"I'm the happiest I've ever been."
These were the words Dylan Mulvaney shared as she posted on her popular TikTok account, updating fans on her recovery from major facial plastic surgery. Appearing heavily swollen and bandaged up, she promised to share more details and her full transformation soon.
And she did, showing off the results at this week's Grammy Awards in Los Angeles - her first major public appearance since the procedure.
If you're not familiar with Dylan, the 26-year-old is a trans content creator with over 10 million followers on the social media platform.
She's known for her daily video series, "Days Of Being A Girl", which she started in March 2022 to document her transition. The series follows Dylan through both the positive and more challenging aspects of being trans, with the creator often praised for the candid and authentic way she relates to her audience.
Watch: An ideal world, according to trans Australians. Post continues after video.
On December 17, 2022, Dylan underwent facial feminisation surgery (FFS), a procedure which changes the face to appear more traditionally feminine.
It can include moving the hairline forward to create a smaller forehead, cheek enhancements, or having the jaw and chin resized - it entirely depends on what the individual is looking to change.
And naturally, Dylan brought her followers along for the journey.
"It's a very privileged surgery to get," Dylan said the day before going under the knife.
"I can't wait to look in the mirror and see a reflection that matches the real me."
Dylan's surgery - which took multiple hours - included hairline advancement, a brow bone shave, a rhinoplasty, minor cheek enhancement, a small lip lift, a jaw shave, a chin reduction and a tracheal shave.
As she explained in a January 30 video: "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," she said.
"It's really whatever you have dysphoria over. And I knew I wanted to get everything done in one fell swoop because the recovery process is a lot."
Images: TikTok/@dylanmulvaney
FFS is an expensive procedure, and as pointed out by Dylan, considered optional and generally not covered by private health insurance.
"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 like I needed it," she said.
"And I want us to all start viewing FFS as just as important as other gender-affirming health care... It has truly already brought me so much peace," she added. "[So] I hope we can all start advocating for better trans healthcare."
Dylan, who toured as a performer in the musical The Book Of Mormon prior to the pandemic, usually posts daily, if not multiple times a day.
While recovering, the media personality posted significantly less, occasionally updating her followers on how healing was going or sharing videos made prior to her surgery.
Two months post-op, Dylan finally shared her big "face reveal" through a series of posts on Instagram.
"I'm so happy. It's still me. It's just a little bit softer of a version," she said.
"I just hope that all trans and non-binary people can get the gender affirming resources that they need, because this is life changing and sometimes lifesaving.
"So, thank you so much for supporting me!"
Feature image: Instagram/@dylanmulvaney/Getty.
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