When they go down the street, people look at them or approach them with hesitation in their voice. It is the full recognition as a woman by strangers that leads the patients to have feminization surgery. Feminizing the face affects both the patient and the society that surrounds her.
Feminizing the face is a procedure that is visible to everyone, to you and to those around you. It represents a very important change, and for many transgender people the beginning of a new life. That is why it is very important to understand what a facial feminization surgery is and what it involves.
Why choose facial feminization surgery?
This surgery is sometimes considered by many transgender people as important or even more important than changing the shape of the genitals with sex reassignment surgery (SRS). Since the face is a very visible part, with facial feminization we try to help transgender patients feel better about themselves and integrate socially as women.
The candidates for facial feminization surgery must wait until the bones of their skull have stopped growing before undergoing FFS (Facial Feminization Surgery). To determine if the skull bones have stopped growing, we take x-ray of the jawbone and bones from different parts of the body, to make sure that the bone growth has stopped. This usually happens at the age of 18.
Is it better to have combined facial feminization surgery or should it be done in parts?
It is of great importance that prior to feminization surgery the patient:
Feels confident about himself/herself
His/her objectives are clear and they know what they really want
Establish a good doctor-patient relationship
At Facifem, we think that it is better for the patient to have all surgeries during the same surgical procedure, as long as the patient is certain about what he/she wants to achieve with the help of Dr Macía during the first or following consultations prior to the intervention.
In fact, it is very common to operate three thirds of the face on our patients: foreheadplasty, rhinoplasty and mentoplasty together with Adam’s apple surgery on the neck and lipofilling.
The advantages of operating three-thirds of the face in a single operative procedure are:
The patient goes through postoperative convalescence only one time. The discomfort, inflammation … they are in general bearable in a complete feminization surgery and aren’t very unpleasant for the patient.
Everyday life and activities are interrupted only once.
Saving money due to shorter operative time.
Is facial feminization surgery painful?
Dr Macía Colón always explains that pain is something subjective in each patient. At Facifem, we use the most advanced technologies to reduce postoperative effects, such as rhinoplasty or ultrasonic foreheadplasty. In general, the postoperative period after feminization is rather uncomfortable than painful and the local pain usually responds very well to the common analgesics.
How long will I stay in the hospital after facial feminization surgery?
This depends on the treatment you have undergone. For complete feminization surgery and combined with several treatments, you will need to spend one night in the hospital, in rare occasions 2 nights. The most normal is that Dr Macía or someone from a medical team will discharge you the following morning.
We perform outpatient interventions, which means that the patient goes home after the operation and under local anesthesia and deep sedation controlled by an anesthesiologist in isolated surgeries such as:
- Ultrasonic Rhinoplasty
- Otoplasty
- Blepharoplasty
- Mentoplasty
- Mini facelift
Does the sensitivity of the skin or numbness increase after facial feminization surgery?
This normally occurs in forehead surgery and mentoplasty. It can also occur in lifting surgery when the cut is made at the level of the ears. This symptom is completely normal and temporary. It is not permanent. It is because nerves under the skin are slightly affected during a certain period. We always warn the patient that this feeling of sensitivity usually can take longer to disappear, from several weeks to a few months.
The best treatment for this cutaneous numbness or paresthesias, is a gentle massage by the patient every 12 hours for about 10 minutes, in order to stimulate tactile sensitivity and nerves recovery. We usually recommend a moisturizer or rosehip oil to make the massage easier.
Should I finish with my hormone replacement treatment before facial feminization surgery?
In fact, Dr Macía explains that it is not necessary to wait to finish the hormone treatment. If you feel mentally and physically well, you can make an appointment for your operation at any time.
Who performs facial feminization surgery?
The FFS surgery is performed by the respected oral and maxillofacial surgeon Dr Macía Colón.
A doctor specialized in aesthetics and feminization with incredible attention to detail and commitment to achieving the highest perfection.
The Doctor usually performs two feminization surgeries a week.
During the surgery, Dr Macía has the assistance of two assistant surgeons with the support of one scrub nurse and a circulating nurse.
Our anesthesiologist has extensive experience and training in head and neck surgery. Very rigorous discipline in the field of anesthesiology since it involves airway management and knowing different intubation techniques such as oral, nasal, or even submental and tracheal.
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