With modern technology, nothing seems impossible nowadays – not even changing your gender. Setting aside everyone’s take and belief regarding the procedure, let’s discuss how much does transgender surgery cost?
Average Cost of Transgender Surgery
Transgender surgery is comprised of several surgical procedures that you can avail individually or as a package. The average transgender surgery cost for each procedure typically ranges from $1,500 to $26,000 but the total for all could be as high as $200,000 to $300,000.
Replacing the core reproductive organ completes the entire sexual reassignment. The male-to-female vaginoplasty is estimated to be somewhere between $20,000 and $50,000 or even higher. For the female-to-male phalloplasty and complete testicular implantation, the total cost could climb up to $25,000 to $35,000.
Procedures Included
As previously implied, transgender surgery doesn’t only revolve around gender reassignment. It also involves almost the entire anatomy of the person.
This is due to the fact that the people who consider such procedures experience gender dysphoria or the feeling of misalignment between gender and sex. For the same reason, it is crucial to be able to transform every single part of the body into exactly like the gender one is identifying themselves with.
There are two types of gender confirmation surgeries: the transmasculine transition and the transfeminine transition. The following are the procedures you should be expecting to undergo if you decide to totally transform into the gender you want, depending on your current gender assignment.
For the male sex organs (Transfeminine Transition):
- Penectomy – surgical procedure for removing the external genitalia of males.
- Orchiectomy – surgical procedure for removing the testicles or testes.
- Vaginoplasty – surgical procedure that creates a vagina.
- Feminizing genitoplasty – surgical procedure for creating the internal female genitalia.
For the female sex organs (Transmasculine Transition):
- Masculinizing genitoplasty – the surgical creation of external genitalia by using the tissue of the labia in creating the penis.
- Phalloplasty – the surgical creation of a penis through the use of skin graft from the thigh, forearm, or upper back.
- Metoidioplasty – the surgical creation of a penis through the hormonally enlarged clitoris.
- Scrotoplasty – the surgical creation of a scrotum.
Optional Procedures
When it comes to the actual sexual reassignment surgery cost, candidates can determine the expenses based on the core body parts that either require correction based on expert advice or what they opt to undergo by preference. Some of these are the following:
Facial Feminization – this involves plastic surgery in the face to make their faces reflect or suit their gender identity. Again, there are two types for this procedure: facial feminization and facial masculinization.
Under the facial feminization are the following:
- Adam’s apple reduction
- Cheek augmentation
- Chin surgery
- Forehead contouring
- Hairline advancement
- Jaw reduction
- Lip augmentation
- Rhinoplasty
On the other hand, facial masculinization involves the following:
- Adam’s apple enhancement
- Cheek augmentation
- Chin contouring
- Forehead lengthening
- Jaw reshaping
- Rhinoplasty
- Top Surgery
Torso – Modifying the structure of the torso is another crucial part of the overall transgender surgery cost. The surgery involved in this include the following:
- Breast implants – this is the surgical creation of breast
- Liposuction – this is the surgical removal of unwanted body fats to achieve that feminine or masculine figure that the candidate is aiming for.
- Gluteoplasty – this is the surgical procedure that increases the volume of the buttocks
Prerequisite Investment
Obviously, sex reassignment is a very extensive process. So prior to being given the go signal for the surgical operations, both the male and female candidates must be able to meet the prerequisite criteria.
Below are the basic guidelines as presented by the online directory called The Transgender Center:
- Certified psychological diagnosis for ‘gender dysphoria.’
- Consistent opposite sex lifestyle for one year or more.
- Sustained hormone treatment (estrogen or steroids) for two years or more.
- Emotional stability in the midst of gender confusion.
- Medically healthy and clear of any chronic conditions.
- Special recommendation from 2 mental health specialists experienced in gender identity issues.
Other Miscellaneous Costs
Apart from the bulk of the overall sexual reassignment surgery cost, there are other expenses one may consider in line with the successful transformation of the sexual identity.
- Hormones
The cost for hormonal treatment is estimated at roughly $25 to $200 per month or $300 to $2,400 per year. As for the doctor’s visits and laboratory tests for health clearance and certification prior to the operation, the projected cost is somewhere around $500.
- Hair Removal
Some patients undergo hair removal or growth prior to the sexual reassignment procedures. For male-to-female transformation, the average cost for laser hair removal may depend on the scope of the skin area.
The average cost of laser hair removal can range from around $30 to $400. On the other hand, just for the face costs around $75 to $150 per session.
When it comes to female-to-male transformation, facial hair is an optional feature. Beard growth for trans males is rather a product of time and the genetic acclimatization resulting from extensive hormone treatment.
- Voice Coaching
Some patients may or may not tend to overlook the importance of natural voice modulation in the course of their sex change journey. In the midst of earlier stages of gender dysphoria, the deep voices of males and shrill petite voices of females may be too much to overcome by sheer effort alone.
Modulating the tone of the voice may be optional, but mismatched vocal gender identification could (at worse) evoke an unusual response in a public audience.
On top of the 2-year hormone treatment, transgender candidates can consider voice lessons as an important investment in the overall sex change price. Voice coaching costs an average of $30 per session.
- Legal Identity
Another important and often overlooked aspect of complete sex transformation is the legal record of one’s identity. Names are a crucial part of a person’s identity.
Despite the extensive physical modification an individual has gone through, they will still be addressed by their given name on their birth certificate.
One key requirement needed in order to obtain a change of name and sex in legal documents is to acquire the services of a lawyer. The overall filling fee may entail a cost range between $150 and $500.
It is important to take note, however, that the exact costs may vary depending on the specific state. An additional fee of $15 to $20 is charged for every copy of the legally certified name change.