Daniela Requena is Pretty & Feminine, So Why Have FFS?
I was fortunate to spend some time with Facialteam patient, Daniela Requena this year. Between lunch in Madrid’s Chueca, a trans bathing wear fashion show by TransLingerie and interviews around her surgery in Barcelona, Daniela proved to me that she is one of the most straightforward, affectionate, generous and intelligent souls I have ever met.
Plus she is petite like me 😉
Who is Daniela Requena Esteve?
Daniela Requena is an increasingly popular figure in Spain who stands out for many reasons that go far beyond being a woman with a trans experience.
Educated in journalism and marketing, it’s no surprise her work has varied from writing for the press and television to presenting radio, as well as creating her own Spotify podcast. She began to appear on national Spanish TV in 2021.
Daniela is now a successful influencer, with regular spots for MediaSet Madrid, with millions of views on social media, where she is known for generating lots of conversation about the transgender reality.
In 2021 she stepped into public service in her home region, wanting to make a difference in the politics of Valencia province and she is an activist for trans rights.
Her literary work features her autobiography titled, “Mamá, soy mujer: Diario de una chica trans,” (Mom, I’m a woman: Diary of a trans girl) in which she shares her struggles along the male-to-female gender affirmation journey. So Daniela Requena is not just any person, but someone who has accomplished much more than your average 30-something!
She created quite a lot of buzz among ophthalmologists when she went against the advice of the status quo and had her brown eyes changed permanently to blue with a novel technique. She lived to tell the story and– her vision remains intact.
Did she “need” facial feminization?
Daniela asked her fans what they thought when she was rejected to appear in a Pride Campaign for looking “too cisgender” shortly after her facial gender affirming surgery. The struggle for anyone in the media business is highly competitive, so it is interesting she raises these types of DEI issues. Inadvertently, she showed a lesser known side of having feminizing procedures: as one of her fans comments, an odd sense of non-belonging to the community.
Similarly, her fans asked why she even considers “unnecessary” surgeries or beauty treatments when, to them, she is far more feminine or beautiful than the majority.
She addresses this sentiment in several video testimonials about why she has always wanted facial feminization surgery and it is not because of dysphoria necessarily. As a personality in the spotlight, every feature matters. She wants to improve certain things, but it’s really about her being herself and gaining peace with her appearance.
Why Daniela Requena chose Facialteam for FFS surgery
Daniela contacted Facialteam many years before finally having her surgery in Barcelona this year. She always said it wasn’t essential as she was happy with her face, but if she had the opportunity to, there were features she wanted to improve for her own satisfaction.
She had forehead reduction and brow reconstruction to feminize the upper facial third, which involves raising the eyebrows, something she was keen to get. Initially she was in doubt about the length of her upper lip. A long upper lip that covers the front teeth can be seen as masculine and aged. So in the final preoperative consultation, she decided to have a soft-tissue procedure called a liplift to give a more feminine show of teeth and pout.
Daniela was always clear that if she ever had facial gender surgery, it would be with Facialteam, given the recommendations of her friends who had surgery with the clinic. Following the work of Facialteam over the years, she was aware of the reputation for quality in patient care and services– among the best of the best internationally– right in her own country.
How was Daniela’s healing after FFS?
After the typical couple of hours under observation by the medical team after surgery, Daniela still felt dizzy upon arrival to her hospital room as she tried sitting up. Moving her head brought on a wave of nausea. Nonetheless, she was eager to take a look in the mirror immediately.
The remainder of that first afternoon and night was spent resting while being periodically monitored by nursing staff. The next day, her mind was much clearer, she had her first breakfast and was already practicing getting up. Pain was controlled, although it was not intense. The doctors came to see her, nurses helped her bathe and later in the day, she was off in a taxi to her hotel until her next appointment in 48 hours.
She then spent a few days of self-care, albeit the surgical team only a call away, while recovering at home. A week later, the stitches were removed and she was released from hospital supervision.
Before and After FFS: Daniela Requena’s short-term results
@danielasirena3 Evolución de mi #feminizacionfacial con @Facialteam #trans #transexual #transgirl #transgender #facialfeminisationsurgery #surgery #facialfeminization ♬ sonido original – Daniela Requena Esteve
A month after her surgery, Daniela shared her results with a series of videos showing her evolution on social media. The difference between the first day, when her face was fully swollen and unrecognizable, to four weeks later, is dramatic.
However, one month is still very early days.
In the following months (6-week rule!) Daniela has slowly gone back to her usual routines at the gym, work and life. She is now sharing new videos and the obvious signs of surgery are not as noticeable. Nevertheless, healing is still happening. The final results really are not able to be assessed until at least 12 months have passed.
What can we expect about Daniela’s Facial Gender Affirming experience in the future?
Stay tuned for more updates on Daniela’s healing journey, as both Facialteam and Daniela share photo and video updates on her long-term evolution over the coming two years.
In this way we hope to provide insight into what it is like to have such an important surgery, what to expect while healing and how to be best prepared when the time comes.
More voices
Charlie Martin, Looking Back 6 Years after my Transition
Embracing Authenticity: An In-Depth Interview with Lianne
Lea T’s Journey: Redoing FFS Surgery & the Excellence of Facialteam
Luxeria Celes: A Transformational Journey with Facialteam
