Yes, there is facial masculinization surgery. There are all sorts of procedures for individuals who want their face to look more masculine. That said, the number of people who want their face masculinized is less than the number that one at feminized. There are a few things that start to come into play with facial masculinization. One of the things is the male human head is bigger than the female human head. And the the structures, the jawline, the nose, the forehead, the bones are bigger and the soft tissue is generally thicker and the muscles are a little bigger.
What are typical facial masculinization procedures?
One of the easiest and the most common procedures I do is to do to operate on someone’s nose. In facial masculinization, rather than a reduction rhinoplasty, which is commonly done, we’re usually augmenting the nose and making it a little bit larger. We might give the nose a stronger bridge, or a stronger tip. Those kind of things. That often requires extra cartilage, and the cartilage is often taken from the patient’s rib, if there’s not enough nasal supple cartilage. So, we’ve got to make it bigger.
Another typical masculinization procedure is augmenting the chin. Augmenting the chin can be done with bony surgery or with an implant. Augmenting the lateral jaw can be done to give the appearance of strength. Plus, lateral projection of the jaw and augmenting the cheeks can also be done. What is a little harder to do is to augment the frontal bone. We reduce the frontal bone a lot of times in feminization surgery.
Can you get an Adam’s apple implant?
An Adam’s apple implant can be done, but I don’t really love this procedure and I’ll explain why. If you look at the male Adam’s apple, the thyroid cartilage, it’s more prominent and it’s narrower than a female’s — which is softer and sits back a little bit more. So, if you look at my Adam’s apple, you can see it move when I swallow and I talk, because I have a sharp Adam’s apple and a thin neck. You can see it moving. We can recreate that with a cartilage graft. It’s not really an implant. An implant is foreign. It’s a lot of surgery to create a little change. But we can take the female thyroid cartilage, and graft on top of that with a created rib cartilage. We fashion a graft. We put it in, we sew it into place.
How much does facial masculinization surgery cost?
The cost of facial masculinization depends on what’s getting done, like any surgery or combination of surgeries. If we’re doing a lot of things, jaw augmentation, lateral jaw augmentation, nasal surgery, it may cost a considerable amount, maybe $20,000-30,000. If we’re doing one smaller procedure, it costs much less. So, it depends a little on what’s getting done, and that requires an individualized consultation or a few of them. I’ve got to listen to you, and understand what you want. Then I’ve got to plan a surgery that will work for your face, to make it balanced, natural, and how you want it to be.
If you have questions about this, call or email me any time. I love doing this kind of surgery. I love taking care of my patients and listening to their goals. I’d love to hear from you, and I look forward to seeing you in my office.
Have questions about facial masculinization surgery?
Email Dr.Sykes at [email protected]
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About Dr. Jonathan Sykes
Dr. Jonathan Sykes is a world-famous expert plastic surgeon who performs all cosmetic and functional plastic surgery procedures on the face and neck. He is a past president of The American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, and served on their Board of Directors for over 10 years. He is also a Professor Emeritus in Facial Plastic Surgery from UC Davis Medical Center, and the former Director of Facial Plastic Surgery at that institution.
He is known as the expert’s expert, and is often called to consult and advise other plastic surgeons in both Northern California and Beverly Hills. He has a special interest in eyelid and browlift surgery, facial rejuvenation surgery including facelifts, and rhinoplasty. He also has a particular interest in facial feminization surgery. Have questions? Email Dr.Sykes at: [email protected]
