Obsessed thoughts.......................

[shanalouis]

so i will be having lower jaw surgery soon and all i can think about is my results. i'm tired of seeing this face in the mirror. i just keep thinking about it everyday what will i look like, will i have a new face, will i look like a supermodel or even worst, weird etc. i am mainly afraid i will look the same after surgery. the thoughts keep running through my mind. i can't sleep or anything. i've become obsessed with my looks. what if i am expecting too much from all of this. i guess i just want to look better. i can no longer wait anymore. i want to have this surgery soon. its driving me crazy. do you think i have a problem or did you feel the same way before surgery?..................................

[James0099]

What type of jaw surgery are you having? And what do you mean by afraid of looking the same? What don't you like about your current face?

[James0099]

BTW I am obsessing over the surgery as well, I think about it every day. I just want to get it over with so I can move on... Not so much about my face though, I didn't even know that my face wasn't normal until I went to see the surgeon and orthodonist. I never really looked at myself from a side view before, but since they brought it up I do see that my lower jaw is ahead of my top jaw. I couldn't even feel that my lower was ahead of my top because my teeth weren't straight as I never had braces before this, the since the braces I can now feel with my tounge that my lower is ahead of my top.

[shanalouis]

i'm having a bsso and i guess i want a more symmentrical and better profile/face. i am also afraid of relapse.........................

[charlsie142]

Usually your surgeon can give you a photo prediction of the profile of what you'll look like after surgery. While these often aren't 100% accurate, from what I've seen, it's usually that you end up looking even better than the prediction.

I was also obsessed with what I will look like after surgery. One thing you should be prepared for is that you may not be able to see the results right away and this may mess with your head, especially early on in your recovery. I don't know how just lower surgery is swelling-wise (I had both upper and lower), but I would imagine you won't have as much swelling as I did, so you may be able to see results sooner. I'm over two weeks out and I'm just now starting to be able to tell that my lower jaw was even moved (and it was moved forward 7mm), and this is because of all the swelling, especially in my upper lip area.

My other advice is to be sure you have a really good surgeon that you trust. My surgeon has an excellent reputation and bedside manner and he sat for over an hour with me answering all of my questions and telling me exactly what was going to happen during surgery and after the surgery. Having a competent surgeon made me feel confident that I would like the results. While I'm still reserving my judgment as I still have a lot of swelling, I am starting to see my "new" face, which is really just my old face improved, and I don't hate it. Not to the love it stage yet, but I do believe I'll get there.

Good luck with your surgery!

[Emmauk]

I think because its such a major surgery it will play on your mind it certainly does mine constantly and i haven't even had my braces fitted yet. I guess also its the uncertainty that is uncomfortable as you say you dont know how your going to look afterwards.

I found it helped to generally look through this forum and find people that comment on their looks post surgery......most of the people may moan about this or that but overall there arent post after post of unhappy people. I think generaly the change might take you a while to get used to it but its like everything else after a while the new you will be normal and you wont remember what you used to look like.

I also worry that i am expecting too much and will therefore be disappointed so i just say to myself at least at the end of all of this i will be able to eat properly, hopefully along the way i'll loose a couple of my chins but if i dont then ill just have to make sure i eat lots of things i struggled with before to feel the benefit.

If it helps then speak to your OD or surgeon about your fears and you'll hopefully be reassured.

[Quince]

One thing's for sure: The surgery's going to improve your face. As long as your expectations are realistic, I don't think you have anything to be anxious about.

You should have a pretty good idea about the way your face is going to look after the surgery. Did you already discuss this with your surgeon? Since this surgery has such a major impact on how your face will look over all, it's easy to become obsessed. I try to focus on the lower part of my face alone without taking into consideration the whole picture. And I know the lower part of my face is definitely going to look better. There's no doubt about that.

[shanalouis]

i just want to look pretty

[shanalouis]

and some people say you still look the same after lower jaw surgery only. i just hope that isnt the case because i dont want to look the same..i hate my profile!

[ReneG]

I had BSSO done, lengthened at least 10mm. Face on, I don't look any different. But my side profile is another thing entirely.

My surgeon did warn me of several "imperfections" before surgery - eg my nose was tilted - I told her yea I know but I don't care. She said she did it to inform her patients because they tended to get obsessed with all the tiny details AFTER surgery so she prefers to raise all the issues BEFORE and ensure that it is clear what DOES and what DOES NOT change after surgery.

Personally, I feel great about having a "normal" profile and being able to bite properly. Everything else is a bonus!