What is gender reassignment surgery?
Gender reassignment surgery is a surgical procedure that helps people to transform themselves to their self-identified gender. This surgery includes facial surgery, top surgery, and bottom surgery. People who opt for gender reassignment surgery suffer from gender dysphoria, which occurs when your assigned sex at birth does not match your identified gender. According to reports, 1 in 4 transgender people prefers gender reaffirmation surgery.
Types of gender reassignment surgery
Sex reassignment surgery helps transgender people to get the desired body that aligns with their sex. This procedure involves surgery on the face, chest, or genitalia. Some of the common gender reaffirmation surgery options are:
- Facial reconstructive surgery to change the facial features and make them more masculine or feminine as required.
- Chest surgery to remove the tissue of the breast to get a more masculine look or add more tissues to increase the shape and size of the breast to get a more feminine appearance.
- Genital surgery to transform the genitals.
Gender reassignment surgery procedure
Depending on your requirement, you can choose to do facial surgery, chest surgery or genital surgery or a combination of these surgeries as a part of the sex reassignment surgery.
If you are a woman by birth and want to transit yourself to a male, female to male surgery doctor will perform the following procedures.
- Breast reduction surgery to remove the breast tissues to get a more masculine look.
- Oophorectomy to remove the ovaries and Hysterectomy to remove the uterus.
- Construction of a penis and scrotum through metoidioplasty, phalloplasty, and scrotoplasty.
Also, if you are a man by birth and want to transform yourself into a female, male-to-female surgery specialist will do the following surgeries.
- Reduction of the Adam’s apple
- Breast augmentation surgery to increase the shape and size of the breasts.
- Penectomy and Orchiectomy surgeries to remove the penis and scrotum.
- Construction of a vagina and labia through feminizing genitoplasty.
Recovery after gender reassignment surgery
The recovery phase of sex reassignment surgery depends on the type of surgery conducted on you.
- Swelling and discomfort are normal. It may last for two-four weeks. However, if your chin and jaw are operated on, it will take some months for the swelling to disappear. It is advised to avoid vigorous physical activity for at least one month after the surgery for an effective recovery.
- Moreover, if you have genital surgeries, you must not resume any usual activities for at least six weeks. You are also required to visit your doctor for checkups.
- Wound cleaning is also an important part of post-operative care after surgery. Your doctor will show you the techniques to clean your wounds.
Conclusion
Gender reassignment surgery helps people to transform themselves to their self-identified gender. But before the surgery, it is advised to consult a trusted plastic surgeon to have a thorough discussion.