars on my upper eyelids are not easily visible, but the effect of it is my eyelashes point down toward my cheek instead of up or out from my eyes. The lower eyelid scars are more visible, and the skin under the eyes has developed blue veins that are also visible.

I have consulted with another eye surgeon about corrective surgery for that but he said he would not recommend it. He said the scars are not very visible (even though they are to me) and surgery always runs the risk that the outcome could be worse. He said he could pinch off the visible veins, but my body might sprout spider veins to replace them to maintain blood circulation to the eye. His suggestion was to just use cover-up to hide the scars and veins.

I don't have any close-up pics, but these can give you an idea of what was done.

Here you can see the droopy eyelids that I wanted fixed.


This was taken about a week after surgery. The swelling is down, but you can see where the stitches are. (Hope you aren't squeamish!)


The surgeon was right, most people don't notice the scars because I cover them with make-up. But now that you know where to look, you can see them.


And the most recent pic. You can see the scar and the vein bulge under the eye. And the eyelids still have a little bit of droop.


I hope this helps. 

Thank you for the post and demonstrational pics Lori. I think you look lovely and you are your own worst critic
I do see the improvements to your eyelids and a tight forehead (not that I could see any issues with it in the before pic). I don't see the post surgery scar on your eyelid at all; even when you're calling it out, I can't spot it. I do see the vein under your eye but to be completely honest, I'd have thought nothing of it, nothing more than a normal age related thing (lets face it, we all age and it's normal); maybe you know it's from a surgery but no one else does

The way you describe the scar above your hairline is really concerning, especially because your surgeon told you it would be much higher up. I'd have been deeply upset and troubled to have been surprised post-surgery with a scar so close to your hairline especially when you were promised the opposite. I absolutely don't see it in the photos but I do believe that you didn't get what you were promised and I'm sorry to hear that.

Thank you for sharing your experience. I'm still concerned about scaring for my wife's possible tentative FFS surgery because it would be targeting her jaw line and cheek bones (I think). Perhaps I'll make a separate post. I have a feeling she's going to fall into the "want, not need" category but she's lucky to have insurance coverage for these procedures and that's an opportunity we don't want to waste.
 

Whether or not you 'need' a cosmetic procedure shouldn't really be up for a vote. If there is something you are unhappy with, something that bothers you, it doesn't really matter what other people think. If I said your left earlobe was slightly smaller than your right earlobe, you may then think about having corrective surgery, even though you had never thought about your earlobes before. No one suggested that I have jaw surgery, or a brow reduction, or any of the other procedures I had. I did them because I felt that is what I needed to escape the ghost of the person I used to be. It was painful, expensive, and time-consuming, but ultimately it was successful. When I look in the mirror I no longer see my ghost, I only see me. That is priceless.

For my jaw surgery, the surgeon used incisions inside my mouth, so there are no external scars. I had the 'corners' rounded, the jaw bone shaved to make my jawline narrower, and a slight chin reduction. I can tell the difference, but of all the surgeries I had, this was by far the most uncomfortable (painful) one. Recovery took several weeks, I couldn't even open my mouth wide enough to eat a sandwich for nearly a month. I'm glad I had it done, but knowing how painful it was, I'm not sure I would do it again.

I also had a brow reduction, and a forehead reduction. The incision was along my hairline. My hairline was brought forward about an inch, but the resulting scar was a constant reminder. About a year ago, I had a hair restoration procedure. I'm very happy with the result. In addition to filling in the receding areas above my temples, they covered the scar along my scalp.

Even successful surgeries can lead to more surgeries, so be prepared.

Love always -- Jessica Rose