Detailed Guide to Facial Feminization Surgery Recovery Process

Facial feminization surgery is a set of complex procedures. Therefore, it is crucial to choose a good surgeon to avoid any risks. If you are undergoing Facial feminization surgery USA or any other country, it is important to choose a good surgeon for best outcomes..

Therefore, the best way to plan one’s facial feminization surgery is to know about the recovery process before their surgery. In this blog, we will discuss the step by step process of facial feminization recovery. This blog is drafted using insights from, Dr. Parag Telang, a well-known cosmetic surgeon in India and the USA. 

Recovery Facial Feminization Surgery

He has explained the recovery process by dividing it into five main aspects which is the early post-operative care, how to take care of the incisions, pain management after the surgery, some recovery tips for the patient to care for at home and some lifestyle modification changes.

1. Early post-operative period

• Sleep with the head elevated
• The patient will be given ice compresses to help with the swelling and creams that will help get rid of the bruising.
• The patient will be wearing a chin strap, which is a compression belt that gives compression to the jawline and ensures that the swelling reduces faster.

2. Incision Care

• It is important to clean the incision every day.
• The patient will be given a topical antiseptic solution and a cream that they need to apply to the stitches.
• With regular care of the stitches, the stitches heal really fast and in one week, one can really start washing their hair without any problem. 
• A lot of patients are also concerned about the visibility of their hairline incision. For this matter, the surgeons normally recommend some silicone gel that helps make the scar fainter as the day passes and this application is important so that the scars fade away very fast.

3. Pain Management

• The surgeon gives analgesics to the patient that will last for around 7 days.
• Most of the patients don't need too much analgesia because, after the surgery, some parts really become more numb than painful.
• In patients who have undergone many procedures on the face, the surgeons sometimes use painkiller patches that are applied to the skin and release the painkiller for 5 days so that one remains pain-free during the recovery period.

4. Faster Recovery Tips at Home

• One should sleep with their head elevated
• Continue with ice application to areas which are still swollen
• Apply the creams as recommended and basically keep the suture line clean and healthy.
• After a jaw shave surgery, there will be stitches inside the mouth so it is recommended to use a mouth rinse to keep the stitches clean.
• If one is unable to brush with a normal size toothbrush, they can use a baby brush to brush their teeth.
• One should have bland foods like soups and fruit juices and stay away from foods that are too spicy.

5. Lifestyle Modifications

• One should eat healthy food
• One should avoid smoking and drinking for at least a month after the surgery
• One should avoid any physical exercise or sports that can cause trauma to the face.
• One can resume light exercises 10 to 15 days after the surgery but intensive exercises have to wait until they complete resting for at least a month after the surgery.

Follow Up Schedules After Facial Feminization Surgery

• After a facial feminization surgery, the surgeons normally call the patient for the first follow-up on the 3rd day, where all the bandages come off.
• The majority of swelling and bruising happens in the first 2 or 3 days. After taking off the bandages, the surgeons check if everything is healing fine or not. One should not have any blood collection or any excessive swelling. Therefore, the follow-up visit on the third day is important.
• The next follow-up is on the 10th day, where all the stitches are examined and if all the stitches are healing fine, one can fly on a plane if they want to. 
• The next follow-up is done a month after the facial feminization, where one can connect with the doctor online or they can send some photos and videos and the surgeon can assess how the recovery is progressing.

We hope that the readers found these tips for a faster recovery after facial feminization surgery to be helpful. 

How Do You Find a Good Surgeon?

To do so, one can choose a surgeon based on the below listed criteria:

• Always look for the experience a surgeon has in the same field.
• Check the surgeon’s qualifications
• Talk to the former patients who got facial feminization surgery done by the same doctor.
• Check out the reviews and testimonials of the former patients online.
• Talk to relatives or friends who might know the doctor.
• Check the facial feminization surgery before and after results of former patients.
• Book a consultation with the doctor to clear up all the doubts.

Facial feminization surgery is a life changing procedure.It must be performed by an expert for best results. 

To learn more on Facial feminization surgery in USA, one can book a consultation with Dr. Parag Telang, a board certified facial feminization surgeon. He has performed more than 200 successful FFS surgeries to date. Consult him for more details!