Facial feminization surgery

Facial feminization surgery (FFS) is an umbrella term for surgical procedures that modify male facial features to achieve a feminine appearance. Reconstructive surgery techniques are used for this purpose.

FFS is performed almost exclusively on individuals with gender incongruence. Feminizing hormone therapy (using estradiol and antiandrogens) does not reduce prominent male bone structure. A medical indication for FFS may therefore be given if the face is perceived as male by an unbiased observer, which jeopardises social integration into the female role, leads to discrimination and thus perpetuates psychological distress.

The opposite of FFS is Facial masculinization surgery (FMS). Since masculinizing hormone therapy (using testosterone) leads to sufficient growth of the facial skull in most cases, thereby enabling social integration into the gender role, FMS is rarely indicated and the procedure has therefore hardly been researched.