Transgender

Transgender is a term used to describe people whose individual gender identity differs from the gender assigned to them at the time of their birth. Transgender is an adjective used to describe a person, and not a noun classifying the person. For example, a child born and raised as a male may identify with the female gender, thereby gender identifying and/or gender expressing as a female. Gender identity refers to a person’s sense of being a man or a woman, and transgendered persons can be heterosexual, gay, lesbian or bisexual. Transgender persons are ordinary, everyday people who go to school, earn a living, shop for groceries, care about their families, serve honorably in the military, and/or parent children. Unfortunately, ignorance, misunderstanding, fear, intolerance and outright prejudice in the general population sometimes exposes transgender persons to open ridicule, discrimination and even violence.

While some transgender men and women elect to transition to their gender identification through surgical intervention and/or through hormone treatment, some do not wish to do so. Electing to transition is an incredibly personal choice that must be made on an individual basis. When speaking to or about transgender individuals it is considered derogatory and ill mannered to refer to transitioning as a “sex change” or “sex change operation” because this unnecessarily focuses on the person’s physical anatomy and not their internal gender identification.

Dr. Michael Eisemann performs surgery to aid in a patient’s physical transition from male to female (MTF) or female to male (FTM). Transgender individuals, whether they choose to transition or not, face numerous challenges with their families, in the workplace, and in social settings, but all staff and medical professionals at The Eisemann Plastic Surgery Center understand and are sensitive to transgender issues. Patients should rest assured that they will be treated with respect and courtesy, and taken seriously in their desires for aesthetic enhancement and transition to their gender identification.

Examples of MTF procedures include rhinoplasty, breast augmentation (a/k/a chest reshaping), tracheal shave and laser hair removal. Rhinoplasty is the enhancement and reshaping of the nose with the goal of making the overall size and shape of the nose more feminine. Breast augmentation re-contours the male chest to have breasts similar that those in women. A tracheal shave (a/k/a Adam’s Apple Reduction) reduces the appearance of the cartilage attached to the thyroid gland in the neck. The tracheal shave benefits the patient by providing a more feminine appearance of the neck. Laser hair removal allows the patient to reduce the amount of facial hair and shaving required to make the skin look smoother and more feminine.

Examples of FTM facial procedures include rhinoplasty, chin implants or even a cleft chin implant. Patients seeking FTM transition generally request a longer, straighter nose slant with a more pointed tip. Dr. Eisemann also performs FTM chest reconstruction so that the patient may achieve a more masculine appearance of the chest by minimizing breast tissue.

It is Dr. Eisemann’s passion in life to help patients achieve their aesthetic goals, and it is especially true in terms of helping transgender individuals achieve their goals.