Facial Feminization Surgery for Women
Often when we talk about facial feminization we are referring to the surgery within the context of transgender individuals. However, there is another set of circumstances wherein facial feminization surgical procedures may be incredibly useful: for cisgendered women (female assigned female at birth) who are born with “masculine”-looking features and who are want to appear more feminine.
What features make a woman’s face appear “masculine”?
The most common complaint we hear from our female patients who are seeking facial feminization is either the forehead and brow and/or the jawline and chin is too prominent or too “bold”. These two features — more than any others — contribute to a masculine-looking appearance in cisgendered women.
The good news is that a plastic surgeon, such as Dr. Deschamps-Braly, who also has extensive craniofacial and jaw surgery expertise can help to feminize these features while still ensuring that you still look like you. And herein lies the true skill of any form of gender-related facial surgery: along with excellent surgical skills, your surgeon must also possess a deep understanding of gender-related aesthetic differences in terms of male/female facial proportions, and an appreciation for what constitutes “beauty” in the feminine face to ensure an optimum outcome.
Read more about the differences between “beautiful” vs. “feminine” here.
Recommended surgical procedures to create a more feminine appearance:
There are many ways you can make your face appear more feminine. After an in-depth consultation, your surgeon may recommend one or more of the following procedures, depending on your circumstances and desired results:
- Feminizing Forehead Reduction and Contouring: to create a more feminine, softer appearance of the forehead, and reduce the heavy appearance of the male brow.
- Feminizing Brow lift (Browplasty) – raises the eyebrows into a higher, more feminine position on the face. Also helps to reduce common telltale signs of aging such as forehead wrinkles, crow’s feet, horizontal or vertical lines such as frown lines and furrows between the eyebrows.
- Feminizing Rhinoplasty (nasal surgery) – some women may have a very prominent or ‘masculine’ looking nose. In such cases, feminizing rhinoplasty may help.
- Feminizing Cheek Enhancement – gives the cheeks a rounder and smoother feminine appearance. Depending on your existing features and the desired effect, the procedure includes either cheek augmentation or cheek reduction.
- Feminizing Chin Recontouring (Genioplasty) – alters the shape of the male chin by reducing, reshaping, or augmenting (making the chin larger). Most often the male chin is reduced in size and reshaped to be less angular, creating a smoother and more feminine aesthetic.
- “Asian” V-Line surgery – suitable for all ethnicities: this surgery works to contour and slim the lower jaw, creating a more slender jawline while at the same time reducing jaw width and a producing a sharper, better-defined chin profile.
- Jaw Contouring – The male jaw is usually wider and more angular than the female jaw. Men tend also to have a sharp back “corner” to the jaw, which can be made to appear rounder and smoother through jaw contouring resulting in a more feminine look. The bone of the jaw can also be shaved along its lower edge and chewing muscles reduced to make the jaw more slender.
Ultimately, the decision with regards to which surgical procedures will suit your circumstances is one that will be made in consultation with you and your surgeon.
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.
