Feminizing the African American Face
If you are of African American heritage and seeking to have facial feminization surgery (FFS) it’s critical to understand that what constitutes a typically female African American face may be vastly different — aesthetically and structurally — than a typical European, Asian, or even Hawaiian (Polynesian) face.
So before you select a plastic and craniofacial surgeon for your facial feminization surgery, it’s imperative to ensure that they have an in-depth understanding of the differences between the facial structures of people of different ethnic backgrounds, and most importantly proven experience with performing FFS on African Americans.
The forehead is the critical to feminizing the African American face.
The shape and size of the forehead and the brow should be the main focus of facial feminization for those of African American heritage. Typically the forehead will project a little further outwards than that of a person of Asian descent, but not as far as that of a person of European descent.
Forehead feminization typically includes forehead reduction and contouring to create a smoother, rounder, and more feminine forehead. Also, a feminizing brow lift and/or brow shaping procedure is recommended to reduce the distinctly ‘heavy’ African American male brow bossing and to “open up” the eyes to create a more feminine and rejuvenated appearance.
The hairline position on the forehead will also be different because African American women tend to have naturally higher hairlines than European women. Therefore, when we perform feminizing hairline lowering we make allowance for the fact that African American women have slightly higher hairlines to begin with, so we may not lower the hairline as significantly as we might in others. Ultimately, it all depends on your newly feminized facial features to ensure aesthetic balance and a natural looking result.
Feminizing the lower half of the African American face.
Typically, feminization of the nose via feminizing rhinoplasty is recommended for those of African American heritage. Often gender transition patients are seeking a narrower, more streamlined female nose. However, we also want to make sure that your nose will maintain a size and shape that is in harmony with your natural African American facial features, so that you still look like you.
Feminizing jaw surgery is also recommended because often the male African American jawline is quite broad and angular – often wider and squarer than what we see in other ethnicities. The jaw will often need to be narrowed and softened via feminizing jaw contouring or reshaping.
Dr. Deschamps-Braly is a board-certified plastic and craniofacial surgeon specializing in facial plastic surgery, orthognathic (jaw) surgery, and craniofacial surgery for adults and children. He is also one of the world’s foremost leaders and innovators in facial gender confirmation surgery.
