Facial feminisation surgery

Testimonials of our patients

Email adresses of these patients are available on request
(info@agaveclinic.com).

Carla

The answers to my questions were received very quickly and the information I requested was always given. Great personal attention and good service, everyone was friendly. Very clean and comfortable. The staff are lovely, congratulations! The attention was the best: from the doctors, they are excellent, the assistants and nurses. Lilia is the best, Ana is very nice, the dental hygienist is faboulous and Rosana has charisma. I will miss you all. A special thank you to my creators, my new parents, Dr. Daniel Simon and Dr. Bart van de Ven. Your work has been the best thing that has happened to me, it was an honor to have had the opportunity to have your hands placed on my face. Thank You!

Gemma

"I saw having a new nose shape and reduced adams apple as vital to the success of my transition to female. I had serious concerns whether transition would be possible. Thanks to the good work of the Agave clinic it was possible. Since my operation I have been living as a female full time and not once has anyone commented that they thought I was male, I think this is a good case of passing.

All of the staff at Agave made me feel confident, safe, relaxed and comfortable. The surgical outcome was very good and the aftercare also was excellent. I just wonder what I should have done next!

Laura

"It’s not every day that you choose to have facial surgery, the decision is typically preceded by years of hoping and wondering if it might be possible with the principle deciding factor usually being cost. I was pleasantly surprised at how competitive Agave prices are.

There is a great deal of emotional trauma involved in travelling abroad to have such radical surgery and it’s quite normal to feel just a little scared. However, the Agave team are wonderfully supportive and will go out of their way to put nervous patients at their ease.

I was always pleased with the way I was treated by all members of the Agave team; there is always someone available to answer questions and nothing is too much trouble.

I was on first name terms with all members of the surgical and admin team right from the start and that does a lot to make patients feel less intimidated by the surroundings and the procedure in general.

I was impressed with how friendly and caring everyone was, there was a real sense that I was among people who were dedicated to making my surgery and recovery as comfortable as possible."

Sarah

"A person could not find a more dedicated and compassionate team of professionals than those at Agave Clinic to entrust themselves to. The moment I walked through the clinic door I instantly knew I had made the right choice. I would not hesitate for a moment to choose Agave Clinic again."

Catalina

"Once I started my research for FFS, I was very confused and concerned about where, who, how much and the quality of the care I would be provided with. Once I met Dr Simon and Dr Van de Ven here in London, most of my questions were answered and I felt I would be in good hands. As it turned out I was and I had a great time in Marbella. Now seven moths after my FFS my face is coming to its own and I am very happy with the results; it has improved my quality of life tremendously as I can just be myself without fear of being read all the time. They are a lovely team and I was treated as an individual not just as a patient."

Laura's Story

I decided to trust Agave Clinic with my feminising facial surgery after spending some considerable time checking out other possibilities, including Thailand, which I dismissed because of their excessive eagerness for me to jet off to Bangkok the next day! A decision of this magnitude requires careful deliberation and I was not going to be rushed into something that I might later regret. I was also aware of the great distance from UK should anything go wrong, and of course, the obvious language difficulties.

I travelled to Utrecht in the Netherlands to meet one of the Agave clinic’s former patients who I had made contact with through the Agave website, to see for myself just how effective the surgery can be. I was amazed when I compared my new friend’s face with her “before” photograph, the results are stunning!

One week later I attended a consultation with Doctor’s Bart and Daniel at the prestigious Harley Street in London, we discussed what might be appropriate for me, and decided that I would have jaw re-contouring, rhinoplasty, brow boss reduction, brow- lift and scalp advancement, we agreed a price and a provisional date for my surgery some three months later.

The time just flew by, I booked an apartment on-line, close to the Clinic and Hospital and a flight with Easyjet, by far the cheapest airline that I could find. I flew from a frozen Manchester on 4th December 2008 to beautiful Spain; I was met at Malaga airport by a smiling taxi driver, provided by the Clinic and whisked to my Hotel in Marbella where I was greeted by the charming Lilia, the Clinic patient co-ordinator. Lilia is American and so speaks perfect English.

I was given a local mobile phone for my use while in Marbella, something I had not expected and I was glad of it because using a UK mobile while abroad can be prohibitively expensive, even when calling local numbers.

The hotel was more than I could have wished for, my balcony overlooked the Mediterranean, just a few metres away, with Gibraltar just visible in the distance. Later that day I met with the Doctor’s for a pre-surgery assessment where lots of photographs of my face were taken along with x-rays of my skull so that the surgeons could plan how they would reduce my jaw line to give me a more feminine look.

I presented myself at the hospital at 8am on the Friday morning where Lilia was again present to ensure that checking into the hospital went smoothly. I was given an ECG and various other tests before being wheeled down to theatre, feeling just a little nervous. The anaesthesiologist spent a little time with me and was successful in allaying my fear that I might never wake up again or that I might wake up during the surgery, a thought too awful to contemplate! I remember drifting pleasantly off to sleep with the thought that my face and my life would never be quite the same again.

I awoke some hours later feeling as though I had been dropped from 30,000 metres without a parachute! I hurt just about everywhere. I had been fitted with a latex mask which circulated cool water around my face to limit the amount of swelling, not very flattering but very effective.

I remember little of the next few hours apart from feeling extremely thirsty and this was relieved by drinking innumerable cups of tea made by my friend Gemma who had travelled from her home in the Netherlands to support me.

The next day I felt very uncomfortable and quite sorry for myself, I was connected to the mask, its pump, and a drip into my arm which prevented me from visiting the en-suite bathroom, I was completely reliant on the nurses and poor Gemma for some fairly intimate needs.

I was thankful for my knowledge of Spanish, albeit limited, which enabled me to communicate with the lovely nursing staff, not all of whom spoke English, and why would they? When people from other countries come to England they are expected to understand English so it is only fitting that the British abroad should learn something of the local language.

On Saturday afternoon Dr Bart removed the cooling mask, to my great relief; I was surprised to see that my face did not look as bad as I had feared. However, now that the cooling mask was gone my eyes quickly became bruised and I soon had two classic “black eyes. Oh how we must suffer for our beauty!

On Sunday afternoon the Doctors told me that everything was healing nicely and that I could go back to the apartment. After showering and dressing I was met at the Hospital entrance by a taxi provided by Agave and driven the short distance to the apart-hotel. On entering the apartment I was delighted to find the biggest and most beautiful bouquet of flowers I have ever seen. They were of course from the Doctors and staff at the clinic, a lovely thoughtful gesture as I do love flowers.

While in the Hospital I had been on a liquids only diet and now I was able to have some real food, Gemma made me some scrambled eggs and salad, which tasted better than anything I had ever eaten before.

The next day I put on my sunhat and Victoria Beckham sunglasses and we went for a gentle walk along the sea front promenade which is truly beautiful, I remember thinking that there can be few nicer places to recover from surgery than Marbella. The next few days seemed long and tiring, perhaps the combination of good food and sea air was working its magic, I was certainly ready for bed each evening.

After spending eight days with me Gemma was forced to return to Utrecht to attend to her business, so from that point on I was “on my own.” However, I had the support of the Agave clinic staff at all times and indeed I attended the clinic on most days in order for my healing process to be monitored and thankfully there were no complications. My surgery had included rhinoplasty and possibly the least enjoyable part was having the sutures removed from my sensitive nose by Dr Daniel, certainly not painful, just slightly unpleasant but quickly over. I feel certain that Dr Daniel could probably perform root canal surgery on a grizzly bear, without anaesthetic, providing it was a female grizzly!

For the remainder of my time in Marbella I enjoyed finding my way around, exploring the many up-market shops and generally soaking up the atmosphere while wandering around the old town. I had some pleasant meals in delightful restaurants and also shopped for fresh produce in the supermarkets in order to prepare my own meals back at the apartment. The fish and shellfish counter in Spanish supermarkets has to be seen to be believed, I have never seen such an array of wonderful fresh fish, and the langoustines (a luxury in UK) are plentiful, delicious and so cheap! I enjoyed some lovely meals on my terrace overlooking the beautiful Mediterranean, and yes, I did sample the local wine!

My final day was spent saying a fond farewell to the Doctors and Staff at the clinic, I had come to regard them all as friends, and they are such a supportive and caring bunch of people, somehow managing to combine professionalism with warmth, sensitivity and respect for their patients.

It was with a heavy heart that I checked out of the hotel and began the journey back to a cold wet Manchester just in time for Christmas. My new face had a mixed reception among my friends and colleagues at University; some were amazed, whilst others were more guarded. However, as time has passed, the bruising and swellings have subsided and now I can honestly say that I am happier than ever before with my face. I have had no funny looks from strangers and at long last, I think I am carrying myself with a much more confident sense of who I am. It has taken a very long time for me to arrive at this point in my life and I am deeply indebted to Doctor Bart and Doctor Daniel for making it possible, thank you so much.

However, with this kind of surgery, and given that we are moving from an essentially masculine face to a hopefully much more feminine one, some may feel the necessity to revisit the operating theatre, to have things “tweaked” a little. We are all different and will have differing needs and expectations. Personally, and due to my age, (61) I feel that I must return to Agave in December to have a face lift, blepharoplasty and a lip lift. My hope is that I will then feel truly complete.

Reactions from our Satisfaction questionnaire

P.S, FFS patient:
The facilities are excellent, with a high standard of hygiene. I cannot say anything other than all the time I was treated really well. The nurses were very patient and effective. All the staff were empathetic. I understood everything well.

D.S., FFS patient:
I like your staff. Lilia explained everything very clearly.

J.A., FFS patient:
The best was the always friendly and helpful Lilia.

NG, FFS patient:
The best thing was being able to have several procedures done at once. The nursing care in the USP was very good. However, one thing I recommend is to come with a companion.

RM, FFS patient:
Personalised, professional service...A1. No negatives as yet!

MS, paciente CFF:
Lilia es estupenda. Todo me he gustado