TikTok Star Dylan Mulvaney Reveals What The Facial Feminization Surgery Process Was Like

Popular TikTok star and transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney recently underwent facial feminization surgery, and after her exciting face reveal, she's openly talking about what the process was like.

In a recent video shared on Mulvaney's TikTok and Instagram pages, she details her surgery and healing experience. "Now that I've given you the face reveal, let's dive in on what the facial feminization surgery actually is, and what the healing process is like," she began her video.

She explains that her procedures were done by world renowned Dr. Harrison Lee, who specializes in facial feminization surgery. "This is an extremely privileged procedure, and I want to stress that this is not just typical plastic surgery," she explained. "Had I not been trans, these wouldn't have been changes that I would have sought out, but because of my gender dysphoria, I felt I needed it, and I want us to all start viewing FFS as just as important as other gender affirming healthcare."

Mulvaney went on to explain that many trans people save up for many years to be able to have these kinds of procedures done since they are rarely covered by insurance. "It has truly already brought me so much peace that I hope we can all start advocating for better trans health care now," she said.

The surgeries Mulvaney had took many hours to complete, and this was the first time she had ever been under anesthesia. "I had a hairline advancement, a brow bone shave, a rhinoplasty, minor cheek enhancement, a little lip lift, a jaw shave, a chin reduction, and a tracheal shave," she explained. "FFS is sort of like a choose your own adventure. You can get one of those things, you can get all of them, you can get none of them. It's really whatever you have dysphoria over."

Mulvaney had so much done all at once because the recovery process can be a lot. "I came out of surgery all bandaged up," she said. "I was not supposed to eat anything solid for an entire week, and I had pain medication, but luckily I felt okay after a few days, so I didn't have to stay on those for long."

The day after surgery, she returned to the doctor's office to have bandages changed, and then on the second, third, and fourth days following surgery, the swelling was intense. "I felt like I got stung by a thousand bees," she said. "On the fifth day, they were able to take out my drains, and on the seventh day, they took out my upper lip stitch."

At this point in time, Mulvaney did not have a full idea of what she was going to look like after healed. "But at the two-week mark, which happened to be my birthday, I had my nose cast removed and the staples and screws taken out of my scalp, which was probably the most satisfying part because even though they didn't hurt, it still freaked me out and I felt a little bit like Frankenstein," she explained.

"At the three-week mark, I went back to the doctor where he injected me with steroid shots to bring down some of that swelling, and that was the first time that I looked at myself and thought oh my gosh, I love what I'm seeing."

By the fourth week, Mulvaney started to feel more comfortable going out into public but decided to take an extra week or two to be fully ready. She's now at the sixth week mark post-surgery and knew it was time to share the journey with all of her followers.

Mulvaney's TikTok video about her journey received more than 4.7 million views in just two days, and the Instagram video received 375K views. Many of her loyal followers took to the comments to share their excitement about hearing her journey and how happy they are for her.

"Truly the face you were always meant to have," one TikTok follower wrote, to which Mulvaney replied, "Agreed. This comment made me emotional 💓."

One follower thanked her for sharing her story because it hits home. "I appreciate you sharing your journey with all of us. My son is trans and this helps me process the feelings he tells me about and goes through."

Another follower added, "Your growth in your advocacy is beautiful. You also look so happy and that’s the best part. ❤️❤️❤️❤️"

Comments on the Instagram video were similar. "Thank u for being so brutally transparent even though you dont have to be. It helps and is going to help so many," one person wrote.

"I’m so happy for you! Talking about your relationship with FFS is so helpful, not just for trans folks, but to allies who need to speak up when confronted with fake news about it. Also, really appreciate you acknowledging your privilege! I hope this becomes something that insurance subsidizes in the future 👏," wrote another.