One Final Step: Softening Your Features
For individuals transitioning from male to female, there is a lot to prepare for. The process is long and arduous, and something that has resulted from a significant amount of thought and consideration. After much of your transition is complete, you may find that you desire additional changes to your facial features. During your transition surgery from male to female, your facial features are not altered, and the masculine-looking aspects of your face will remain. Facial feminisation surgery is a series of cosmetic surgical procedures that aim to shift masculine-looking features to look more feminine.
Both men and women have “ideal” features. For men, these often include a squared, angular jaw, a broad forehead, fuller and more substantial eyebrows and a prominent chin. While many men desire these traits, most women do not. Instead of strong, prominent features, women want softer, more delicate ones. Facial feminisation surgery allows for this.
What Facial Features Are Addressed?
Facial feminisation surgery combines a series of procedures depending on your specific needs and desires. This treatment is personalized and individualized to you, and usually include some combinations of the following:
The Forehead
Men’s foreheads tend to be larger, broader and more pronounced than those of women. To transition a masculine-looking forehead to a feminine-looking one, a series of procedures are performed to reduce the prominence of the forehead. To begin with, men commonly have a hump or prominent brow ridge that gives it a “masculine” look. With forehead contouring, this ridge or hump is removed by filing it down to provide a smoother, more rounded look. Next, the hairline is often lowered, as men traditionally have a higher hairline than women. To achieve this change, the hairline must be lowered through surgery or hair transplantation. By lowering the hairline, you will see the minimization of a prominent forehead. Finally, the brows must be addressed. Men generally have straighter and thicker eyebrows that sit closer to the eyes. To alter this, a brow lift is performed to attain a feminine arch and allow for a greater distance between the brow and eye.
The Nose
As the idea of facial feminisation surgery is to make the facial features more delicate and subtle, softening the nose is often on the list of included procedures. For women, a desirable nose is one that is smaller, narrower and more proportionate to the eyes, cheeks, and lips. Rhinoplasty is employed to reduce the size and prominence of the nose while maintaining facial balance and harmony.
The Jawline
After your transition, a squared-off jawline is not likely to be a feature you want to keep. Chin reduction is performed to narrow and define the chin and jawline. The sharper angles of this area will be rounded for a more feminine appearance.
The Adam’s Apple
One of the most telling aspects of your transition will be the presence of your Adam’s Apple. To eliminate this, the excess cartilage that makes up the Adam’s Apple is shaved down through an incision in the neck. This allows for the neck to be smoothed without risk to your health or vocal cords.
Enhance the Lips and Cheeks
While many procedures that are included in facial feminisation deal with reducing the appearance of certain facial features, other regions of the face, such as the cheeks and lips, will benefit more from augmentation (or an increase). Full and youthful cheeks are accomplished either through cheek implants or fat grafting. Full and luscious lips can be achieved with fat grafting or facial fillers.
If you are interested in learning more about facial feminisation after your transition, contact Mr Gwanmesia by calling 02074741300 to set up a consultation.
