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Woollahra Sydney . Wollongong NSW
What is Facial Feminisation Surgery – FFS?
Before the surgery, during your consultation, you’ll go through a medical evaluation and consultation with your surgeon. During this time, you will also have an opportunity to get answers to any questions that you may have. You may also be advised not to take certain medications a week or two before the surgery.
On the day of your surgery, make sure not to eat or drink anything after midnight. You should also arrange for someone to drive you home following the operation.
Depending on your specific needs, these procedures may be performed individually or in combination as part of a single surgery. Anaesthesia requirements and recovery time will vary based on the number of surgical interventions performed during one session. Some surgeries can be performed using local anaesthesia with sedation, while others require general anaesthesia, depending on your specific needs.
Because FFS is a combination of many different procedures, it can take anywhere from one to five hours to complete. Usually, most patients choose to get all the surgeries in two sessions. One for the upper face and the other for the lower face.
Different Types of Facial Feminisation Procedures
Each of these individual procedures can alter facial features and bone structure to bring out a person’s most feminine attributes. Common FFS procedures include:
- Forehead contouring: this is performed to alter the shape of your forehead to become more feminine and smaller
- Brow lift (browplasty): this raises a low brow line to a higher position, reduces the prominence, and makes it more feminine
- Rhinoplasty: this makes the nose look more slender and feminine by altering the tip, bridge, or nostrils
- Chin recontouring/augmentation (genioplasty): this makes the chin appear rounder and softer
- Lip lift/lip augmentation: this gives fuller lips and a Cupid’s bow that are associated with a feminine structure
- Cheek implants or injections in order to increase cheek volume and highlight prominent cheekbones
- Minimising the Adam’s Apple (tracheal shave): this reduces the size of Adam’s apple so it appears less prominent
- Hairline lowering: this makes the hairline lower and can decrease the forehead’s size
Why Patients Might Consider Facial Feminisation Surgery
There are a number of reasons why patients might consider Facial Feminisation, including:
- It can help to reduce the appearance of a “five o’clock shadow”
- It can help to reduce the size of your nose
- It can reduce a prominent Adam’s apple
- It can alter the shape of the jawline
- It can make the chin appear smaller and rounder
- It can raise your eyebrow ridge
Who is a Suitable Candidate for Facial Feminisation Surgery?
Whether you’re a transgender woman who wants to undergo Facial Feminisation Surgery, or a cisgender woman who wants to reduce the masculine features of your face, good candidates for FFS are people who, naturally or not, have a face that doesn’t match how they see themselves or how they want others to see them.
The type of work you’ll have done depends on your particular features. For example, if you have a high forehead, you may want to consider having your hairline lowered; if your jaw looks very square or prominent when viewed from the side, you may want to consider jaw reduction; if you have a large or wide nose, you may want to consider rhinoplasty. You may be a suitable candidate for Facial Feminisation Surgery if:
- The appearance of your face is not representative of how you feel
- You don’t like the way your face looks, or you are suffering from gender dysphoria
- You want to get rid of masculine features in your face so others see you as a woman
- You are over 18 and can give consent
- You are aware of the fact that transgender procedures sometimes require hormone therapy prior to surgery and have realistic expectations for the surgery
- You have no debilitating diseases that are a contraindication for the surgery
Recovery After Facial Feminisation Surgery
Depending on how extensive your surgery needs to be, you may be required to stay overnight in the hospital or stay a few nights.
It is common for FFS patients to experience swelling and bruising after surgery. These symptoms typically last about two weeks but can persist for several months, depending on the extent of the procedure. Patients should expect to wait around three months before seeing their final results. Most patients are able to return to work within the first two weeks of the recovery period.
The results of FFS are considered permanent. While your face will continue to age as normal, the overall results should remain long-lasting. You may need to take hormonal therapy to control facial hair and muscle growth, but the shape should not alter severely.
Patients should avoid smoking and vaping during recovery.
