At Cosmetic Surgery Affiliates, our experts understand that taking the next step in your transition can feel overwhelming. Between researching your options, preparing for surgery, and simply longing for an appearance that matches your gender identity, it can feel easy to get lost in all the emotions.
With decades of experience assisting patients along their gender journey, our team of board-certified surgeons are here to guide you through your transition with compassion and expertise. They have mastered the intricacies of female-to-male (FTM) procedures and can help you achieve results that reflect who you truly are.
Keep reading for more information on our surgeons’ qualifications and what you can expect from gender confirming surgery in Jacksonville. If you’re ready to create your personalized treatment plan, give our team a call to get started.
Honoring Your Journey
Choosing to undergo gender affirming surgery is a deeply personal decision. For many patients, this choice is made after years of feeling a disconnect between their appearance and identity.
This period of life can also be marked by a variety of other emotions. Some patients are excited to finally see their true selves in their reflection, whereas others are more anxious regarding the surgical process. And some patients grieve the lost time, wishing they’d had the chance to express themselves sooner.
Regardless of the emotions you feel before your transgender transition surgery, our team wants to meet you where you’re at. We listen carefully to your story, honouring your experience so you can feel accepted wholeheartedly.
Our Expertise
As the home of gender confirming surgery in Jacksonville, you can trust that our world-renowned surgeons have the skill and expertise to help you achieve the masculine look you desire.
Dr. Erik Nuveen and Dr. Courtney Caplin lead the team at Cosmetic Surgery Affiliates and are triple board-certified surgeons, a rare certification reserved for only the world’s best physicians.
Board certification marks a surgeon who has completed medical school, excelled during their residency, and passed all written and verbal examinations related to their field of practice. There is no higher surgical credential than board certification.
With board certifications in cosmetic surgery, facial cosmetic surgery, and oral and maxillofacial surgery, Dr. Nuveen and Dr. Caplin are uniquely qualified to perform your gender affirming procedures.
Aside from their superior surgical knowledge, many of our patients have sought out our experts for the following reasons:
- Continued education – Our surgeons are constantly educating themselves on the best practices for transgender patient care.
- Compassionate care – Many of our patients describe feeling accepted as they truly are throughout the procedure process at Cosmetic Surgery Affiliates.
- Interpersonal communication – The team enters tough conversations with empathy and understanding, helping patients work through difficult decisions by providing expert guidance and recommendations.
- Professionalism – Our experts adhere to all ethical principles and sensitivities.
- Medical knowledge – We follow all World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) standards.
FTM Procedure Options at CSA
When looking for the right physician for your gender confirming surgery in Jacksonville, we highly recommend choosing a surgeon who can perform the full spectrum of FTM procedures. These include:
- Top surgery – Removes unwanted breast tissues to re-contour a more masculine-looking chest.
- Body contouring – Reduces fat stored in the hips, thighs, and buttocks. Also sculpts a V-shaped figure and the classic 6-pack abs.
- Facial masculinization surgery – Involves a variety of procedures that sculpt and refine more masculine facial features.
- Adam’s apple surgery – Uses an implant to form a natural-looking Adam’s apple that moves up and down naturally.
- Jawline contouring – Creates a more angular jawline by removing excess skin and fat.
- Rhinoplasty – Forms a stronger nose with a wider bridge and base.
- Forehead lengthening – Makes the forehead appear longer and pushes the hairline back.
Our surgeons’ expertise also expands beyond this list, helping you achieve a masculine-looking appearance with additional cosmetic procedures.
We also offer a variety of non-surgical solutions to assist you along your journey. Many of our patients use dermal fillers to enhance their browline and chin without the intensive surgical recovery. Testosterone-based hormonal replacement therapy (HRT) can also lower your voice and increase muscle mass.
Creating Your Treatment Plan
Determining which procedures address your needs can be a confusing process. What works for some patients may not suit others, making it difficult to figure out which surgeries can help you achieve your goals.
Our surgeons understand that no two gender journeys look the same. They are dedicated to helping you create a personalized treatment plan that’s tailored to your unique features.
You begin creating your treatment plan during your initial consultation with your surgeon. At this appointment, your surgeon has you describe your gender journey thus far. They may ask about your transitioning goals, how you feel when you look in the mirror, and which features feel misaligned with your identity.
Once your surgeon gains a better understanding of your goals, they examine your treatment area. This helps them determine what results are possible given your anatomy, helping set realistic and achievable expectations.
From there, you and your surgeon work together to create a treatment plan that suits your needs. They recommend procedures that can help you achieve your goals while honoring your unique features. They also explain your individual surgeries, addressing your questions and concerns to ensure you understand the process ahead.
Your FTM Procedure
On the day of your gender confirming surgery in Jacksonville, a member of our staff greets you before leading you to our in-office surgical suite. Here, we help you prepare for surgery and ensure you have filled out all necessary paperwork.
To begin your procedure, your surgeon administers general anesthesia, which keeps you comfortable and unconscious throughout surgery. They then perform your procedure in accordance with your treatment plan, creating the masculine features and contours you desire.
Most FTM procedures take 4 hours to complete. This timeline may vary depending on the specific surgeries outlined in your plan.
Important Guidelines
The surgeons at Cosmetic Surgery Affiliates adhere to the highest standards of transgender care. To proceed with your gender confirming surgery in Jacksonville, we require documentation of a gender dysphoria diagnosis from a licensed mental health practitioner.
A gender dysphoria diagnosis includes distress due to gender identity differing from sex assigned at birth, lasting at least 6 months and involving 2 or more of the following:
- Dissonance between gender identity and genitals or secondary sex characteristics
- Desire to be rid of genitals or secondary sex characteristics
- Desire to have the genitals or secondary sex characteristics of another gender
- Desire to be treated as another gender
- Having the typical feelings and behaviors of another gender
Our surgeons also follow all WPATH standards of care. These guidelines help you receive the best results possible and uphold your safety throughout the procedure process.
Answering Your Frequently Asked Questions
After 10 years of dedicating our practice to inclusive, focused care for gender affirmation, our surgeons have helped countless patients confirm their identity. We are the experts in transgender surgery, and have the details you need to feel confident in your treatment decision.
Here are some answers to our most commonly asked questions about gender confirming surgery in Jacksonville.
How old do I need to be for gender confirming surgery?
WPATH’s guidelines state that some transgender surgeries can be performed on patients as young as 16 years old. Other procedures require patients to wait until they are at least 18 years old.
We may recommend surgery to younger patients after they have completed counseling and are deemed healthy by a licensed mental health professional, as per WPATH standards of care. Our surgeons can answer all questions regarding surgery timelines during your initial consultation.
Do you perform gender reassignment surgery?
Although our board-certified surgeons can perform a variety of cosmetic procedures to help your appearance better align with your identity, they cannot perform gender reassignment surgery.
However, because our surgeons are regional experts, they have an extensive network filled with other cosmetic, transgender, and reconstructive surgeons. Our team can connect you with surgeons in other fields who can help you along your gender affirmation journey.
Are results from gender confirming surgery permanent?
Just like most other cosmetic procedures, the results from your gender affirming surgery are permanent so long as you live a healthy, active lifestyle. That said, cosmetic surgery cannot stop the natural aging process, so you may need additional procedures to prolong your results.
Begin Your FTM Transition at CSA
Your courage has brought you to the 4 board-certified surgeons at Cosmetic Surgery Affiliates. Though this process can feel overwhelming, let our surgeons, nurses, and staff take over from here and help you plan your gender confirming surgery in Jacksonville.
Give us a call or schedule your consultation online to start preparing for your treatment.
Want to learn how our expert surgeons approach top surgery? Visit our blog for more information.
