The Power of Facial Feminization
When transgender women in New York request plastic surgery, top surgery is often the procedure they’re most interested in. We meet these patients partway along what can be a lengthy journey involving physical and psychological changes and challenges. For many, top surgery in New York with us is an important milestone.
Some transgender people find the prospect of facial feminization appealing too, but it can be difficult to envision just what the results might look like. Recently a transgender woman who’s a newsreader in England posted her before and after facial feminization photos, and she’s a good example of what a few subtle changes can accomplish. You can read the Daily Mail article and see the photos here.
Leading Facial Feminization Procedures
The British newsreader, India Willoughby, chose several strategies for refining her face. She focused attention on her upper face—which we find effective for many of our New York facial feminization patients as well.
Since men tend to have heavier, higher foreheads than women, transgender patients like Ms. Willoughby can benefit from forehead remodeling. For many, that means a forehead lift to smooth the skin of the upper face and modify the hairline. Some patients whose forehead bones are heavy choose a procedure called bossing to make the area appear more delicate.
Ms. Willoughby also elected to have an upper eyelid lift. Whether or not the lids are droopy, this procedure can be helpful in opening up the eyes and giving them the rounder shape that’s a feminine hallmark. She also chose a mini facelift. We can perform full facelifts for transgender patients, or surgery we call a mid facelift to elevate heavy cheek skin. Since men tend to have thicker skin as well as heavier features, transgender women, lifting facial skin can aid in creating a more refined appearance.
Each Individual is Unique
There are so many options for transgender women to change their appearance—the choices can seem overwhelming! It’s important to select an experienced plastic surgeon with a history of working with thousands of diverse patients and the skills to help make informed decisions.
For instance, many transgender women want to enhance their lips. Ms. Willoughby chose a lip lift to raise her upper lip to a more feminine level. For some patients this is the best option, while others can benefit from lip augmentation with fillers and some women choose both.
Continuing with options for the lower face, if there is heaviness around the jowls and neck, light liposuction or a neck lift can help. Both these procedures have great potential for creating a more delicate, youthful look to the jaw area.
The menu of possibilities includes several other procedures that can be appropriate for transgender women. Some patients elect rhinoplasty to refine a substantial nose. Some choose implants or fat transfer to enhance the cheekbones, and some elect otoplasty, or ear surgery, to pin large ears back and/or reduce the size of the earlobes.
Transgender Plastic Surgery Motivations
We were dismayed to learn that Ms. Willoughby was motivated to have male to female plastic surgery in part because of abuse she suffered from social media trolls. It’s aour New York transgender surgery patients’ sole motivation for visiting us was to become outwardly the person they feel like inside—but “fitting in” is inevitably at least a secondary factor.
Transgender individuals can at least be reassured that they will fit in with us. Throughout three decades of performing plastic surgery for a very diverse group of patients, we have focused on treating each one exactly as we would wish to be treated. We work with people of all shapes, sizes and walks of life, and nearly as many men as we do women.
If you’re a transgender women considering plastic surgery, we welcome you to contact us.
