Negative comment about my results :(

[Anna5]

The majority of people in your everyday life probably do not go around judging peoples face like they would on jawsurgeryforum...... Those people are a different breed with their own hang ups. On top of that some of them think they know more than the actual surgeons. They'll use all the medical lingo but bash the surgeons in the process which does not even make sense to me sometimes.


Becks your results are great and the most important thing is that you are happy with your results.

I totally agree. Isn't it a bit sad that there are people who are so harshly judging other people's faces (even the faces of people who have gone through the hard process of jaw surgery already and have a hard time getting used to their new self), looking for every imperfection? Like if we all need to be perfect, like if everything needs to be fixed even if there are serious risks like nerve damage involved? Is there really so much wrong with a 'soft chin', I think I like it, and I sincerely think bmueller's results are great!

[lissybear22]

I know this has been said already, but you look lovely; don't worry about that shmuck. Besides, I bet you feel so much better after the surgery! I think that alone makes it worth it. But trust me, they do not know what they are talking about.

[bmueller]

Thanks everyone! I did know it wouldn't turn out to be "ideal" I guess. I just figured that my doctor knew best when he said he could fix everything without the lower jaw surgery and this shook my confidence in him. My surgeon did not actually give me the option for a BSSO at the final pre-surgical consultation, he said that he could move my jaw forward but for the amount he would move it (3 mm) he did not think the risks outweighted the benefits and took it off the table. Maybe I should have gotten a second opinion?

After spending $20k and 3 weeks of HARD recovery, nobody wants to hear the word "bad" associated with their face.

[mapleleafman888]

I had a look at the links and your result looks great...looks like a classic balanced face. Congrats on being strong enough to make it through all that. I never had surgery, just have braces.

[Anna5]

Like I said before I also think your results are great, Becky!

My ortho said an overbite of 5-7 mm is still within normal range and does not need treatment (unless you want perfection), so I think your surgeon made a wise decision not to move your lower jaw forward with 3 mm, because you are within normal ranges anyway! And, honestly, I think you look great.

[bmueller]

The issue is not an overbite (overjet) issue, but the fact that my whole lower face is more recessed than normal. I think a second opinion would have been to ask if both jaws should be brought significantly forward to give more fullness in my face and restore where my original upper jaw was before I had extractions as a kid.

This is exactly the point that kiza brings up as to why my face is a "bad compromise" that I was fixed in the vertical direction, but no consideration was made for my side profile.

Dentally, my teeth are perfect and "ideal" with an overjet of 1 mm and overbite of 1-2 mm.

To say that there's always an opportunity to fix things in the future in this case would mean having a second surgery, this time double jaw bringing both forward. That's asking for another $20k surgery plus braces plus 3 weeks off work and starving myself for 3-6 weeks. I'm not sure I have the money, time or strength to do that again.

[behappy]

[quote="rylai"]I expected a foulmouthed comments with insults or smth like that - the only thing he said was it's a "bad compromise". I don't know, people can have their opinions on these blogs, and you shouldn't be that fussed up about it. He seemed to just see your one page because he didn't know that you didn't have genio.

I can understand his thought process and your chin due to the lower jaw recession does not perfectly align with your lips, which does not give an optimal projection. So the result is not ideal. But it is a good improvement. But you should know this, that the result isn't ideal, because you chose to not address this deficit, for whatever reasons. So this isn't new to you?

BSSO can cause nerve damage, among other things, obviously. But I would have opted in for lower jaw surgery aswell. People are different I guess.

Good to see that you understand your own thought process since it was you that obviously left the offending message on this girl's blog in the first place. The message you left was on a personal blog detailing a persons journey through jaw surgery with the benefit of helping others not on a public forum that was inviting opinions on results. In relation to your so called ideal are you really that delusional to think that you are in a better position than a surgeon who spent many years studying this subject matter in making such decisions. Furthermore experts have said for females the chin can lie a little behind the lips , it does not have to align perfectly with the lips for ideal projection, so guess what you are wrong again. Grow up and stop spreading your insecurity.

Becky, your results are great, your surgeon did a great job. Yes you could have opted for other opinions and I am sure that some of those would have taken the exact same decision that your own surgeon did. Nobody in the real world outside forums on jaw surgery pay any attention to peoples jaws and certainly could not identify if there was indeed anything wrong with them. So do not begin questioning a decision based on some unqualified person behind a screen, he is not worth it.

[ticktickatick]

Girl, you look great. Your teeth are in a much better position and your smile is gorgeous. I'm also surprised by how much your profile improved with only upper jaw surgery! So don't worry about what one person says. Sometimes when you put something like "feel free to leave feedback/comments" at the end of a post, random readers feel that's an open invitation.

Now I'm only saying this next part because of what you said:

"Maybe I should have gotten a second opinion? "

I would say yes for two reasons. Your result is NOT bad. At all. But if you were going for "ideal" or "perfect" proportions as defined by general consensus among jaw surgeons, then your surgeon did miss the mark a bit. Also second opinions in something as serious and expensive as jaw surgery are always a good idea.

I had double jaw + genio a few months ago. My face and profile are quite similar to yours. I had multiple opinions and every surgeon recommended double jaw except one. The guy who didn't was a newer surgeon who didn't seem as smart as the others. It's helpful to have multiple opinions to compare to.

Some people want as little surgery as possible. More risk = more ideal results...but maybe your surgeon assumed you'd rather have a slightly recessed profile than possible nerve damage. If you were saying things like "I'm not going for perfection" to him, it's understandable why he would choose the more conservative route.

Remember that there would be aesthetic tradeoffs even if you did get the lower jaw done. My profile post-op is pretty close to ideal. But my front face doesn't look as awesome as I was expecting. The problem with swinging the lower jaw forward in faces like ours is that the lower has grown downward and backward. Even though it appears "long" it's an optical illusion because it is down and recessed. The lower jaw bone is actually too short to achieve that pretty, projected "V" jaw that girls go for. So when you swing it up, you go from this recessed "V" shape in the front to a more masculine "U" shaped or even a square jaw. You can kind of mask this with genio, because projecting the chin forward visually lengthens the lower jaw, but a genio can only do so much. In my case I ended up with a more rectangular face with a heavier lower jaw line than I was expecting. Was my result bad? No. My profile is nice and I no longer have a gummy smile or lip incompetence. But I look a little less feminine in the front, and not gonna lie, I miss that.

I am surprised that just upper jaw surgery was $35k?? I see it's mostly hospital fees but that's pretty steep. For lower jaw + upper jaw + genio + overnight stay my total cost was under 20k. Hopefully your insurance covered yours (mine did not).

[macve004]

I saw your pictures and you definitely came out of the surgery with a marked improvement both in profile and head shot! Speaking as a 4-week post-op guy who had/has been coping with the aesthetic melodrama that is jaw surgery recovery, I can feel your pain. My sisters called me "monkey face" or "potato face" the first few weeks, and some friends still blatantly laugh at my blood-filled cheeks and clenched-jaw speech. Just know that you did this for the right reasons, and you look and, most importantly, FEEL much better because of it. I hope to be where you are someday!

[bmueller]

Thank you! I'm sending good vibes your way for your continued recovery.

Spoke to my ortho about the "mean" comment and I feel a little better about the situation. Also spoke to a friend who's surgery didn't turn out so great, she reminded me that sometimes less is better.

Normal people will not be so judgemental as we "experts" are. I've got bigger and better things to focus my time on, and eventually you will too!

Here's to being a potato head!