How much does facial feminization surgery cost? Let’s find out

A smooth high eyebrow arc, plumed cheeks, full lips, smaller nose, and tapered jaw; are the features that describe a feminine face, and we associate them with classical femininity.

Facial feminization surgery costs around $20,000 to $50,000 or even more, depending on the surgeon and the number of procedures he/she performed on a face. It is highly complex and exclusive to each patient. The surgery encompasses a variety of procedures to transform masculine features into feminine features. For instance, moving hairline to create a smaller forehead, tapering jaw, tweaking chin, having lips and cheek filled, and so forth.

Facial feminization surgery makes life-changing improvements. It has a great impact on how you are perceived in society and how you interact with others. Your face is the first thing that anyone notices and you know what? The first impression is based on your appearance, the way you look, dress and walk. These factors have added weight to the importance of facial feminization surgery.

As per recent research, patients who go through this surgery develop an increased sense of self-worth and self-esteem. It has a positive impact on an individual’s personal and professional life.

What is Facial Feminization Surgery?

Facial feminization surgery is also known as cosmetic surgery is a kind of treatment that combines various soft and bony tissues to give an overall effect of a feminine-looking face, at once. Unlike other surgeries that use a targeted approach, facial feminine surgery employs multiple methods to achieve prominent results in a single go.

Women who have facial features that society normally considers masculine and patients who wish to have gender reassignment surgery make good candidates for facial feminization surgery. It also deals with cisgender females who were born female by birth but later in life develop manly features. For instance, deep or unibrow or broad jawline and chin. Moreover, transgender and non-binary people who want to feel at home in their bodies, also make potential clients for this surgery. Facial feminization surgery works wonders for such people as it offers transformative changes to them. It boosts their confidence and enables them to live their gender identity with utter joy and confidence. Especially for transgenders, facial feminization surgery has a greater positive impact on mental health and improves physical health than genital feminization surgery does.

Full facial surgery is a bit rare, very few plastic surgeons do it professionally. If you want to get it done, you may have to travel across different countries. In any case, you must ensure the surgeon you have selected has proven experience in this field. Your face is the most prominent and attractive part of your body, so it is always better to research in-depth to make sure you are on the right track. Just like you search for a good designer to get good clothes from, you are selecting an artist here in this case as well who will craft your face as per your requirements. So, explore until you find the best one for yourself.

What Results you should expect after Facial Feminization Surgery

After deciding on the surgeon for facial feminization surgery, the next step is to book an appointment for a consultation with him/her. At the consultation, you will be informed about various surgeries and will be asked to express your goals and expectations from the treatment. Further, the doctor will recommend various treatments to achieve the desired results. If needed, your surgeon will go over pre-and post-operative instructions and communicate with you regarding what to expect post-surgery. The instructions vary from surgery to surgery. For instance, if you are taking hormone replacement therapy, you will need to stop it 2 weeks before the surgery and 2 weeks after it. You may even have to quit smoking if it is required for the treatment. Normally surgeons recommend fasting before surgery.

General anesthesia is used during the procedure to keep it painless. You may or may not have to stay under observation overnight, again it depends on the procedure you will take. In some cases, people undergo facial feminization surgery in two parts, first, they get done with the upper part of the face and then the lower part in the next session. While others prefer to get it done in a single go. Only your surgeon can recommend what’s best for you.

Facial Feminization Surgery Cost – is it too expensive?

The facial feminine surgery cost varies substantially. It depends on these factors:

• What type of surgery you are taking.
• From where you are having it done.
• Who is performing it
• What procedures are involved in it
• How many components are involved in the procedure?

These are the factors that will determine the cost of surgery. Unfortunately, it is not covered by insurance, you must take it from your pocket. However, in the US, many surgeons offer attractive financing options to their clients to make facial surgeries affordable. Facial Feminization surgery cost around $20,000 to $50,000. Your surgeon will explain it to you further in detail following your initial appointment. You may cancel out unnecessary procedures with the help of your surgeon to keep the cost down.

Typical Features Involved in Facial Feminization Surgery

1) Hairline

Women with wide hairlines undergo this surgery. In this process, the hairline is advanced by moving it down towards the forehead. As a result, it will leave a manly effect on the face.

2) Nose

Rhinoplasty surgery is done to reduce the size and change the shape of the nose. It is a common facial surgery procedure.

3) Jawline

This surgery is done to reduce the width and angularity of the jawbone. Women with masculine jawbones undergo this facial surgery. For a more contoured jaw, buccal fat removal surgery is the best option.

4) Brow Lift

For deep or furrowed brows, brow lift surgery is done to give the face a more defined and sharper look and to counteract masculine touch from the face. It also reduces the aging signs from the forehead, like wrinkles and crow’s feet.

5) Lip Lift

For women who want bigger lips, this surgery is the best way to get that look. The process involves moving the upper lip closer to the nose, making the lower lip look more feminine and delicate.

6) Face Lift

Facelifting is a part of facial feminization surgery in which the face is shaved in a heart shape to make it look thinner from the bottom side.

How long is the Recovery Time?

Just like normal surgeries, facial surgeries should also be well taken care of otherwise they will not get you the desired results. The recovery time depends on how vigilant you are about post-surgery instructions. If you undergo too many component procedures, the recovery time will differ and most probably will be longer than small, targeted face surgeries. Complete rest of two weeks is a must with no heavy object lifting until the sixth week post-surgery. Avoid doing strenuous tasks and taking unnecessary stress. It would be better to have a friend or a family member by your side during this entire period. Make sure you attend all the follow-up checkups and in case of any unusual pain, call your surgeon right away.

Is Swelling Normal post-facial Feminization surgery?

Yes, swelling is normal after facial feminization surgery. It is a part of the healing mechanism. Since this is major surgery, a complete rest of 2 months is required until it looks perfectly fine. Though, such surgeries are likely to look worse before it gets better. During this entire phase, your surgeon will monitor the healing progress in follow-up visits and make sure that everything is going as planned.

Certainly, you cannot escape this phase but can minimize the pain during the healing process. Use ice packs and keep your head elevated for a speedy recovery. These are the important guidelines that everyone who is planning to get this surgery must go through.

Are there any risks associated with Facial Feminization Surgery?

Like every other surgery, facial feminine surgery has its risks associated with it. Up till now, the most serious risk identified in it is requiring general anesthesia for an extended period. The risk of adverse reactions is rare in this case. A well-experienced surgeon will always take a pre-operative test to ensure that you are healthy to undergo the surgery.

More than half of the risks like nerve damage, implant infections, scarring, suture rupture, and blood clots already get minimized when you choose the best surgeon for facial feminization surgery who has plenty of experience and a proven track record. Always discuss risks and complications associated with the treatment with your surgeon in advance so that you can be mentally prepared to deal with future complications.

Are there any non-surgical Facial Feminization Treatments?

There is always more than one way to do things. The same is the case with facial feminine treatments. If you are not a person who is comfortable with tools, you can always ask for non or minimally invasive facial treatments like, fillers, Botox, thread lift procedures, and so forth. You can achieve your facial goal with the help of these treatments, but they are not impressively durable. You must keep up with the sessions to maintain it.

Clients who opt for non-surgical treatments do not often get transformative results. Though, it brings satisfactory results for a short period. Normally, injective fillers are used for lip plump and cheek lift, Botox to the narrow jawline. Facial hair removal and hair transplant are the most common and painless treatments among all the non-surgical treatments. The best thing about these treatments is, they don’t require general anesthesia and long recovery periods.

Facial feminization treatments are no joke, if you don’t approach the right surgeon you will end up with an awful face. To potential clients of this surgery, it is recommended to travel to a place like Beverly Hills to get it done. If you wish to see the desired results, do a little research and make informed decisions.