Facial Gender Affirmation Surgery: Facial Feminization Surgery and Facial Masculinization Surgery

Abstract

The history of surgery aimed at helping transgender individuals lead psychologically fulfilling lives has quite an interesting place in time. Before committing to describing some of the techniques and procedures we use to feminize or masculinize someone’s face, it would be my pleasure to take you on a brief tour of these procedures. The history of transgender people spans the history of human civilization. There are documented descriptions of individuals who fit the modern-day description of transgender persons, who were revered in various ancient societies including ancient Egypt, the Indian subcontinent, Europe, sub-Saharan Africa, and even the North American Native American population. These descriptions span various modern-day religions including Islam, Hinduism, and to a lesser extent Buddhism and are almost nonexistent in Christian literature. Attitudes vary within these literary traditions regarding the attitude and place of transgender individuals. Overall, it is unclear to what extent these descriptions depict cultural attitudes toward transgender individuals or are isolated events that were noteworthy and therefore preserved.