Male to Female (MTF) Procedures for Transgender Women
As a transgender woman wanting gender-confirmation surgery, you’ll want to find expert surgical care. At UVA, we have experience and skill in performing MTF surgery and a range of male-to-female procedures.
During your first visit, we’ll aim to address your fears, questions, and concerns. You’ll get the information you need to make the best choice for you. We’ll cover:
- Your options
- The pros and cons of each procedure
- What to expect during recovery
Gender-Confirmation Surgery at UVA
At UVA, our transgender surgeons understand the importance of aligning your physical appearance with your gender identity. Plastic and reconstructive surgeon JT Stranix, MD, and urologist Sean Corbett, MD, discuss the commitment and care offered by UVA's transgender surgery specialists.
Dr. JT Stranix: I can only imagine how distressing it is to have an external anatomic appearance that is not congruent with how you identify as an individual person in terms of where you fall on the gender spectrum. That, I'm sure, has an enormous impact on self-esteem, self-confidence, overall wellbeing. And so the primary goal of any patient encounter I have is to firmly establish what their needs are so that I can help them achieve those. From a masculinization standpoint, whether they need a double incision technique, or if we're able to get away with a minimally-invasive technique that leaves just scars around the nipples. From a feminization standpoint, there's a large range of different chest shapes and sizes. And I want to make sure that I know where they want to end up so that I can help them get there. Dr. Sean Corbett: I offer various gender confirmation procedures, specifically bottom surgery procedures. Most of what I've been offering from a surgical standpoint is gender-confirming surgery for the male to female transition, primarily orchiectomy, scrotal excision, some of the more straightforward procedures like that. But pairing up with Dr. JT Stranix and our plastic surgery department, our goal is to offer the full complement of bottom surgery procedures, including vaginoplasty, and phalloplasty, and metoidioplasty. Dr. JT Stranix: This program is really something special. We all, as providers, like each other, respect each other, and look forward to collaborating and working with each other. That dynamic has led to a really robust program that has a very positive trajectory. Dr. Sean Corbett: My experience thus far is when these patients come in after their procedures, in general, there is kind of like a weight lifted where they're so satisfied with what's been done.
MTF Surgery at UVA
We offer top surgery, bottom surgery, and facial plastic surgery procedures.
MTF Top Surgery
Top surgery creates larger, more feminine breasts.
We can tailor the procedure to your wishes. This includes choosing the material for your implants. What we use affects the look and feel of the breasts. Your options include:
- Fat – grafted fat tissue alone or with other materials
- Silicone gel – popular, due to natural-feeling outcomes
- Saline implants – an option, but tend to cause visible rippling
- Autologous breast reconstruction, or DIEP free flap – uses tissue from your lower abdomen
MTF Bottom Surgery
MTF bottom surgery creates female genitalia with function and feeling. This might require several steps or operations. These can include:
- Penile skin inversion vaginoplasty, with or without scrotal skin grafting
- Revision vaginoplasty using small bowel or the rectosigmoid colon
- Secondary genital reconstruction
Facial Feminization Surgery
A female face often feels softer and looks rounder than a masculine one. Surgery can make your jawline thinner. Face and neck lifts can move tissue and muscle to reshape your facial structure. You might also want a tracheal shave, which reduces the size of your Adam’s apple.
We offer services to reshape or change your:
- Hairline or scalp
- Facial volume with fat grafting or filler
- Brow
- Nose (rhinoplasty)
- Eyelids (blepharoplasty)
- Skin, with laser resurfacing
- Lips
- Hair, with laser hair removal
Questions? View our transgender surgery FAQs.