Gender affirming surgery is a rapidly growing surgery in the field of plastic surgery for reshaping genitals and to affirm one’s gender. Gender confirmation surgery, also known as genital or sex reassignment surgery, helps to ease the feeling of gender dysphoria, especially for transgender individuals. Gender dysphoria can lead to a dissatisfied and anxious life due to the mismatch between a person’s biological sex and their gender identity. These surgeries help the patients to look from masculine to feminine and vice versa, which benefits them greatly.
About gender confirming surgery
This surgery is usually done in adulthood. It can change the features of the face, genitals, chest and other body parts as well. Perhaps not every transgender person wants to undergo any of these surgeries. Moving forward with the decision of having surgery or not depends on various factors, such as whether one wants to have peace of mind or get rid of anxiety or depression caused by gender dysphoria.
Benefits of surgery
The various benefits of gender affirming surgeries can be:
- Mental health benefits post surgery, which allow the person to stay stress-free, as it helps in removing all kinds of suicidal thoughts and distress.
- Improved sexuality by undergoing some kind of bottom surgery, as they can experience a high level of sexual satisfaction.
- Higher quality of life as compared to the one before surgery
- Improved social affirmation as transgender individuals can feel accepted with a different pronoun, having self-identified gender. It helps them feel more confident in public as well as in themselves.
- Better self-image because they don’t have to struggle with low self-esteem.
Types of surgeries
This includes several types of surgeries for transgender individuals and even for those who suffer from gender dysphoria:
- Vaginoplasty: Constructing a vagina
- Phalloplasty: Using tissue from the body to make a penis
- Masculinising chest surgery: Removal of breast tissue
- Facial feminisation surgery: To create more feminine features of the face
- Voice feminisation surgery: raising the pitch of the voice to make it sound higher.
- Tracheal shaving: This helps in reducing the size of the ‘Adam’s apple’
- Facial masculinisation surgery: To create a more masculine appearance of the face
- Vulvaplasty: Vaginal surgery to reshape the outer region of the vagina.
- Metoidioplasty: It involves making a small penis by using tissue from the clitoris.
- Mastectomy: To remove all breast tissue
- Breast augmentation: Inserting breast implants
- Orchiectomy: Removing the testicles
- Penectomy: Removing tissue from the penis to make a vulva
- Hysterectomy: Removal of uterus and ovaries
- Vaginectomy: Removal of the vagina
How much will these surgeries cost around
These surgeries can be very expensive, depending on the procedures needed for the specific surgery to be done. There can be surgeon and anaesthetist’s fees as well as visits’ charges and hospital charges, or any other products that you require. The surgery may cost between Rs. 2 lakhs and Rs. 10 lakhs.
Legal affirmation
Legal documents do require changes of gender on passport, licence, and birth certificate, etc., all requiring separate procedures. This protects the transgender patient from discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity.
Conclusion
Gender affirmation surgeries are generally safe. These surgeries are permanent. Therefore, it’s better to decide what will be the right choice for you. Talking with a professional, here at VJ Transgender Clinics will help you make the right decision about going ahead with the surgery or not. Transgender people, though unique in their own way, can still choose to confirm their gender through surgeries, whether feminine or masculine, depending on their individual choice after consulting with the experts who will guide and give their best suggestion.
