Archive for August, 2009
Facial Feminization Surgery (FFS) with Dr. Eric Bensimon
Aug 28th
With regards to transitioning from Male to Female one of the more dramatic and image altering procedures one can undergo is what is commonly referred to as “Facial Feminization Surgery” or FFS. The procedure was pioneered by Dr. Douglas Ousterhout in the late 1980s and has really only been accessible to the transgendered community at large since the early 1990s.
There are a number of nuances that really lay beyond the scope of what I’d like to discuss here. suffice to say, the internet has a wide range of sources that describe the various procedures in detail. In my case, I’m undergoing 3 procedures related to my face.
1. Frontal Bossing and Forehead Aesthetic
The area between the eyebrows, also called the glabellum, is prominent in men due to the oversize frontal sinuses. There are different degrees of prominence from type I to type III [ I have a Type III configuration] as described by Dr Douglas Ousterhout. The surgical option varies from a simple burring of the bone to a more complex frontal sinus outer table repositioning and reconstruction.
If the bossing is slight a simple burring of the excess will be sufficient. In case of marked bossing, it will be necessary to set it back. If needed some very small titanium screws and plates may be used to hold the bone pieces together. They are usually not palpable or visible.
Source: http://www.facial-feminization-surgery.com/frontal-bossing-forehead-aesthetic.html
2. Scalp and Hairline Lowering
Male receding hairline causes the forehead to appear high and elongated. A high forehead appears not only disproportionate and less attractive, but old. In some cases it is possible to lower this hairline by advancing the hair bearing area toward the forehead. Depending on individual scalp mobility it is generally possible to obtain a 1 to 2 cm hairline lowering. This procedure is very well combined with any frontal bone plasty or brow lift.
Source: http://www.facial-feminization-surgery.com/scalp-hairline-lowering.html
3. Rhinoplasty
A narrow, small and slightly tilted nose characterizes an attractive feminine nose.
Rhinoplasty is often done with other feminization surgeries.
An open rhinoplasty uses incisions inside the nose except for a tiny one in the narrowest part of the columella.
The trend does not lean toward excessive upward lift of the tip anymore, but more toward more natural looking that will be in harmony with the other facial features. The goal of rhinoplasty is to produce a nose that appears natural and is in balance and harmony with the other facial features while respecting its structure and nature.
Source: http://www.facial-feminization-surgery.com/rhinoplasty.html
Needless to say, I’ll look significantly different following these procedures. I’m also undergoing breast augmentation at the same time.
My doctor of choice is Dr. Eric Bensimon of Montreal’s Clinique de Chirurgie Esthétique. Although, Bensimon lacks the kind of press his higher profiled colleagues have obtained, notably Douglas Ousterhout, Suporn Watanyusakul, Frans Noorman van der Dussen, Jeffrey Spiegel etc… He is very experienced in the procedures I am undertaking and comes complete with a recommendation from my SRS (Sexual Reassignment Surgery) surgeon, Dr. Pierre Brassard.
I’m scheduled for surgery this Fall and I’ll be back with an update following completion of the procedures I’ll be undergoing shortly after I arrive back home.
In the meantime, I’m focusing on losing weight, staying healthy and enjoying where I am at the moment.
XOXO R.
Passing and the Politicalization of the Third Sex
Aug 6th
Ok, so we’re all aware that we essentially live within a binary gender system of Male and Female. The writing is literally on the wall. So, it follows to reason that when walking out and about all humans are placed automatically in either the male or female category.
The decision to identify or more accurately “label” someone as male or female, at least superficially, rests with the identification of various gender cues including but not limited to secondary sex characteristics such as a facial hair for men and breasts for women.
The potential problem of such a dualistic system occurs when people exhibit traits associated with both genders; Notwithstanding the presence of those who happily dwell in that twilight world of indiscriminate gender and frequently politicize themselves as such.
But for most of us, the identification is either of one sex or the other. Transgendered individuals face challenges insomuch as they continue to possess traits associated with one gender (most often their originally assigned sex) while attempting to ‘present as’ and ‘identify with’ their gender of choice. The result is to face public scrutiny, criticism, moral outrage, legal restrictions, and in some cases violent oppression leading occassionally to death.
A quandry is thus presented, as to how to identify and operate within such a narrowly defined sytem? Moreover, the question seems to imply a certain moral or conscionable obligation to “own up” for those that “pass”. The racial analogy of some light skinned African-Americans who avoided censure and discrimination based on their ability to pass as Caucasians and their dark-skinned sisters who had no chance of avoiding persecution seems appropos.
A real world application can be seen in the case of a recent Georgia Straight article that drew attention to a controversy involving refusal of service to trans-women at an East-end Vancouver pharmacy. The pharmacy has in place a “woman born women only” policy. The crunch comes when it is likely that trans-women who “pass” can avoid scrutiny and obtain service from the pharmacy while their less fortunate sisters are left to face censure.
The full article can be found at:
http://www.straight.com/article-240560/lus-pharmacy-rejects-transgender-customer
So should we politicize our status as transgendered or as a third sex, even though we may in fact pass as women born women? At this point I’m willing to leave the answer up to each individual’s own conscience.
In my case I identify as a trans-woman and see myself as distinct in some respects from what I term my “genetic sisters”. Nonetheless, my personal goal is to avoid public scrutiny as much as possible, surgically alter my appearance to whatever extent I am able in order to be seen as legitimately female as any woman born woman. I wish to fully partake in the female social role and willing take on the wonderful opportunities that life presents for women as well as the responsibilities and limitations that exist by virtue of being female.
Some may argue that I’ve been co-opted into internalizing the values inherent in a dualistic philosophy of sex and gender and of maintaining the status quo. This may be true but I recognize the moral responsibily that we all need to speak out against discrimination, prejudice and violence. I’m also aware of the contradictions within myself. However, ultimately, I simply want to be a woman and to live my life as such.
To a very large extent, much of the problem associated with presenting as something outside the Male-Female binary is being redressed by improved surgical procedures; not only in terms of our presentation but also in terms of how we function. It’s a safe bet that as advances in medical science continue it’s simply a matter of time before genetically XY people will be able to ovulate, menstruate, give birth and lactate. At which point the line defining male and female along genetic and functional lines may finally become moot.
That still leaves us with those who choose to define themeselves as “other”. I fear their struggle will continue. Perhaps society will enlarge its definitions of sex and gender to afford members of the “Third Sex” their rightful place within society. In the meantime, we should still continue to educate and enlighten a misinformed public and work to correct the negative connotations associated with people who fail to adhere to a polarized female-male duality.
But as for me, I just want to be one of the girls. 