Written by Mr Brian Musgrove for Doctify
There have been significant advances in gender issues over the last twenty years and a movement towards acceptance that gender identity is not as straightforward as many of us once thought.
Changing opinion has given a growing confidence to the transgender community, but there is still a long way to go before every transwoman can feel confident stepping out as the gender identity in which they feel comfortable.
Some transgender women still feel a sense of discrimination and a lack of social acceptance which can drive them to seek medical solutions in order to help them feel more at ease in social environments.
Mr Brian Musgrove has been performing Facial Feminising surgery for 25 years in Manchester and London, continue reading to hear his expert opinion on the reconstructive surgical procedures involved.
What is Facial Feminisation?
Facial Feminisation is the name which has been adopted to describe facial surgery designed to minimise the secondary physical characteristics of the face which develop at puberty to distinguish a male face from a female one.
The facial skeleton changes significantly in the male face during puberty. The size of the lower face and jaw, the shape and size of the brow and the thickness of the facial bones increase more in males and distinguishes the male post-pubertal face from the female post-pubertal face. There are a number of other changes which occur during puberty, including changes to skin texture and facial hair, as well as a deeper voice as a result of the thyroid cartilage or the voice box increasing in size.
- Broader skull
- More prominent temple bone crest
- Heavier brow
- More prominent cheekbone
- Square chin
- More sloping forehead
- Longer skull
- More prominent brow ridge
- Heavier jaw angle
- Larger teeth
Surgical Procedures & Choosing your Surgeon
It will come as no surprise that treatment is aimed at minimising the aforementioned differences between the two sexes and that the most common operations are brow reshaping, rhinoplasty, jaw reshaping & reducing the size of the “Adam’s Apple”.
Each of these operations requires careful planning. Treatment is best performed by someone with experience in interpreting the secondary sex characteristics of the face and the expertise to provide a comprehensive analysis & delivery of the surgical requirements of each individual patient. Ideally, your surgeon should have plastic surgery and maxillofacial surgical skills.
There are adjunctive procedures which help feminise the face such as fat grafting which can be used to soften a gaunt appearance – usually associated as a male characteristic. When combined with a facelift, particularly in the middle to late age range, these procedures can have a dramatic effect in softening and ‘feminising’ the appearance of the face.
Another common adjunctive procedure is a lip lift which is intended to shorten the upper lip and enhance the “cupids bow”.
Whilst this is not a comprehensive list of the procedures which can be used to feminise the face, it does include the most common operations. Such procedures are often done together meaning that surgery can take several hours. The recovery period from such can last a couple of weeks depending on the procedures chosen and can often include two nights in hospital.
Should you wish to discuss specific procedures and the certain risk which they may carry, it is best to discuss these in a full consultation with your selected specialist.
