Very natural result - dramatic difference from before

I saw this group of procedures as my most important transition surgery. I considered a few doctors for my FFS, conducting research through all available channels; published medical research in gender affirming care, certifying bodies, the providers' marketing materials, CV, experience, background, consultations, before/afters, online reviews, public testimonies and celebrity patients, social media, word of mouth/hearsay, and my personal relationships with the providers' prior patients if any. Ultimately I settled on Dr. Spiegel as my surgeon. I'd like to share my experience and thought process as I sought to reduce my pre-op uncertainty as much as was possible.

There are a select few preeminent sources in the world for FFS. With his background, Dr. Spiegel is indisputably one of them and without a doubt in my mind continues to be. He has a long and accomplished history and according to his office has completed procedures related to gender affirming care numbering in the thousands. This was clear to me throughout the process as it seems every aspect of my procedure from initial consultation to recovery was conducted with extreme efficiency. To me it was evident he sets that example, as it is clear in his manner. It is hard to imagine that he could have accrued so much experience without prioritizing this quality.

There were two main points of consideration for my surgery and thus which surgeon to trust. The first is that the procedure goes well with a positive outcome for my physical health, without complications, injuries, infection or any other adverse impact on my wellness. The second is my mental well being, which for me is linked to the presentation of my gender identity and the best possible aesthetic outcome.

Given my research, I felt assured that Spiegel's approach to the former was a clear and unambiguous commitment to the highest standards in all aspects of the procedure that could impact my physical health. I can confirm that turned out to be my personal experience as well. I have no complications to report following my surgery. My patient care coordinator (Hi Uzma! many months post op and she continues to be amazing hehe), his surgical fellows, and Spiegel himself were all quick to address any & all concerns throughout recovery in the following months. Within the span of three months I felt I had made a complete recovery from even my most minor concerns in this area. He conducts procedures in his own surgical center (which I greatly preferred to a hospital) with his own team. I had a chance to interact with all of them and they were all wonderful. What a warm and personable, orderly, competent and experienced team! I seem to remember telling jokes when I awoke from surgery and we were all laughing together, though my memory is understandably a bit hazy as I recovered from anesthesia. Incredible given how nervous I was as my surgical date neared, but testament to how well taken care of I was by Dr Spiegel & team. All I can say is wow!

For the second priority which is aesthetic, I gathered as much knowledge as I could from as many sources as I could find on what is possible with today's procedures and what outcome to expect given the surgeon's abilities, accomplishments and aesthetic understanding. I have a background as a sculptor and had my own aesthetic understanding of what my face needed help with structurally to be gendered female and to be considered attractive vs. what sorts of changes are possible. Spiegel was still able to deepen my understanding in these areas. On some points we differed as we considered possible results. He expressed that he was willing to concede to what I was requesting when I pressed the matter. I reflected for some time after on our consultations (yes, I ended up requesting a few, which were all happily granted at no additional cost). Ultimately, even given my aesthetic background I felt completely comfortable deferring to his knowledge and moving forward with his approach entirely. Given my outcome, that decision was sound. I heard testimonials that his approach is conservative but I did not feel that was the case after speaking with him. That also turned out to be the case as my result is, in my opinion, a dramatic difference from before. It is also a very natural result, which I think better describes his approach and set of aesthetic priorities. There are of course many variables that dictate what is possible with a given patient's outcome that are outside the control of the surgeon, which is why collecting various professional opinions is so important. Dr. Spiegel expressed to me a few important technical factors inherent to my appearance that made him very optimistic about what was possible with my result. All said, today I get very consistent feedback on how amazing I look and there are in my opinion no visible signs of having received plastic surgery, ever. That is an honestly mind-boggling testament to the capabilities of this surgeon and team given all that goes into this process.

All the research you conduct throughout your journey will amount to one conclusive moment. You are choosing the person you will trust to operate on your facial characteristics to be in better accord with the presentation of your identity to the rest of the world, and to manage the processes that entails, while you are unconscious and incapable of influencing the outcome in any way. I trusted Dr. Spiegel with that grave responsibility. The outcome of my decision to do so was that my quality of life improved tremendously. I don't think words are capable of expressing the benefit my outcome has had on my sense of well-being. I wish all people considering this surgery as good an outcome as I am now enjoying. If that's you, I wish you the absolute best and hope my review helps you on your journey.