I do facial feminization surgery, speech therapy or voice box surgery before I transitioning so that look female?

Question

I am just wanting some advice on this, should I get all of the above (facial feminization surgery, laser hair removal and speech therapy and/or voice box surgery), especially facial feminization surgery, laser hair removal and speech therapy completed before I even start hormones and the transitioning process so that once I start the living as a female for a year I already appear and sound female to the rest of the world and to myself?? Is this a good idea, is it plausible and possible?? Any information will be great ^_^

Answer 1

Hi rose-elliott,

This is just my personal viewpoint.

Hair on the face and that includes a shadow is a huge no no.  From there, one ought to find a solution that works, be it laser, electrolysis, both and or other.

Voice feminization is another area that is essential, though I would place that under the facial hair removal in importance to start early.

Both these areas will likely take about two years to achieve.

As for surgery, that is very expensive. Your question as to whether you need facial feminization surgery depends on your genetics ... the strength of your male genetics ... how male you look.

Same with the voice ... if you sound like a tenor then yeah, it MIGHT well be an issue.

I live as a female already, but pass as male and look androgynous. I am happy where I am at. It is the best I can be at this time, and being gentle and kind to oneself is important.

I think a transition from a good genetic start would take about five years. However if one is 6 foot 2, 100 kgs, sings tenor in the local footy choir, can bench press a mini, has more hair than singer Prince, and a face like Mount Rushmore, then yeah ... it would probably be easier to canoe up Mount Everest!

:D

Again, these are just my personal views. We each need to make our own way forward, but never, never - ever give up.

PeAcE

Chrisentiae

Comments

So do you think though that I should have these done before I start transitioning or not??

Answer 2

Hi rose-elliott,

I don't know where you are at.

For me, the term "transitioning" encompasses everything from the moment one accepts that one is an eternal female spirit within a temporal male body.

Also there is rarely a right and wrong answer as the term "transgender" covers such a broad spectrum of persons whose spirit and body don't harmonize. Each persons journey is unique.

Another "also" ... only YOU are in the best position to assess where you are at and what is right for you.

My situation I think is at variance with the more common perception of MTF transgender as I am only attracted to women ... I am a lesbian. I am female and enjoy the company of and am attracted to other women. So straight away, I am more removed from those persons who are transgender hetro, ie female spirit in male body attracted to males.

The only golden rule I think, is to be true to oneself, gentle, patient, and realistic. This is as much as any person can do, and that includes other persons whose spirits and bodies don't harmonize and everyone else ...  to be respectful and supportive.

You yourself know what is best for yourself. One needs to understand, accept that, and also take responsibily for such.

Each journey is unique. Having said that, I think facial hair removal is obviously better whilst one is still seen as male rather than being the "bearded lady".  Same goes for voice feminization. Better to do that before one looks female.

Again, these are just my viewpoints.

Chrisentiae

PS

This is my journey timeline:

http://www.gendervie.com/showthread.php?tid=6

Comments

I have come to accept that I am a female in a male body, and am wanting to change that so that I come to be in a female body, I too am actually a lesbian and much prefer women over men. You know I keep wishing that if I want it hard enough it will just happen magically overnight.....that would be nice. Thanks so much for your help Chrisentiae, it means a lot ^_^

Answer 3

Hi rose-elliott,

I think life here on Earth offers challenges to everyone, and being transgender is simply a variation of such. As such, I am at peace and do not measure my progress against time, but measure my progress against my heart, and being fulfilled as a person.

Little things like "she" and "her". Simply relating that although I pass a male, that that is a physical attribute and that getting to know me would reveal a female rather than a male.

One needs to be true to ones nature, and gentle with oneself and others I think.

My transition journey is in a way far more than seeking the harmonization of my spirit and body whilst I walk this Earth, but also for the continued existance beyond, when I believe harmonization will be restored ... for the Earthly challenge opportunity will have passed.

All the best,

Chrisentiae

Answer 4

Hair removal: Yes don't wait.....get as much done as you can now.

You can also slowly pluck your eyebrows a bit at a time....They don't notice if you take it slowly lol. Also ear piercing if you haven't.

With voice, try voice therapy first. The operation on the voice area is not always very successful. Monash used to offer voice therapy through Latrobe uni. I don't know if they still do.

If you have a prominent adams apple you can get this done too. With facial surgery I believe it's better to see what the effects of hormones are before you spend a fortune changing things. You get better bang for your buck from the hormones. Then see what, if anything, needs some correction.

Just my advice

Gwen

Answer 5

 

Hormones take a long time for full effect as well.

 

Being on hormones will make facial hair removal easier (or at least, on anti-androgens), and will start to change your fat distribution such that analysis for FFS can be done more easily.

 

Remember that just because you're on hormones, doesn't mean you need to present female immediately.

 

I started HRT, then a few months later started IPL. It wasn't until a year on HRT that I started presenting female, and having that year of HRT certainly helped a lot for me.

 

Starting hormones doesn't mean presenting female, and in fact, it will be a while on them before you have significant changes anyway. :)

Answer 6

My advice would be to wait until after you start your hormone treatment before any surgeries as the hormones will have some effect on your appearance and even on your voice to a degree. The laser hair removal and voice training you could get done if you really wanted to, however FFS is generally not something that is recommended until you have got your hormone levels sorted out. Also, I wouldn't recommend voice box surgery in general because there is always the risk that you will lose your voice completely as it has a very low success rate. Also worth noting is that your voice may actually become a little softer after you start hormones which may make the surgery unnecessary anyway. :) Gwen

Answer 7

Because there are major risks associated with vocal cord surgery, I recommend that you try speech therapy first. 

But ultimately, there is no right or wrong sequence of doing things... everyone's needs and preferences are different. 

Answer 8

A head start on losing the facial hair is a great advantage. Not only does it cause an additional burden with passing, but it takes away from the female experience to have to deal with it when you are full time. Not to mention worrying about prickles when a girl kisses you on the cheek to say hello!

Voice is also very important. It takes a lot of time and patience to train it. it took me about six months to train it to pass on the phone, then it took an additional 18 months to build up stamina as it got tired after a days worth of normal social interaction.

Our voice comes from a complex set of muscles in the throat. So as such, if you strengthen the higher pitches, it takes times to develop. Also, you don't want to over-do it and damage anything. For me personally, when I speak in my female voice, the muscles pull upwards on my voice box, which conveniently hides my Adams apple behind the skin/fat below my jaw and it becomes far less visible.

It is also important to note that pitch is not the only feature of a female voice, females speak with different speech patterns, pronounce things differently, emphasise things differently and use different words in expressions - something most people don't even consciously realise! When training my voice, I spent a fair bit of time on YouTube talking along with women on videos. At first to just do the speech patterns and not the pitch, some natal girls out there have deeper voices and pass as a female voice just due to the speech patterns - again, you don't want to over-do it and hurt your voice muscles.

In my voice training, as I built up stamina, I saved using the pitch for things like phones and over the counter interactions, and then relaxed a bit while socialising. People who know you notice your voice less than people who don't. So ration your strength while you build your stamina.

Transition is a long process so have patience. We make the most noticeable progress when we keep at it and don't look for changes. You won't ever know you pass, but one day you think to yourself hey, I haven't been sir'ed on the phone lately!

Best of luck on your journey.

Answer 9

Just a general update. I have created a resource page for Voice Feminization.

http://www.gendervie.com/showthread.php?tid=5