An amazing end-to-end experience with outstanding results. Although Dr. Capitan and Dr. Simon are the founders, booking with FacialTeam really is a "team", with experts for different aspects of facial feminization surgery. In addition, the office staff manages a far more complete experience than just the surgery itself, this is more like booking an all inclusive holiday than a surgery! The office staff and coordinators were fantastic, all lodgings were booked by them as was transportation in Marbella, Spain including taxi rides from the airport, to and from the clinic for surgery and follow up appointments. The hospital in Marbella, the HC, was out of this world. I can't think of a better place to recover! I'll include a picture of the recovery room I was in for 2 nights following the procedure. In addition to designated pre-op (thanks Beatriz!) and post op coordinators (thanks Sonja!), the support team included a psychologist, massage and acupuncture. The video consult (before booking) gave me a general idea of what procedures would benefit me, but to be honest the in person consult was what really put me at ease after arriving. I met with the individual specialists and we reviewed the treatments in detail with cranial scan data and a 3d face model. The actual day of surgery I was very nervous, naturally, but my coordinator met me outside the hospital, showed me the recovery room to leave my things and helped set me at ease. The HC staff and anesthesiologist was very nice, I asked for a whisky double double and he delivered, I was truly out for the next 12 hours or so. The recovery and pain management was excellent. At no time did I experience what I would term 'pain' exactly, although to be sure there were moments that were quite uncomfortable. I was appreciative of being 2 full days in the HC, the nursing staff was great and the food was excellent. They have a specialized "cooling mask" that is used to reduce inflammation and I think it helped a great deal, you can see photos and judge for yourself. Overall I am thrilled with the result. I'm 43, so not exactly a spring chicken, and even at 3 weeks the results will be life changing for me. Our faces are usually the first thing others see about us, it's a core part of our identity, and the FacialTeam helped me show the world who I am at first glance. My only regret is not choosing to do this a lot sooner!
I had a Type 3 forehead reconstruction and rhinoplasty with FacialTeam 1 month ago. Dr Capitán performed did the Type 3 and Dr. Bellinga did the rhinoplasty and I'm really pleased with the results! I had minimal swelling (photo is 1 week post-op) and most of the numbness is already gone. Just a minor region of numbness left on my forehead and tip of nose which are barely noticeable day-to-day and show signs of repairing (tingling) upon touch. Recovery was very tolerable with excellent nursing staff. Since I could only afford forehead and rhino this time I'm definitely considering going back to Marbella for a few more feminizing procedures in the future. Out of privacy concerns I'm only showing my side profile.
Dr. Capitan and Facialteam in Marbella, Spain gave me the best experience ever! I've had forehead reduction surgery. Dr. Capitan is a warm person that is a genuinely caring person, the whole team is. He listens and answers all the questions and doubts you have. Thank you Dr. Capitan and Facialteam for all your hard work and dedication, and always putting a smile on my face. The genuine concern for your patients is appreciated during this big changes in our lives. Dr. Capitan, you have a heart of gold and are the true meaning of what a Surgeon is supposed to be for their patients. Thank you for not only being a great Surgeon, you also made feel very comfortable. Forever grateful to you and your excellent team that backs you up in everthing! Muchas gracias, el mejor del mundo!
As part of an ongoing transition, I wanted to take next steps with FFS by seeking forehead feminization surgery aka feminizing forehead reduction/contouring surgery along with chin reduction surgery to achieve correct proportions. I had wanted FFS for the longest time... my biggest concern was the typical hairline incision that usually exists when hairline lowering is employed as part forehead FFS. There was a very helpful virtual ffs web site that had lots of information and that ultimately led me to run across FACIALTEAM in Spain, where learned about two doctors there who were experts in facial feminization surgery. The doctors are Dr. Luis Capitán and Dr. Daniel Simon and I read about a technique they perfected which approaches forehead contouring by using a hidden coronal incision to access the forehead area for contouring, avoiding all hairline incisions. I had not heard of this before so was excited to learn more. I initially contacted FACIALTEAM a little over a year prior to my actual surgery date with them, around December 2016. I had my initial consult in January 2016 where they outlined what they could do for me. After that initial consult, I was allowed to ask any desired follow-up questions as needed. I did just that... I asked them if I could start by getting hair transplants and a lip lift in my local area (in the US) as both a transition-related incremental step—to see how I felt about continuing forward with further FFS with FACIALTEAM after such procedures—and to see how the transplants turned out in order to determine whether I would choose FACIALTEAM's coronal forehead approach with or without "simultaneous transplants." FACIALTEAM can perform the coronal approach with or without "simultaneous transplants" ... there is a significant cost difference which must be weighed against the benefits achieved by using a particular patient's coronal donor hair and other factors relating to a patient's starting point and all that. Dr. Capitán was very supportive of my proposed approach and gave me all of the parameters connected with my going that route in terms of eventually going to FACIALTEAM for forehead/chin work. One thing Dr. Capitán let me know is that he could not perform any forehead surgery upon me until one year post-OP of any hair transplants. That was pretty much the only restriction to doing transplants prior to forehead work. Dr. Capitán also graciously agreed to additional consults at key points throughout the year to monitor my hair transplant recovery progress as well as for their transplant surgeon to assess the outcome of my local transplant work toward determining whether or not FACIALTEAM would recommend transplants at the time of their work. I went ahead with a lip lift as well as hair transplants locally both here in the US, and I informed my local hair transplant surgeon of my plans to go to FACIALTEAM so he could help me assess whether or not I should receive additional transplants while visiting FACIALTEAM. Most all of this planning took place in early 2016. By June 2016 the lip lift and hair transplants I got in the US were looking excellent but as incremental steps I was left still wanting to move forward with FACIALTEAM and forehead/chin FFS. That, after all, is what incremental steps are for... take small steps, see, and so forth. I had another consult with FACIALTEAM around mid-2016. At that time, Dr. Capitán agreed the transplants were looking great so I ended up scheduling surgery with FACIALTEAM and buying airline tickets for my early 2017 surgery. I was ecstatic to say the least, but I was also climbing the wall waiting for the big date! In Sept 2016, I had another consult with FACIALTEAM so they could review the progress of my transplants. This allowed us to solidify the final required procedures for the forehead area and whether or not FACIALTEAM would recommend their "simultaneous transplant" option. FACIATEAM's transplant surgeon looked at the progress of my hairline transplants and let me know that getting additional transplants at the time of forehead FFS with FACIALTEAM was not required... so I was booked for surgery with FACIALTEAM for forehead reduction/contouring with potential chin reduction to be determined when I arrived in Spain for pre-OP/surgery in early 2017. Fast forward to early 2017 and I flew to Marbella, Spain to have FFS surgery with FACIALTEAM. The experience was truly wonderful. The flights both to/from the US/Spain were completely excellent... Thank you Delta! Once in Spain, the whole experience from pre-OP appointment through surgery and recovery was, has been and continues to be unbelievably wonderful. The care by both FACIALTEAM and their partner hospital, High Care International (HC), is so way up there... they do same day cranial scans on your pre-OP day, discuss details, I can make final choices discuss things, then the next day was surgery. I arrived on day of surgery, moved into my room and got prepared, went into the theater, awoke... did not feel any pain upon waking... most of the pain for me was typical expected recovery pain arriving days after, and continuing as expected as things healed. Frankly, while I was HC going into the theater, waking in the theater, recovering at HC, being treated so well... I was in a very good heavenly place of sorts. Hard to explain but I bet folks who have gone through this know what I mean. I had finally made it here! The hospital food was that of a truly high-end restaurant... unbelievable. I can be a night owl and like to have a snack at night now and then... I was famished one night and didn't want to bother anybody but my stomach nudged me to push the call button... the staff was like telling me don't hesitate to let us know... if you're hungry we'll bring you something... that night and throughout my stay, HC's staff brought me some awesome sandwiches and fresh fruit, snacks, really excellent stuff. By the next day, I was anxious to walk at least a little bit, and by day two I was strolling outside several times. It's amazing... I was so daunted by this type of surgery... I don't think it should be treated lightly... I'm not suggesting that, but I'm saying, with all decisions having been thought through and finally made, I was finally there... and I felt waking after that surgery and recovery was comparable to a rhinoplasty, perhaps even easier. I say this for myself... everyone's experience is different. But the point is these guys are really talented... I mean they do this stuff all the time, and it's like artwork, yet it's a very organized process for them too. I mean I can't even tell I've had surgery. All of the incisions are hidden and all that. It's just amazing. My only regret is that I waited so long... but that's my issue, I tend to be overly cautious. However, my wait ultimately led me to FACIALTEAM so all things considered, I wouldn't change a thing about the process. I'm extremely grateful to both Dr. Capitán and Dr. Simon and all of FACIALTEAM. While Dr. Simon handled my pre-OP consult when I arrived, Dr. Capitán was the one who interacted with me throughout all of the consults throughout the year of 2016. He was tremendously understanding and patient with my overly cautious incremental approach to the transition process. I never felt any pressure, and I always felt welcome, respected. Once I arrived and had a chance to meet Dr. Simon and the other FACIALTEAM staff, I was just filled with so much appreciation that my journey led me to their paradise of talent, expertise, respect, an environment I was so happy to have arrived at for such a big life change. It was a relief to be there. While I was in early recovery at HC, it was like a vacation in a hotel room... I was actually getting rest and relaxation and not worried at all. I guess, on hindsight, I'd have to say it was the waiting and preparing for travel that was the most stressful aspect of things... once I arrived, life seemed to turn into a technicolor dream. This is in large part because I was surrounded by love, respect, and talent. When I signed up for surgery, FACIALTEAM informed me of various post-hospital recovery options and I ended up staying a Jenny's Nest because they are staffed with folks who are experienced and trained in FACIALTEAM's post-OP process, including meds and other post-OP care, incision maintenance and all that. Being alone in a hotel, for example, just seemed too unsafe to me... I wanted to be near others who could make calls or whatnot should anything arise. Well, staying at Jenny's Nest was an excellent choice to say the least. It was nice to have someone there who knows the meds regime and post-care steps and all that. It was also less stressful for me to recover near others ... that was a bonus for a lot of good reasons. I had a chance to meet others and share experiences and all that. Perhaps that's not for everyone but ... actually... it's a flexible environment... some people like to stay tucked away in their room while others like to socialize a bit. I did both... it was great to connect, and great to retreat to take a nap and all that. I think FACIALTEAM has several options a visiting patient can consider for post-OP recovery accommodations—I don't know them all because I focused on staying at Jenny's Nest given other people's positive experiences—check with FACIALTEAM to find out about all options. In the past, before meeting FACIALTEAM, I could never see myself traveling internationally for surgery like this. Looking back now, it happened in a blink of an eye and the least stressful aspect of the trip began after I was on the plane to Spain to see FACIALTEAM. Now I get it when people say don't worry about distance with this kind of surgery. I'm guessing things can seem daunting before any travel associated with surgery ... I've traveled twice for surgery and both times I found that to be true... once I had arrived at the destination... actually, once I got on the plane, it both experiences, it was close to a vacation. I became immensely relaxed. I feel grateful to have visited FACIALTEAM for this surgery. I consider their approach to facial surgery to be sort of like the SRS/GRS of facial surgery, where their goal is not to completely change someone but rather to undo the genetic development which is mismatched to the patient's inner life. I'm still me and their surgery doesn't appear to be surgery... it just tweaks things in a very subtle but important way to undo mismatched development caused by genetics. The part irony to this kind surgery is that, from my perhaps naive patient's perspective—I can't say this is accurate but it seems so—the key expertise these surgeons provide is not only in the ability to achieve profound aesthetic results, but also in how they do it. They have the rare knowledge on how to accomplish things in a way that is safe for the patient in the long term. These guys are maxillofacial surgeons who understand the extremely delicate nature of the frontal sinus area. Beware of thinking a simple frontal bone burring is the same thing. It's rare that burring can reach the desired aesthetic changes, but even if aesthetically possible, burring can leave a patient with not only limited results but perhaps leave a patient in a less safe condition in cases of typical and untypical trauma to the area and so forth. Simply put, you don't want forehead procedures to leave you with a weaker forehead... I say this because maxillofacial surgeons like FACIALTEAM know how to go through an extremely arduous process (that for them is likely routine, thankfully... that is part of my point here)... a process which involves advanced frontal/forehead boney work that leaves one's frontal sinus the same condition and strength afterwards. In my case, for example, my frontal forehead is my original forehead, just diminished and contoured. You might ask then... how can they diminish a forehead's protrusion while keeping it the same? Well, exactly my point. This review is not the place to outline it... search the web, see FACAITEAM's web site ... there's also virtual FFS's site which has great info on these nuances. That's what maxillofacial surgeons do... they know how to properly work with the frontal sinus. But beyond that, maxillofacial surgeons who understand feminization surgery (FFS)—not all do—know how to do the right boney work to achieve the desired feminizing outcome. This is all to say, if you are considering forehead reduction/feminization surgery, regardless of where you go, beware of someone, even if they have a record of phenomenal results with cis-women... beware of anyone offering to do a little burring as if it's easy street. The burring may be easy, but it may lead to a weaker frontal sinus and you do not want that. I'm not a doctor so obviously can't say what will be right for any other patient... but I can say that in most cases, from the good info I believe I had the fortune to encounter, to scratch and crawl to learn, almost making some wrong turns along the way, that burring the frontal sinus is most always a "no no" for a genetic male seeking forehead feminization surgery. My suggestion to anyone seeking this surgery is to at the very least seek out several consults with top doctors in this area... hear what they have to say, make sure you see before-and-afters. FACIALTEAM's web site is loaded with galleries of others who have gone to them for this work. They've not only been doing this for ages now, but they've been introducing innovations and related process to the field. If a surgeon can't show you before-and-afters that are to your liking, I suggest you walk. It's easy to use the term "feminization" or "FFS" in literature... but make sure any surgeon you go to has the right experience. I can't claim to be an expert but I personally believe that any forehead/chin FFS work should only be performed by maxillofacial surgeons who specialize in feminization of masculine cranial structures and have a positive track record which includes a good number of successful before/after photos. Oh, one other thing... there are various approaches to forehead reduction/contouring. I'm not sure what's right in what cases, but I can tell you I considered approaches that involved both a hairline incision with hairline lowering/advancement, as well as the route I went which was FACIALTEAM's hidden coronal incision (hidden incision, avoiding the visible hairline incision). FACIALTEAM is on to something here with their coronal approach innovation. Coronal approaches are not new to facial surgery by any stretch but from what I know it was not used heavily with maxillofacial FFS until FACIALTEAM introduced it and evolved into a viable approach, including one that can offer simultaneous transplants (pretty amazing if you know this surgical space). The way I look at it, if one goes to an excellent hair transplant surgeon, these days frontal FFS/feminizing hair transplants seem to produce excellent results. Given this, I see I have two choices... get forehead FFS with a hairline incision and fight a scar using transplants, or get forehead FFS with a hidden coronal incision and use transplants as needed to fill in and lower the hairline. I opted for the coronal approach but decided to add one extra ingredient by working with both FACIALTEAM and my local hair transplant surgeon. I decided to seek feminizing hairline transplants one year prior to forehead FFS both as an incremental transition step, as well as a way of being in a more optimum condition for the coronal approach (my hairline was lower at the time of surgery as a result of the transplants one year prior). I can always get additional transplants as desired but if I do I'll be working to lower a hairline and I won't be fighting any frontal scar which is great... I'm getting older so not sure how thick frontal hair will be as time goes on. At least I'm not fighting a frontal incision. I find that, with this stuff, there is no perfect answer... it's all about finding the right trade-offs that match your journey. I really appreciate FACIALTEAM supporting me from the initial consult, through the transplants, through the surgery, all with their support in my finding the right trade offs for my journey. Overall, there were many places along the way where FACIALTEAM suggested routes that could have minimized my need for forehead FFS... or other procedures... they were focused on helping me with my journey regardless of my final decisions. I'm so grateful to them for that selfless care and respect for my journey. Thank you FACIALTEAM! Well, that's it for now. For those seeking to have this type of work done... if you're daunted by the travel, the related logistics, all that, just hang in there. I was feeling like I was walking down an endless hall... it all finally led me to the right place at the right time. Have patience and faith in yourself... do your work, research, consults, learn to trust your gut in the right way... you'll find the right path and make it happen. Well, I've gone another step, hope the above helps someone out there... the journey continues... for now, be well. Updated on 3 May 2017: Adding pre-OP and post-OP photos to the review.
I decided to transition about 2 years ago, but realized very quickly HRT alone wasn't going to get me to the state I wanted to be. I did consults with a couple of surgeons, but the Facial Team (Dr. Capitan and Dr. Simon) clearly stood out as the best I'd spoken to. I put my deposit down in April 2015 and reserved a date in October 2015. I was simply blown away by the quality of service, the hospital, the doctors, nurses, and other staff. If you're familiar with the Facial Team, you've probably heard of Jenny's nest also. I stayed there to recover and found that to be fantastic part of the entire package also. Jenny and Nicola are wonderful in terms of patient physical care and emotional support. I had the following procedures done: Forehead reconstruction Rhinoplasty Liplift Mandibular Reduction & Chinplasty Trachea Shave Immediate Hair Transplant Despite having so much work done, I found the recovery very easy. The Paracetamol/Ibuprofen combination for pain management was plenty to keep me comfortable. I spent 2 nights in the hospital, and left on day 3. That evening I was literally out with friends having dinner (even though I looked like I got hit by a bus) Comparing my recovery with friends who have gone to other surgeons, this ease of recovery seemed to be a notable difference. The results? Here's what I wrote for the Facial Team Patient group on Facebook (which is an extremely valuable resource, and a great community to be a part of): As some of you know, I was pretty far from going “full time” when I got my FFS. I was always envious of those who could “pass” from HRT alone, but also of the people who didn’t feel the need to pass. For me, I don’t know if it was a product of the environment I grew up in or what, but it was obvious from early on, that I’d never be able to mentally handle transition and survive it if I didn’t blend in better than I was doing without FFS. That’s just me and I can’t change that. I pretty much had every single male facial gender marker to at least a moderate degree, so I ended up with the full FT menu I think. The few days immediately after FFS I definitely noticed changes, but around 2 months post-op, amazing things started to happen. Once I got home, I continued slogging along in guy mode waiting to see how the changes developed. Then, sometime in December, I stopped getting called ‘sir’ or gendered male in any way by strangers. It just stopped, no matter what I was wearing, no matter what I’d done with hair, even with an untrained voice. Now I haven’t been called sir since! This is really amazing to me as it still feels like a trick that I’m getting away with! But honestly, I can’t pass as male if I try now… and that’s exactly what I wanted from this whole experience. Anyways, HUGE thanks to the entire FT team, and the gang at Jenny’s Nest. I know you all probably hear it often, but it was a life changing experience. I've attached before and after catscans. As soon as I get some reasonable quality photos, I'll post before/after face pics as well. Updated on 5 Jan 2017: I've actually resisted the urge to post before/after pics because I felt my results were still improving over time. Each month that went by, I felt the previous months pictures were horrible to look at. ;) I'm told this is a common timeline as it can take a good year or so for all swelling and healing to take place. Anyways, I feel like I'm rather stable in terms of results at this point... so here ya go. Gah, I can barely stand looking at the before pic, let alone post it publicly. I might take that down later.
Hormones can only go so far with the feminisation of ones face during Male To Female gender transition. At the age of 42 and 11 months into my medical transition I underwent Facial Feminisation Surgery with Facial Team in picturesque Marbella, Spain. I placed my trust in the hands of this remarkable team of medical specialists who more than delivered on their objective of expected natural results, what they did for me was more than what I could ever have imagined; they delivered me. My surgery involved a forehead reconstruction and orbital reshaping. I was expecting that I was going to have every possible facial procedure performed, but the consultation with Dr. Simon reassured me that in my case only the upper third of my face needed work. No pain - literally! And I really mean that! I had no pain coming out of surgery and within 2-3 weeks most of the bruising was gone. Am I happy? Hell yes! Would I recommend Facial Team? You bet your bottom dollar on it!Updated on 5 May 2016: I've just realised hat I'm now 15 months post-op and really for me FFS with Facial Team in Marbella, Spain was one of the most important things I chose to do. I'm so happy with the result and I feel great. :-)
As a transgender woman, my goal was to achieve a natural and acceptably female face, and to work with some notable experts in this highly specialised area. I chose Facial Team due to their highly professional approach. I had the following done in a 5-hour procedure: trachea shave (Adam's apple), chin narrowing with sliding genioplasty, lip lift, and forehead plus brow bossing smoothing. Their surgeons showed an excellent understanding of surgical technique and aesthetic balance. My recovery was smooth, and the patient care and liaison were brilliant. Like all surgery of this type, you need to be realistic about what is achievable, and marry it with other aspects of your transgender journey. For me, both the experience and the results have been excellent, and I am immensely grateful to the dedicated professionals at Facial Team for their very human and professional care.
Hi, my name is Brenda and I'm 43 year old. Today I'm happy, credible and I have an identity! Thanks to Dr. Simon and Dr. Capitan, who did my face reloading and in spesific my forehead/orbital reduction & eyebrow lift + rinoplasty +chin and jaw contouring with osteotomy,today I can live, not survive! I'm working as makeup artist for the Italian TV, I have my own life, a boyfriend and I'm thanking every days to went in touch with Facial team years ago! I remember Ana and Lilia, the patient coordinators who welcomed me introducing to the team and doctors. The clinic in Marbella is amazing, everybody took care of me and my recovery time post surgery has been safe and delicate. So if today I should advice doctors who could change your life, Dr. Daniel Simon and Dr. Luis Capitan would be at the top of my chart!
I am told often I don’t need facial feminization surgery. But I have to look at myself in the mirror and what I see is not the woman I am. So I’m going to get my face to match my inner vision as closely as I can. And then my body will follow, I want the right curves and shape to be a whole girl. I will look for surgeons who follow science in their quest to reverse the effects of testosterone and transform me back into the girl I was born ass.
I chose to undergo some limited FFS to remove male markers such as pronounced adams apple and brow bone ridge. The feminisation effects I sought were to open my eye area and achieve a more visible lip profile. I was directed to the facial team site by a friend and I found their page to be very informative about the procedures they use. I subsequently arranged a skype consultation and was very pleased with the surgeon (Dr Luis Capitan). On that basis I decided to proceed with FFS. The Facial team is a focussed and well organised group that made finalizing the process very straight forward and also very well informed. The team was helpful in pre operative steps and was very friendly and helpful during the hospital stay. I am now out of hospital and receiving excellent and extensive aftercare. The hospital is modern and most of the staff spoke very good English. The food was also very good for hospital food! Updated on 4 Nov 2016: I was pretty lucky with minimal bruising.
We understand your desire for a specific treatment plan, but this really requires a personal consultation in advance in order to discuss in depth the facial features which bother you and why. There several different surgical approaches to harmonize the position of the facial bones, such as the maxilla and mandible. These procedures, common in facial feminization, are often applied in cisgender patients as well as trans patients as the goal is similar: improve and soften facial features that are perceived as masculine. Hope this helps!
Hello Reia808, you should consult with your provider before taking any action. Normally, intraoral stitches with jaw and chin surgery are slowly dissolving, which is likely what is causing the sensation. Best to maintain daily oral hygiene and visit your healthcare professional periodically to resolve your doubts.
A sliding genioplasty is possible, but more information is required to fully evaluate if a secondary, revision surgery is possible since bone was removed and scarring plays a factor. We are not normally partial to using chin implants to increase projection. We cannot guarantee 100% that the chin would be in exactly the same position as before although this would be the aim.
The main risk is damage to the nerves in this area, but standard protocol requires for prevention of this situation. Nerve damage can cause changes in feeling and control of muscles in this area, depending on the type of nerve. In the beginning, it is normal to have weakness and an inability to open the mouth as wide, but these are minor issues treated well by physical therapy. There are also post-op protocols to help the tissues readapt to the new bone shape, which if not done properly may lead to droopy skin, but this is normally only an issue in older patients who already have excess skin in this area.More serious complications include bone fractures which need intervention (also avoidable with proper prevention).
