What should I consider before feminisation surgery?

Written in association with: Mr Christopher Inglefield
Published:
Edited by: Conor Dunworth

In his latest online article, leading London-based plastic surgeon Mr Christopher Inglefield offers some of his expert insight into feminisation surgery. He explains what potential patients need to consider, how to prioritise procedures to make the biggest impact, and how the success of these procedures is assessed.

 

What do potential patients need to consider?

If you are considering feminisation surgery (facial, body or gender affirming) it is important to make sure that your surgeon has top qualifications and expert experience. It is essential that you feel a connection with the surgeon who is going to take care of you during your journey to achieving your goals. Unfortunately, patients sometimes make decisions based on cost, which can be detrimental to their long-term health and outcomes.

I am very conscious that this huge surgery for most individuals, so we try to guide our patients that they prioritise the procedures that will make the biggest impact on their feminisation, while also taking into account the price.

 

How do you prioritise procedures to make the biggest impact?

Before patients undergo feminisation surgery, we try to help them understand which procedure will have the biggest impact, and therefore the procedures they should prioritise. We create a list of procedures, with the highest-impact procedure at the top and then we work our way down. Unfortunately, everyone has a budget and it sometimes won be possible to get all of the procedures at once.

 

How is the success of gender-affirming surgery assessed?

The success of an operation is judged by the patients, not by myself. The patients will tell me that they feel very confident about their appearance, and are confident to do things such as change in a gym for example, without feeling that they stand out from everyone else.

Another marker of a successful operation is the ability to have normal sexual intercourse. Most patients will resume having sexual intercourse after about three months. One of the goals of this surgery is for the patient to be able to have normal vaginal penetration that is comfortable, pleasurable and erogenous.

As many patients undergoing this surgery are at the final stage of their transition journey, they become officially registered as female. Many of the patients get a letter from the NHS saying they are due for a smear test, but they don’t have a cervix so there is nothing to pap smear. Some patients go to a women’s health clinic and the nurses don’t even realise they are transgender females as they look so normal.  

 

Mr Christopher Inglefield is a highly-experienced consultant plastic surgeon and an expert in gender confirmation surgery. If you would like to book a consultation with Mr Inglefield, you can do so today via his Top Doctors profile. 

By Mr Christopher Inglefield
Plastic surgery

Mr Christopher Inglefield is one of London's leading plastic surgeons. As a highly experienced consultant plastic, reconstructive and aesthetic surgeon, Mr Inglefield has performed thousands of procedures.

Throughout his career, Mr Inglefield has gained vast experience in a wide range of specialities, with areas of specialist interest including gender confirmation surgery, facial feminisation surgery, body feminisation surgery, masculinisation surgery and male chest reduction, breast surgery, breast implants and reconstruction, hair line lowering, eye bag surgery and facial rejuvenation, rhinoplasty and non-surgical nose job, labia reduction and labiaplasty. Furthermore, he embraces the latest technological and surgical developments to ensure that the service he offers to his patients is constantly evolving.

Mr Inglefield was born in Trinidad, West Indies, and obtained his medical degree from the University of the West Indies in Jamaica and Trinidad in 1985. After attaining his degree, he went on to complete his specialist surgical training in the UK, passing the examinations to become a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England in 1990. Soon after, he became passionate about plastic surgery and after six years of developing his specialist skills, he passed the intercollegiate specialist examination (in plastic surgery) and was awarded the FRCS(Plast) in 1997. This confirmed his expertise in all aspects of plastic, reconstructive and cosmetic surgery and he was added to the UK GMC specialist register.

He regularly attends national and international conferences and workshops as an attendee and invited speaker. What's more, he has also written several papers and contributed to many specialist books and journals within the field of plastic and reconstructive surgery. He is a member of the UK Association of Aesthetic Surgeons, World Professional Association for Transgender Health, British Burn Association, the British Microsurgical Society, the British Association of Surgical Oncology and the Royal Society of Medicine - Plastic Surgery.

Mr Inglefield has appeared on numerous occasions for television and radio programmes including Botched Up Bodies, BodyShockers, Radio 5 Live, NBC and Granada. In addition, he has been interviewed and quoted a number of times in national newspapers and magazines, such as The Sunday Mirror, The Sunday Times, The Financial Times, The Daily Mail and Marie Claire, Harpers Bazaar, among others. In 2012, Mr Inglefield was accredited with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Aesthetic Awards for his work and dedication to innovation within the field. He is admired by both his peers, as well as his patients.

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