At the Deschamps-Braly Clinic, much of our work focuses on transgender individuals seeking gender affirming facial feminization or facial masculinization procedures. However, a considerable number of patients are also interested in achieving an androgynous look rather than a strictly masculine or feminine appearance. These patients include both nonbinary, genderfluid, or other gender minorities as well as binary cis or transgender patients who prefer to express themselves with an androgynous look.
However you identify, our aesthetic nurse specialist, Jennifer Fick, can help you enhance an androgynous appearance using non-surgical methods.
Non-Surgical Options for an Androgynous Look
When it comes to achieving an androgynous look, non-surgical options vary from patient-to-patient. During your consultation, Jennifer can recommend which features can be enhanced or adjusted to create a balance of traditionally masculine and feminine features that still appears natural and harmonious. For most patients, this means a combination of neuromodulators like Botox or Dysport with dermal fillers like Restylane.
For a majority of Botox patients, the goal is a more youthful appearance. Brow shape and height can be feminine or masculine, and your natural brow shape can be altered using Botox or Dysport. It is possible to elevate and create a more arched appearance, feminizing the brow. It is also an option to slightly lower and straighten the brow, creating a more masculine shape.
Regardless of gender identity, many patients wish to have a more pronounced or contoured jawline. Dermal fillers can be placed to smooth, enhance, and contour the jawline. Technically, this could be considered masculinizing, but in reality, it can complement either gender, or provide a more androgynous appearance. In contrast, some patients have enlarged masseters (chewing muscles) from clenching or grinding at night. Botox can be injected in the jaw to relax and reduce the bulk of the muscles. This can not only reduce jaw pain, but also results in a slimmer and more feminine look.
Patients with submental fullness, or a “double chin” can benefit from a series of injection treatments with Kybella to dissolve excessive fat. Kybella is a synthetic bile salt and can permanently remove unwanted fat pockets. In doing so, it can improve the contour of the jawline, resulting in a more youthful appearance overall.
Adding volume and contour to the lips can create a more feminine appearance and restore lip volume that has been lost with time. This also holds true for adding volume to the cheek and temple areas, where the fat pads tend to shrink and shift over time. Cheek volume and shape is quite different between men and women, so care must be taken when adding volume to not feminize a male cheek if the desired outcome is to restore lost volume alone.
The most appropriate treatment options depend on a patient’s innate and unique facial features and no two patients will have identical treatment plans. A thorough, in-person consultation and facial evaluation with Jennifer is necessary to successfully achieve the androgynous look each patient is wishing to achieve.
Gender Affirmation for Nonbinary and Gender Minority Patients
For many patients, an androgynous look goes far beyond a fashion statement. Many may feel gender dysphoria related to their natural appearance and seek non-surgical options as part of a gender affirming treatment plan. If a more androgynous look will result in reduced dysphoria, this can often be achieved non-surgically. During a consultation, Jennifer can review your options.
Non-Surgical Options to Prepare for Gender Affirming Surgery
Some patients may pursue gender affirming craniofacial surgery to achieve a more androgynous look but are not yet ready for surgery. This may be because they are not yet ready to commit to permanent changes, they are waiting for the right time to undergo a surgery and recovery period, or countless other reasons. Whatever the case, non-surgical options may be best. In addition to temporarily changing the appearance with injectables, treatments such as IPL Photofacial or microneedling can create healthier skin prior to surgery to improve the healing process.
Schedule a Consultation
If you are interested in achieving a more androgynous appearance through non-surgical treatment options, schedule a consultation with Jennifer Fick, MSN, FNP-C, CANS at the Deschamps-Braly Clinic in San Francisco. Call +1-415-877-6585 to schedule your appointment.
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.
