Fedora Laroza: A Psychologist’s Personal Journey Through FFS
What happens when the person who guides others through gender-affirming care becomes the patient?
Fedora La Roza is a psychologist working with trans and gender-diverse people every day. In 2025, after years of planning, waiting, and pushing through the barriers so many in our community know too well, she underwent facial feminization surgery at Facialteam Brazil. Almost a year later, she’s sharing what the experience taught her — not as a clinician observing from the outside, but as someone who sat in that exact chair.
We asked her for nothing but honesty. What follows is her story, in her own voice.
Introduction
When I finally embraced my identity as a transgender woman years ago and decided to face the world, I already knew I would face extremely challenging moments, including undergoing Facial Feminization Surgery. I KNEW this would be necessary for me, since gender-affirming hormone therapy can only do so much when starting it as an adult.
After years of planning, waiting and facing barriers to access it, I was finally able to undergo it at Facialteam Brazil in 2025. I can only recommend and praise them, as I know Facialteam Spain also maintains the highest standards for these procedures.
After almost a year of recovery, I couldn’t be more grateful and satisfied. This surgery has completely changed my daily life and boosted my self-confidence in a necessary way for me.
I was extremely conscious and well-prepared to undergo it, but it was indeed challenging. If I could highlight a few key things to prepare you for this experience, they would be:
1. Know yourself and listen to your medical team
Get to know yourself on several levels before surgery: how your body heals, your baseline physical and mental health, and your anxiety levels.
Talk to people you trust, including friends, family and partners.
Connect with people who share common interests.
And of course, get psychological support with specialised professionals.
And above all, follow your doctor’s instructions meticulously.
2. Prepare for the immediate physical realities (and mouth-breathing!)
Waking up from general anaesthesia can be challenging, especially when having full facial feminization, including rhino and septoplasty, and breast augmentation.
Since I couldn’t breathe through my nose for a few weeks, what a lovely nurse told me was crucial: “YOU CAN BREATHE THROUGH YOUR MOUTH!”.
It sounds almost silly to say this, but trust me: YOU CAN BREATHE THROUGH YOUR MOUTH!
Remember to drink lots of water in small amounts, since breathing through your mouth will likely dry your lips and throat. And Vaseline is your best friend for your lips.
3. Trust the healing timeline
Once your nose starts healing, all residues from the healing process will need to come out. Do not worry; this is expected, and your doctor will advise you accordingly.
Furthermore, DO NOT judge the results in the first few months.
It has been almost a year for me, and my face is still adjusting… in a much better way. So just hang in there.
(As a side note: I haven’t experienced any pain, just general discomfort and expected swelling).
And no. It is not fair that we need to face so many hurdles, including undergoing medical procedures in an attempt to better align our identities with our physical bodies. Yes, it should be easier. But we CAN do this. We CAN face this. And this is a beautiful and unique opportunity in life.
Yes, I would do it all over again, but you NEED to understand your expectations before pursuing any procedure. What are you trying to achieve? What bothers you? Can surgery actually provide this?
These are questions I ask my patients every day in my professional practice. Going through FFS myself didn’t just change my face; it profoundly changed my reality and deepened my professional knowledge when assisting my clients facing the same every day. I understand the anxiety, the physical toll, and the emotional rollercoaster because I sat in that exact same chair.
Be honest with yourself, surround yourself with people you trust, and prioritise your mental wellbeing just as much as your physical health before you step into the operating theatre.
I highly encourage you to read related posts here on FacialTeam to gather more useful information. Such as:
How to Prepare for Your FFS Consultation
FFS Surgery Expectations: how They Affect your Satisfaction with Results
Preparing for After Facial Feminization Surgery
We’re deeply grateful to Fedora for placing her trust in us, and for coming back a year later to put the experience into words. Stories like hers do something clinical information never can: they let someone reading at 2 a.m., halfway through their own research, feel a little less alone.
You can follow her writing and get in touch with her at fedoralaroza.com.
And whenever you want to talk through what your own path could look like, our team is one message away.
