If you or someone you love is transitioning, then Facial Feminization Surgery (FFS) is probably near the top of the list of topics on your radar. Feminization of the Physique and Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS / GRS) may also competing for your attention. The purpose of this post is to address some of the common planning questions that we receive on a regular basis.
If you’ve just begun your journey, you may wonder if taking hormones is a pre-requisite for FFS. Although it is not a requirement, the vast majority of transitioning patients should be on hormones unless a local doctor or endocrinologist recommends against it due to a medical reason. Even though hormones do not effect the shape of the bones, they do help with the soft tissues of the face and body. If you have a very masculine forehead, then hormones won’t change that. If you know that you only need work done on areas like the forehead and nose, then the amount of time that you’ve been on hormones is not really a factor. That being said, if you’ve been taking hormones for a while, we are likely to get a better picture of which procedures would help you in soft tissue areas like the cheeks and breasts.
Another question that comes up often pertains to clearance letters from mental health care professionals or other doctors. Doctors who perform SRS typically will require two referral letters from qualified professionals that have been assessing you in your local area. Dr. Cardenas does not require these letters for FFS or for the procedures that feminize the contours of the body. There are, however, a couple situations that might require a clearance letter. HIV+ patients, for example, must submit a letter from their specialist that confirms that they are successfully under treatment with an HIV medication meant to produce a low or undetectable viral load. Other chronic conditions could also require a clearance letter to ensure that the condition itself won’t subject the patient to an excessive risk during or after surgery.
Finally, we get a lot of inquiries about financing. Our location in Guadalajara, Mexico permits us to offer superb care at a fraction of the cost in many other countries. This means that you’ll have a lot less money to raise for Facial Feminization Surgery than you would if you had the surgery in the United States. Although we don’t offer conventional medical financing due to our international location, we do accept Visa and MasterCard for payment of your surgery and some patients have applied for credit cards and then used the cards to finance surgery.
Good luck with your journey and let us know if we can help!
.