FFS Revision - Dr. Bensimon to.....???

[cheria]

I rarely post here but think what's going through my head needs to be written out for me to make sense of things and weigh pros & cons.  Naturally I'm also looking for thoughts/guidance from those far wiser than myself.

I had FFS done by Dr. Bensimon in Montreal back in Sept 2017.  I'm certain he has had many successes in his career but I don't believe I'm one of them as the results were extremely disappointing.  Suffice to say, I had facial surgery but am perplexed over how anyone would consider it FFS.  Over a year later, if it weren't for the scars, and my profile, it's hard to tell that I even had surgery.  I've actually had a few people (3 that I remember) ask about when I was going for surgery...despite already having it.  To say he was conservative would be a $30,000 CAD understatement.   

On a scale of 1-10, 1 being where I was pre-FFS and 10 being absolute unrealistic dream Victoria's Secret model, I was hoping for a 7 or an 8....expected a 6...but feel I got maybe a 3. 

Dr. Bensimon prefers doing FFS in stages, a detail I wasn't aware of at first.  Perhaps he mentioned it during our initial consultation but, given we discussed several procedures, I may have missed it thinking I wouldn't need additional work.

Despite absolute disappointment (okay, that's not accurate as I'm actually quite pleased with the trach shave), I felt obligated to give Dr. Bensimon the benefit of the doubt and let him continue his vision.  We had another consultation a couple months ago and he sent a new quote.  Along with a lip lift, nostril reduction and jaw work, he's also offering to do a couple revisions at no charge.  The quote is extremely reasonable except for one small detail:  I don't trust him.

I do not want to bash Dr. Bensimon. Again, I'm certain he's had many successes, however, given my experience at this time, I simply cannot recommend him to anyone looking for actual FFS.  In other words, if you're looking for real change (the entire point of FFS, IMHO) he may not be the guy you're looking for.  I've expressed my concerns to him multiple times but feel he either minimizes them or ignores them altogether. To prevent this post from being longer than it already will be, I won't detail my concerns unless asked.

Simply put, his work was so shockingly lackluster I'm honestly scared to move forward with him again, which leads me to the ? ? ? part of this post's title. 

Who do I choose now?

During my initial research on FFS surgeons, Zukowski came up a lot.  I read several reviews about him, both positive and negative.  A good friend was done by him and was extremely happy with the results.  Ultimately though, I decided against him due to cost and traveling internationally.  It's comical to think back to those reasons as, now that I'm seeking major revisions, I'll be paying for FFS twice.  Yay!!!

Not wanting to choose the wrong surgeon again, I'm now much more open to traveling internationally and am considering the following surgeons:

- Zukowski
- Rossi
- Cardenas

I need to research Rossi and Cardenas some more, though I'm already leaning away from Cardenas as I've come across reviews commenting he's also 'conservative'.  A different friend saw him and is pleased with her results, but given my experience with Dr. Bensimon, I am not looking for another conservative surgeon (but also don't want to go super crazy aggressive either...there's gotta be a happy middle somewhere).

Rossi appears to have mostly positive reviews, except for one horror story I read about from a few years back. I would appreciate any comments/reviews/concerns/financial costs you have about Dr. Rossi.  Despite my being more open to traveling internationally, I have to say going all the way down to Argentina from Canada is pretty extreme.  Acknowledging my ignorance, how common is English down there?  I don't know any other languages, so having a language barrier is a big concern considering how major and sensitive FFS is. Also, the idea of traveling so far is worrisome if there are any complications or if I'd need to go back for even more revisions.  Does anyone have some experience here?  These questions also apply to Cardenas in Mexico.

As for Zukowski, acknowledging he's pretty aggressive, I had a consult with him a couple days ago.  He wasn't as crass as I expected.  I found him quite pleasant and easy to talk to.  Yes, he's definitely a salesman and quite arrogant but I never found him pushy.  Without being prompted, he actually pointed out all my concerns with Dr. Bensimon's work and wants to completely redo everything.  On one hand, that's exciting but also super scary.  I gave him my budget, $18k USD, but he said that with the amount of correction work he'd have to do, the best price he could offer would be $22,500 USD...this would only involve redoing my forehead, nose and adding facial fat grafts (btw Dr. Bensimon doesn't do facial fat grafts, beyond lips, so that's another reason I don't want to go back to him).  It's frustrating that this amount only covers corrections and the only thing net new would be the fat grafts, so I'd still be looking for additional work on my jaw and a lip lift.  Given the US/Canada exchange rate, $22,500 USD equates to $30,000 CAD...meaning I'd be spending $60,000 on FFS and STILL need more work.  UGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!

Ugh.  This is all so frustrating.  After making my mistake in Montreal, I'm both desperate for real FFS and yet also extremely apprehensive with who to choose. 

IF I were to go back to Dr. Bensimon, I'd have enough money left over to do much needed hair grafts (something else I'm desperate for).  But, despite him saying he wanted me to be happy, I'm not convinced he'll be able to help me pass and I'd still be looking for facial fat grafts afterward.

But if I go to Dr. Z, I'm confident he'll help me pass, but he'll also destroy me financially as I'll still need additional work and won't be able to get hair grafts anytime soon.  At least he's relatively close though and there'd be no language barrier concerns.

My research with Rossi and Cardenas suggest that pricing would be reasonable and I could get more work done for less (appealing considering the situation)...but the idea of traveling all the way to Mexico or Argentina and potential language barriers causes great hesitation.

What's a girl to do?  I just want to pass...simple as that.  People say my expectations are too high but I find this offensive.  I'm not trying to be some model.  I'm not even trying to become beautiful or even pretty...I just want to be a regular, boring woman who passes.

*deep sigh*

[reborn]

Hi Cheria,

Commenting results or prospective surgeries without posting pictures is an open ended story which gives the imagination possibility of different ends. If you would like to get an honest opinion about your actual results and possible prospective surgeries I suggest you post pictures. I personally like all Dr Rossi's results. He is aggressive and talented doctor who is also safe. I think the horror story you are talking about here is a woman who was saying all kind of things about him without backing anything with pictures. I really doubt her story. I am not sure how aggressive are Cardenas and Dr Z when it comes to foreheads. It really depends on your forehead anatomy.

[cheria]

Commenting results or prospective surgeries without posting pictures is an open ended story which gives the imagination possibility of different ends.

Totally fair and understandable.  I shared pics in my original FFS posts from 2017 but am okay sharing more recent ones.  The first few are comparing pre-FFS to a couple weeks ago.  The last ones show a prominent ridge that appeared after surgery, it protrudes enough to cast its own shadow.  There's also a divot and another large bump above it.  Dr. Bensimon praised his work admiring how flat my forehead was...I'm confused over his definition of the word 'flat'.

Apologies for the last photo being so large, I wasn't sure how to reduce its size.  Also, ignore the scar between my eyes that was from a childhood accident and has nothing to do with FFS (although Dr. Bensimon kindly offered to try and minimize it for no charge).

[echo7]

Trust between a surgeon and his patient is very important for both parties. If that trust isn't there, nothing else matters despite how good the surgeon may be.

[reborn]

I saw your results and what I can say is that your nose is changed in the profile picture and your chin is changed also. I don't see any apparent changes in your forehead/ orbital rims. Anyway in my honest opinion you are in the female range and you look female. What is it that you want to achieve with the surgery? Further femenization or beautification?

[cheria]

I saw your results and what I can say is that your nose is changed in the profile picture and your chin is changed also. I don't see any apparent changes in your forehead/ orbital rims.

And yet both forehead and rims were done, along with a brow lift (according to the invoice).

Anyway in my honest opinion you are in the female range and you look female.

Thank you, that's appreciated, though I personally don't see it (acknowledging this is all subjective).  There's still too much of the 'old face' leaving work to be done.  There will always be aspects, of course, but I'd still like to try and minimize them further if possible.

What is it that you want to achieve with the surgery? Further femenization or beautification?

I'm hoping to achieve further feminization, beautification is a low priority.

[reborn]

I am not an expert but chick implants or fat grafting is very much needed in your case. Everything else looks okay to me. You can get the nose/ forehead and chin redone but you seem to miss volume in your case the most. I think that it will feminize your face further more than anything else.

[cheria]

I agree with you, and Dr. Bensimon also said adding volume to my face would help as well.  I inquired about cheek implants with him but he said he didn't I needed them, also saying you can sometimes see the actual implants in patients with thin skin. I guess that means he didn't think I was a good candidate. I also asked for facial fat grafts on a few occasions but he again tried to steer me away saying he doesn't do them beyond the lips. He believes they take too long, are hard to work with and make  the person look like a mutant if done incorrectly. He much prefers using fillers instead...even though they only last maybe a year. His other suggestion was to simply gain weight. Alas that's been a lifelong struggle. Even if I did manage it, with my age and genetics, I'm not convinced it would really help with feminization.

On one hand, it's nice to hear a surgeon not push a bunch of procedures on you, and I do appreciate his honesty. But he's really not helping me become a repeat customer, which is unfortunate since there really are many advantages to me going back to Montreal again.

[reborn]

I suggest you only do a lip lift and fat grafting first. After you see what you look like maybe think about further surgeries. I think it will be enough...

[cheria]

My wallet would certainly appreciate just doing those two instead of the whole nine yards.  It would certainly allow me to get much needed hair grafts sooner as well.  It makes sense to only do a couple things at a time then gauge the need for more.  I don't know though, with an uneven forehead and orbital rims, the strange ridge between my eyebrows and large'ish bump on the bridge of my nose...I feel pretty compelled to get some revisions in addition to the lip lift and fat grafting. 

Dr. Z's suggestions do seem pretty extreme, yet I trust that he could help me pass unequivocally as female and maybe even achieve stealth one day, something that seems a pipe dream.  With all the natural looking transwomen out there, is it wrong to aspire to be like them? 

And yet, I don't want to be one of those people who need surgery after surgery after.......etc.  Especially with the Canadian dollar being so weak in the US. 

[reborn]

I believe that fat grafting can also soften the brow ridge. I don't think it can do something to your orbital rims. I don't see any asymmetry there but it is different in person and seeing a picture. I am sure you can find a doctor experienced in fat grafting in Canada and save money on airfares. It is a simple procedure and you don't need to travel the world in order to get it. I wish you a lot of luck and success whatever you decide. Please keep us posted.

[cheria]

Thank you very kindly, Reborn.  I've really appreciated your thoughts and suggestions.  We'll see which path I decide on and I'll definitely keep everyone posted...hopefully with less whining in the future.