At IM GENDER we are specialists in aesthetic medicine for trans women. For this reason we would like to explain the differences between surgical and non-surgical facial feminization and the best treatments you can find within each of them.
What is facial feminization surgery?
Facial feminization encompasses the set of techniques, treatments and surgeries whose aim is to transform or enhance the feminine features of a face. First of all, we need to understand that bone structure and facial physiognomy differ between men and women. This is what we call secondary sexual dimorphism, characteristics inherited from our prehistoric ancestors which develop mainly during puberty and adolescence and which are still present in our physique today.
Facial feminization surgery must take these differences into account and be based on an in-depth knowledge of them in order to be able to apply personalized and individualized techniques and, in this way, achieve the feminization of facial features. At IM GENDER you will find a highly qualified and experienced team with many years of experience in facial feminization surgery. In this video you can learn about Lauren’s experience and her upper third feminization surgery.
We need to understand that facial feminization varies from person to person, as not everyone has the same features or expresses the same needs. For this reason, it is very important to make an initial visit to a specialized surgeon who will assess which areas of the face we wish to improve and which surgeries are necessary to achieve this.
Surgical vs. non-surgical facial feminization
The most requested techniques in facial feminization are advancement of the hairline and feminization of the forehead and eye area, i.e. the upper third. The thickening of the bones just above the eyes, characteristic of many men, makes the expression and face more severe when it occurs in women. The same goes for an excessively wide forehead where the hairline is too far back. In the lower third, the aim is to soften the angles of the jaw and chin, as well as to reduce what is popularly known as the Adam’s apple.
Plastic surgery can correct all these features, achieving natural facial feminization results which could not be achieved with aesthetic medicine or less invasive techniques. Moreover, these results are permanent, unlike those achieved with aesthetic medicine.
However, non-surgical facial feminization treatments can provide volume, texture and uniformity of the skin, as well as other aspects that plastic surgery cannot offer. This is why, when seeking to feminize a face, a combination of scalpel and minimally invasive techniques may be necessary to achieve harmonious and natural results.
For example, we know the importance of the lips in facial feminization. While surgery makes it possible to shorten the distance between the lips and the nose (longer in men and shorter in women) to give the mouth a more feminine appearance, aesthetic medicine gives the lips volume, contouring and hydration making them even more feminine.
Here are some of the most popular non-surgical facial feminization treatments and what you can expect from them.
Non-surgical facial feminization treatments
Plumper, fuller lips
As we have already mentioned, our lips are one of the most defining features of our face. They also show considerable differences between men and women. Whereas women tend to have plumper, fuller, more defined lips with more projection. Men, on the other hand, tend to have thinner lips with little volume.
How can we feminize the lips without surgery? Lip augmentation is one of the most popular aesthetic medicine treatments for trans women. It consists of microinjections of hyaluronic acid that allow the lips to be reshaped depending on the objective sought and the technique used. For example, it can provide greater volume, more projection, clearer contouring, deeper hydration, or even correct asymmetry.
There are different lip augmentation techniques; the best known are traditional lip augmentation (which increases thickness, projection and hydration) and Russian lip augmentation (which focuses on achieving an accentuated Cupid’s bow, in the shape of a heart, without giving the lips excessive projection).
Lip feminization using aesthetic medicine is usually performed in a session lasting about 30 minutes. It is carried out in a painless and minimally invasive procedure with a microinjection of hyaluronic acid, which must be repeated approximately every 6 months.
Volumization with hyaluronic acid
Volumization or facial filler treatment is a minimally invasive procedure that redefines the face using injections of hyaluronic acid of different densities, improving the appearance of the face.
This technique makes it possible to recover volume lost as a result of the passage of time, weight loss or other circumstances. But it is also possible to redefine facial volumes in the cheeks, cheekbones, chin, etc. The shape of the nose can also be slightly changed with rhino-modelling.
The results, which can be seen immediately, are very natural and harmonise the face if carried out by a specialized aesthetic doctor who has an in-depth knowledge of non-surgical facial feminization techniques.
Improve the texture of your skin
The skin, the largest organ of our body, is different in men and women. In men, it is 25% thicker, has more sebaceous glands (it is oilier), more pores, and the pores are larger in diameter. Whereas, in women, the skin is thinner, drier and loses collagen more rapidly. Hormones often cause changes in trans women’s skin, both on the face and the whole body, but sometimes we need “extra” help to achieve the result we are looking for.
There are personalized treatments that allow us to improve the skin’s quality, texture and uniformity, improve the amount of oil, hydrate it… Microneedling, personalized medical peeling, treatment with Morpheus 8 or facial mesotherapy for deep hydration with vitamins are some of the options. The most important thing? That a good diagnosis is carried out in order to achieve the best results.
Facial micropigmentation
Micropigmentation is a treatment similar to a semi-permanent tattoo using natural pigments, which makes it possible to improve certain facial features in a natural way. The areas where this treatment is most commonly performed to enhance facial feminization are:
- Eyebrows: in this area hairs can be individually simulated to correct asymmetry, to colour areas where hair is scarce or to redesign their shape. The results are very natural.
- The lip mucosa: dermopigmentation of the lips not only achieves colour in the lip area, but also highlights the lip contour, thus helping to feminize the lips.
At IM GENDER you will find specialists who, following a diagnosis, will be able to advise you on the best non-surgical facial feminization treatments for you.
If you have more questions about what phalloplasty involves, make an appointment with the IM GENDER team and we will inform you.