My experience with Dr Bert Oelbrandt at 2Pass/O2 Clinic Antwerp
My experience with Dr Bert Oelbrandt at 2Pass/O2 Clinic Antwerp: FFS, revision rhinoplasty, breast augmentation & more
I very rarely post reviews, but after having two rounds of surgery with Dr Bert Oelbrandt and the team at 2Pass/O2 Clinic in Antwerp this year, I wanted to share my experience. I’ve been very happy with the care I received and my results, and hopefully this will be useful to anyone considering surgery with them.
For context, I’m a 51-year-old trans woman and I’ve been on HRT for over 20 years.
Procedures & costs
- January 2026:
Type 1 forehead contouring with hairline lowering/scalp advancement (€8,000) and revision rhinoplasty (€5,000). - July 2026:
Breast implant replacement with Motiva Ergonomix 500cc implants (€5,500), upper blepharoplasty (€950), and lipofilling to my cheeks and lips (€2,500).
Total surgery cost: €21,950.
Why I chose Dr Oelbrandt
I first came across 2Pass years ago, when I had consultations with Dr Bart van de Ven and FacialTeam in Spain. At the time I simply couldn’t afford to go ahead.
When I was finally in a position to do it, I started looking again. By then Dr Bart had sadly passed away and Dr Bert Oelbrandt had taken over at 2Pass/O2. I also looked at options in the UK, Spain and Thailand.
The UK was frustrating because several surgeons never replied to my enquiries. I’d also had a rhinoplasty in Thailand about 20 years ago and had never been completely happy with the result, so I was hesitant about going back there for facial surgery. FacialTeam looked excellent, but the cost was more than I wanted to spend.
I had a consultation with Dr Oelbrandt and liked him straight away. He was straightforward, honest and his results looked natural rather than overdone. His pricing was within my budget and Antwerp was also easy enough to get to from London.
For me, FFS wasn’t about completely changing my face. I mainly wanted to soften a few things. My biggest issue was my hairline, which I’d spent years hiding with a fringe. I also felt my brow was a bit too masculine and I had never liked my nose after my previous rhinoplasty. I wasn’t sure whether I needed anything done to my chin or jaw, but I was very clear that I didn’t want to look like a different person afterwards. Dr Oelbrandt told me he thought my chin and jaw were fine and didn’t need surgery. I really appreciated that he wasn’t trying to sell me extra procedures.
Booking, pre-op tests & arriving in Antwerp
Kiona handled the surgery booking by email and Lin organised the guesthouse. Before the consultation I sent photos of my face from different angles, and once I booked I had the usual paperwork plus blood tests, an ECG and a cephalogram. I paid a third of the surgical fee as a deposit, booked five nights at the guesthouse and paid the remaining balance closer to the surgery.
My partner and I drove from London via the Eurotunnel and arrived at the clinic at around 3pm. Lin showed us to our room and introduced us to Petra. The guesthouse was clean, comfortable and much more homely than a hospital. There were also a couple of other girls recovering there, which helped settle my nerves.
Dr Oelbrandt came to see me in my room that evening for the final consultation. We went through everything again and he took his time, which gave me a lot of confidence going into the next day.
Surgery day
I didn’t sleep particularly well and, because I wasn’t allowed tea or breakfast before surgery, I was slightly grumpy in the morning.
A nurse collected me and took me downstairs. I spoke to Dr Oelbrandt one more time, then went into theatre and was put under.
The next thing I remember was waking up in the quiet recovery room. A couple of hours later I was taken back upstairs, where my partner was waiting for me. I was fitted with a cooling face mask to help with swelling.
I was still pretty dopey from the anaesthetic and apparently made several jokes that I thought were hilarious. I’m told by my partner that they weren’t.
The biggest surprise was the pain. I had been really worried about it beforehand, but it was nowhere near as bad as I’d expected. I was tired, weak and uncomfortable, but not in a huge amount of pain. Because I hadn’t had any jaw or chin work, I was also able to eat without too much trouble.
Recovery at the guesthouse
The next few days were mostly a routine of sleeping, using the cooling mask, eating, watching Netflix and chatting with Petra and the other girls.
The morning after surgery my hair was full of dried blood and completely stuck together. A nurse helped me shower and gently washed it out, which made me feel much more human again.
By the following day I was strong enough to go for a short walk with my partner, and by the last full day I managed a much longer one. I still had swelling and stitches, and everything from around my eyes upwards, including my forehead and scalp, was numb, but physically I felt okay.
Before we left, Dr Oelbrandt checked me and was happy with how I was healing. We took a group photo with him, Petra and some of the other girls, said our goodbyes and drove back to London.
Back home in London & the results
I’d only booked two weeks off work because I thought I’d be recovered enough by then. I managed it, but I wish I’d taken three weeks.
I still had some swelling and pain, a lot of numbness in my forehead and scalp, occasional little electric shock sensations as the nerves started waking up, and I was more tired than I expected. My advice would be to give yourself as much time as you can to recover.
Getting the stitches removed was more awkward than expected because several private clinics wouldn’t remove another surgeon’s stitches. In the end my NHS GP practice nurse did them for me.
As the swelling settled, I became really pleased with the results. My hairline was noticeably further forward, the two V-shaped areas at the sides were much smaller, and my forehead and brow looked softer and more feminine from the side.
Before surgery I had been considering hair transplants for those V-shaped areas, but afterwards I no longer felt I needed them. I could tie my hair back and feel much more confident, which was a big thing for me.
I was so pleased with the results that I decided to go back to Dr Oelbrandt for a second round of surgery.
I’d originally had 300cc breast implants in Thailand in 2004, when I was a very slim size 8. More than 20 years later my body had changed, the implants needed replacing and I wanted to go bigger. I also wanted an upper blepharoplasty for some excess eyelid skin, plus a small amount of lipofilling to my cheeks and lips.
Round two: back to Antwerp
We booked the Eurotunnel and the same guesthouse room, drove over from London and arrived at around 4pm. This time everything already felt familiar.
After settling in, I went downstairs to see Dr Oelbrandt. We talked about the January results, then discussed where he would do the lipofilling and spent quite a while talking about breast size and profile.
I wanted them to look natural, but I also wanted to go as large as he thought I could without them looking obviously augmented. We eventually settled on 500cc.
After that we went to the shops for snacks, had a light dinner, caught up with Petra, watched some Netflix and went to sleep.
The next morning was familiar too: no tea, no breakfast, slightly grumpy me, then downstairs for surgery.
I woke up in the same quiet recovery room and was taken back upstairs once I was awake enough. This recovery was much easier than January and the pain was noticeably less. I stayed at the clinic for three nights before heading home.
About ten days later I went back to my NHS GP surgery and the same practice nurse removed the stitches from my upper eyelids. I had some bruising around my face and lips from the lipofilling, but it settled fairly quickly.
Final results & overall thoughts
Overall, I’m really happy with nearly everything.
The biggest change has been my confidence. Before surgery I always felt I needed make-up to look feminine. If the doorbell went first thing in the morning and I hadn’t put any on yet, I would have a little panic about being clocked.
That feeling has pretty much gone. I wear much less make-up now, often just mascara day to day, and I feel far more comfortable with my face.
Interestingly, not many friends or colleagues noticed that anything had changed. But that was exactly what I wanted. I asked for subtle changes, not a dramatic transformation. I still wanted to look in the mirror and see me. I can see the difference, even if other people can’t immediately put their finger on it, and I’m very happy with that.
There are a couple of things I’d mention for balance. I haven’t really noticed the fuller lips I was hoping for from the lipofilling, which is a little disappointing. My scalp also still feels quite tight and is slightly numb in a couple of places, although I understand this can take time to fully settle.
Overall, though, I’m very happy with what Dr Oelbrandt has done and with the confidence it has given me.
A huge thank you to Dr Oelbrandt, Kiona and the whole team at 2Pass/O2 Clinic for the care they gave me.
And a special shoutout to Petra. She is an absolute superstar and basically your guesthouse mum while you’re there. She looked after me, gave me hugs when I needed them and we had many interesting conversations during both stays. Having someone like that around when you’re recovering away from home makes a real difference.
Before & after photos
The before photos were taken pre-op and the after photos were taken 2 months after my July 2026 surgery..
The clinic also has its own photos from before my January surgery and at around three months post-op, but before my second surgery in July: view the O2 Clinic photo set.