How would I go about picking a surgeon for FFS.  I have read stories how good they all are.  I can't tell too much difference from any of them except their prices.  Not sure when I will be able to afford one.  I do need my neck, chin and forehead fixed though.   I think my nose is fine.  Also would like something added for the chest (BA).   I just can't tell which ones would be the best suited for me.

yea its a really hard choice ive been researching and trying to decide on one for about a year

It's a pain.  There is no objective information to compare the doctors, so all of your research is going to be highly subjective.  Also, each patient has a different set of desired outcomes.  So what is beautiful in one person's eyes is horrendous to the next.  There are generalized opinions on every doctor, but individual outcomes will always vary too.  In my opinion, the best approach is to meet with the doctor and ask as many questions as possible... this takes months.  If you get that feeling in your gut like something is off or red-flags are going up in your mind, do not ignore them.  For me, after months of emails back and forth with Amanda from T-Change with Dr. DiMaggio, reviewing all the patient photos I could (which Dr. DiMaggio has probably the most objective photos of any doctor), and speaking directly a past patient, I went with him.  In my process, I bounced all over the place though... and nearly picked 2 other doctors before thinking things through.

Anyways, here is my quick opinion on the various docs I met/researched:

1. Dr. Meltzer - I met him at SCC.  His presentation was very good and the results shown in his slides looked positive.  The consultation went okay too.  Supposedly, Dr. Meltzer is the #1 FFS doctor right now, but there really isn't any evidence to back that claim up.  There are NO objective before/after photos on the internet.  Also, his prices are the highest I found (I was quoted $48k for a forehead reconstruction, rhinoplasty, cheek implants, jaw/chin reduction, and tracheal shave).  And to top it off, his office had extremely poor communication.  If the office can't even respond to an email (or send me the correct quote - they sent me someone else's the first time), how can I trust them with my face?

2. Dr. Outsterhout - Nice guy and very intelligent.  I'm honestly not sure how much longer he'll be continuing to operate (he's postponed retirement multiple times now).  Last I heard, March 2013 was the end.  Anyways, even the age issue aside, I didn't like his generic outcomes.  If you like the ski-slope "Dr. O" nose, then give him a consideration.  That wasn't the look I wanted though.  Price-wise, he was $42k for the same procedures referenced above.

3. Dr. Spiegel - I felt the most comfortable with Dr. Spiegel.  He's smart and honest.  His results seemed to be more on the "natural" side of things, which I liked, but he was still expensive - $38k.  When it came time to make a decision, I opted not to go for Dr. Spiegel after researching more of his results and both seeing and reading personal follow-ups where the results just weren't dramatic enough.  If I pay $38k, I want the maximum amount of feminization... I don't want to come out looking like a guy still.

4. Dr. Leis - Super sweet guy, but he doesn't do enough bone work for what I need.  He only does forehead grinding and won't touch the jaw/chin (unless he's adding a chin implant).  Nice prices though.  I know a patient of his and she is super happy with her nose too.

5. Dr. Zukowski - Seems people either love him or hate him. I talked with him several times on the phone and yes, it is like talking with a used car salesman.  But he was in no way disrespectful and I didn't have any issue with his attitude.  What I did have a problem with is his technique.  Dr. Z only does forehead grinding and to compensate for the lack of full setback, he tends to set the eyebrows higher-up and angled.  Also, he tends to make his noses with a scoped bridge and very upturned end.  The end result is a more "done" or "plastic" look.  Personally, this isn't what I wanted.  Also, he'll promise you the moon if you ask for it... so it's difficult (impossible) to trust his judgement.  His prices are set competitively for what he offers though - $27k for the same set of work referenced above (plus he would do fat grafting - which could be seen as a good or bad thing depending on your opinion).

6. Dr. DiMaggio - I initially emailed the T-Change clinic on a whim... just to get a high-low range of prices.  They offered $18k for the forehead reconstruction, rhinoplasty, upper lip lift, and jaw/chin reduction.  The tracheal shave was another $2k, and the cheek implants were $4.2k.  I liked T-Change for a few reasons.  There are lots of objective before/after photos available (and they're current too).  The pricing was within my financial budget to do FFS this year.  And in my email communications, the responses were very logical and honest.  Although I haven't spoken with Dr. DiMaggio, based on the emails, I have a sense he is intelligent at what he does and he was able to back up his suggestions on recommended procedures with solid medical reasoning.  His results are also very natural, which is something I prefer. 

Hope that helps... but do keep in mind those are just the opinions I've developed.  Do your research and good luck!

That was helpfull   , lisak thankyou ! Personally myself I'm trying to decide between dr di maggio and dr chettawut 

Wow, this really helps me in my FFS doctor search!

Very detailed and informative, thanks so much!

   I also appreciate the info.  this will help my search.

Deciding on a surgeon was probably one of the hardest part of the whole ffs journey for me, I agonised over the decision for months.  As soon as I'd decided on one doctor I'd change me mind, or have doubts etc...  Even now I'm not sure I went to the right surgeon and I have those "oh my god, I look terrible" days.  Most of my experiences seem to be similar to lisakmoore's.

1. Dr speigel - Initially I loved his work, there are two people who post on this board that look absolutely stunning.  However, after looking at more and more of his before and after photos I couldn't help but notice that a lot of his work was not very aggressive.  In one case I couldn't tell which was the before and which was the after photo.  My end conclusion was going to dr speigel is a great idea if you're young or already have fairly feminine features but not aggressive enough otherwise.

2. Dr zukowski - This was the surgeon I ended up going to.  I'm not entirely sure if I made the right choice here but what's done is done.  He certainly has a used car salesman approach to his business.  I definitely do not like his noses, they turn out "piggish" and there is definitely too much reduction from the bridge.  However, the burring technique definitely appealed to me as my orbital rim was not that prominent to begin with and there are more risks involved in full reconstruction.

3. Dr Ousterhout - This just came down to aesthetics for me, I didn't really like the ousterhout "look".

4. Dr DiMaggio - My second choice, and it was really hard to choose between DiMaggio and Zukowski.  In the end I didn't really like his forehead/nose combination.  Definitely comes down to personal aesthetics though.

It would be nice to a see a lot of this information consolidated into a wiki to at least give people a starting point when it comes to choosing a surgeon.  While people have varying opinions about the different surgeons it does seem that the same sorts of things come up about the same surgeons from lots of different people.  At the very least making this thread, or another like it, stickied would be good.

Hey raneth what was it you didn't like about di maggios nose and forehead aesthetics

Does anyone have any advice on dr chettawut ?

I forgot to mention this earlier, but I definitely recommend getting Virtual FFS (http://www.virtualffs.co.uk/).  It's not perfect (and in particular the amount of hair advancement is way over-done), but it does give you a good general idea of what can be done to your face and what you can somewhat expect post-surgery.  For me, I had this idealized thought that I look decent now (pre-FFS), so afterwards I'd look like (in the words of Dr. Z) a bomb-shell.  After seeing the VFFS results though, I realize this isn't the case.  I look female, yes, but not outstanding or beautiful in any way.  This REALLY helped give me a needed reality check.  The goal of FFS is to reduce masculine features...  it's not meant to be beautifying.  The other nice thing about VFFS is it gives you something tangible to discuss with the doctors.  You can specifically ask what parts they think are accurate or a bit off and use the results as a reference point for discussing changes. 

Quote from: mementomori on May 28, 2012, 03:50:17 AM
Hey raneth what was it you didn't like about di maggios nose and forehead aesthetics

I didn't like the shallow depth of the nasion region.

Quote from: lisakmoore on May 28, 2012, 12:29:38 PM
I forgot to mention this earlier, but I definitely recommend getting Virtual FFS (http://www.virtualffs.co.uk/).  It's not perfect (and in particular the amount of hair advancement is way over-done), but it does give you a good general idea of what can be done to your face and what you can somewhat expect post-surgery.  For me, I had this idealized thought that I look decent now (pre-FFS), so afterwards I'd look like (in the words of Dr. Z) a bomb-shell.  After seeing the VFFS results though, I realize this isn't the case.  I look female, yes, but not outstanding or beautiful in any way.  This REALLY helped give me a needed reality check.  The goal of FFS is to reduce masculine features...  it's not meant to be beautifying.  The other nice thing about VFFS is it gives you something tangible to discuss with the doctors.  You can specifically ask what parts they think are accurate or a bit off and use the results as a reference point for discussing changes. 

I found that the vffs looked absolutely nothing like what I now look like post-ffs, for me it was incredibly conservative and I had a great deal more feminization than the vffs indicated.  I agree with you that it does give you something to discuss with the doctors though.

Quote from: Raneth on May 29, 2012, 05:02:36 AM
I didn't like the shallow depth of the nasion region.

I found that the vffs looked absolutely nothing like what I now look like post-ffs, for me it was incredibly conservative and I had a great deal more feminization than the vffs indicated.  I agree with you that it does give you something to discuss with the doctors though.

like a sort of ski slope nose affect ?

dont forget about Dr. Lazaro Cardenas Mexico. he did me and 3 other girls i meet down their and we all turned out great. plus not alot of money and the post op care rocked.

First of all a hello to everyone, I'm new on the forum here but have been on HRT for over a year now which has made such a positive change to my life.

Thank you lisakmoore for your post, I was considering Dr O. as my first choice for FFS but by the time I'm ready for that he might not be around anymore. I have decided to go with Dr Meltzer for GRS and I was wondering what he was like with FFS, he offers all the surgeries that I had decided that I would need for my face and since I now have to fly from Australia just to see him for the consultation I was wondering about including FFS in that consultation.

Also I have not had any problems talking to his staff, all my emails have been replied to within a day I had tried contacting Dr O. a year ago when I was considering FFS before GRS and I got no reply.

Jamilla.