6. Jaw and Chin Contouring
The goal is to make the chin appear rounder, shorter, narrower, and tapered with a genioplasty (chin shave). You also want to erase the harsh, square angles associated with the male jaw. "We go in through your mouth so there's no visible scars and reduce the amount of bone," Dr. Spiegel explained. "It minimizes the heavy chin look and gives a nice delicate appearance to the face." The finished effect is actually similar to something a woman with a square face might use when contouring with makeup.
7. Tracheal Shave
During puberty, young boys begin to develop an Adam's apple. The thyroid cartilage is more prominent in men because males have larger voice boxes (and deeper voices). To correct an oversize Adam's apple in his transgender patients, Dr. Spiegel makes an incision just below the chin and removes any excess cartilage. The procedure is known as a tracheal shave. While this does change the outer appearance significantly, it has no effect on the voice box. To get the higher-pitched speech typically associated with women, an extra tightening of the vocal chords is required.
8. Lip Lift
As any Kardashian fan knows, plump lips have been gaining momentum thanks to Kylie Jenner, and while young girls are going to extreme lengths to get a voluptuous pout, transgender women also have to consider surgery to achieve more feminine lips. Men tend to have more space between the bottom of the nose and the upper lip. "I'll make the distance from the nose to the upper lip shorter," Dr. Spiegel explained. "So that more light will bounce off your teeth and you'll look more attractive." Lip fillers are also an option to get a more pronounced pucker.
