Plastic Surgery
Abdominoplasty
Augmentation Mammaplasty
Blepharoplasty
Body Dysmorphic Disorder
Breast Implants
Breast Reconstruction
Breast Reduction
Chemical Peel
Facial Feminization Surgery
Foreskin Restoration
Lipectomy
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Otoplasty
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Sex Reassignment
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Sex Reassignment
What is a Sex Reassignment Surgery?
Sex reassignment surgery (SRS) includes the surgical procedures by
which a person's physical appearance and function of their existing sexual
characteristics are changed to that of the other sex. It is part of a
treatment for gender identity disorder in transsexual and transgender
people.
Other procedures can also be labeled SRS, including
* for transwomen (male to female): the enhancement of breasts, re-shaping
of facial features, or surgery to lift the voice. Re-shaping of the facial
features of persons identifying as female is more commonly referred to as
facial feminization surgery or FFS.
* for transmen (female to male): the removal of female breasts and the
shaping of a male contoured chest is often the only surgical procedure
they undergo.
For details of surgical procedures see Sex reassignment surgery
male-to-female and Sex reassignment surgery female-to-male.
Other names for SRS include gender reassignment surgery, sex
reconstruction surgery, genital reconstruction surgery, and more recently
sex affirmation surgery. The commonly used term sex change or sex change
operation is considered factually inaccurate, as are some of the names
mentioned before by some people. The terms feminizing genitoplasty and
masculinizing genitoplasty are used medically.
People who pursue sexual reassignment surgery are usually referred to as
transsexual; "trans" - to go or travel between points; "sexual" -
pertaining to the sexual characteristics (not sexual actions!) of a
person. More recently, people pursuing SRS often identify as transgender
instead of transsexual.
As a result of SRS, the person will have the apparent anatomical
structures and function typical of the new sex. They are unable to
reproduce due to the lack of actual sex glands (testes or ovaries), except
through prior sperm banking or embryonic freezing, which still require a
woman as the birth mother (See Reproductive technology.).
Additionally, continuing hormone replacement therapy is necessary to
maintain muscle and bone integrity and characteristic form.
It is not only financial reasons that determine whether a transsexual or
transgendered person has SRS -- there are also legal, medical, or other
considerations. Transsexual people who cannot or want not to have SRS and
particularly genital reassignment surgery are considered non-op, while
"gender refusenik" is a slang term among transgender people.
Those with HIV or Hepatitis C may have trouble finding a surgeon able
(many surgeons operate out of small private clinics that cannot adequately
treat potential complications in these populations) or even willing to
perform surgery. Some surgeons charge higher fees for HIV and Hepatitis C
positive patients (some surgeons in developing countries prefer to dispose
of surgical instruments used on these populations). Other health concerns,
such as diabetes, abnormal blood clotting, reasonably overweight patients,
etc. are generally not a problem with experienced surgeons. |
