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Everyone deserves to feel at home in their body.
Exploring your gender identity can be a complex process full of self-discovery. There's no set timeline or single path that's right for everyone. Focus on finding what feels most authentic for you. If transitioning is your goal, there are caring gender reassignment surgeons who can offer support and guidance when you're ready. Counseling can help you process your feelings in an open, non-judgmental space. While medical treatments like hormones or surgery may help relieve gender dysphoria for some, move at your own pace. Your comfort and well-being are most important. However you identify and whatever social or medical steps you take, you deserve to be seen as your true self.
What is Gender Dysphoria?
Gender dysphoria symptoms refer to psychological discomfort caused when someone's gender identity does not match their sex or gender assigned at birth. It’s important to understand that identifying as a transgender person is not a mental health disorder. Still, the symptoms of severe distress caused by gender misalignment can result in gender dysphoria, a treatable mental health condition.
The primary symptom of gender dysphoria is a conflict between the physical body and internal gender identity. For example, someone may be physically male anatomically but feel and identify as female. The mismatch causes severe distress, anxiety, depression, and discomfort for some individuals. Symptoms may include feeling shame or disgust related to your physical body, an urge to change outward signals of gender like clothing and hairstyle, and feelings of disconnection between how the world identifies you versus how you feel inside. Intense gender dysphoria can make simple activities like using public restrooms incredibly difficult.
Treatment Options for Gender Dysphoria
The caring medical professionals at the Institute for Advanced Reconstruction are dedicated to offering safe and compassionate gender-affirmation surgical services. Our holistic approach aims to support the complete well-being of individuals seeking to align their physical appearance with their gender identity, improving self-image, confidence, and quality of life.
Medical Treatments
Hormone Therapy
Like all medical decisions, hormone therapy should be customized to each person. One person’s goal may be to minimize the appearance of secondary sex characteristics, such as breasts or facial hair. In contrast, another person may want to achieve fully feminine or fully masculine features aligned with their gender identity.
Feminizing hormone therapy involves taking estrogen to trigger breast growth, decrease muscle mass, soften skin, decrease body hair, and redistribute body fat to align with a more feminine gender identity. Masculinizing hormone therapy involves taking testosterone to increase muscle mass, stop menstruation, deepen the voice, etc., for female-presenting patients who identify as male. Depending on the desired outcome, hormone therapy might include anti-androgens, estrogens, progestogens, or testosterone
Gender Affirmation Therapy
Gender affirmation therapy or gender-affirming mental health treatment is an essential foundation for anyone considering gender affirmation surgery. Working with a therapist who is knowledgeable about gender diversity allows you to discuss your feelings and experiences openly without judgment. The therapist can help you better understand your gender identity, cope with dysphoria, and navigate social or medical transition if desired. Therapy offers tools to build self-acceptance, inner peace, and confidence in your identity. It also equips you to handle challenges like shame and discrimination. Most importantly, gender-affirming therapy supports and validates your identity so you can live as your authentic self.
What are the Requirements for Gender-Affirmation Surgery?
Gender-affirmation surgery is just one part of a deeply personal process. Because of its complexity, permanency, and surgical risks, there are several steps individuals usually need to complete to be approved for surgery.
Persistent, well-documented gender dysphoria: The individual must have ongoing struggles with gender identity and a strong desire to transition surgically. This is typically established through months or years of therapy.
Mental health evaluation and letters of recommendation: Most surgeons require 1-2 letters from licensed mental health professionals confirming the patient has gender dysphoria, is prepared for surgery, and has the capacity to consent.
Hormone therapy: Patients often undergo feminizing or masculinizing hormone therapy for 12+ months before surgery to initiate a shift toward desired secondary sex characteristics.
Living in gender role: The patient lives socially in the gender identity they wish to surgically affirm, including legal name/document changes.
Medical health evaluation: You will be asked to undergo lab work, medical history, and physical exam to assess surgical risks and readiness.
Arrange aftercare: Demonstrate a support network that can provide help during your post-op recovery period. This includes transportation, housing, help with activities of daily living, and emotional support.
Types of Gender Affirmation Surgeries
Each person’s surgical goals and medical needs are unique. With the guidance of your medical care team, you may consider some or all of the following surgical procedures to align your gender identity with your physical body. 
Chest Surgery (Top Surgery)
Chest feminization and chest masculinization are the typical “top surgery” procedures that can help align a person’s physical body with their gender identity. This may include breast reshaping, breast reduction, or breast implants, depending on your preferences and affirmed identity.
Genital Surgery (Bottom Surgery)
There are three primary genital surgeries available to align and affirm your true gender identity. These include phalloplasty or the creation of a surgically constructed penis (neopenis) out of a skin flap, which may include erectile implants. Metoidioplasty, or reshaping an enlarged clitoris, may also be an option to create a small neopenis for transgender men.
For transgender women, vaginoplasty involves the surgical creation of a vaginal canal and vulva from existing genital tissue.
Complementary Surgeries to Affirm Gender Identity
Other gender affirmation surgeries include facial feminization and liposuction, breast reconstruction with fat grafting, or implants to enhance feminine/masculine contours. Some patients seek to reinforce a change in gender identity through vocal cord surgery to alter the pitch or quality of their voice. Thyroid cartilage reshaping or shaving can also change the appearance of a patient’s Adam's apple to better align with the affirmed gender.
Schedule a Consultation for Gender Affirmation Surgery
Exploring gender affirmation surgery is an intimate, personal journey. At the Institute for Advanced Reconstruction, our board-certified plastic surgeons provide compassionate care in a judgment-free environment. We will listen carefully, explain your options clearly, and offer guidance each step of the way.
