Jaw and Chin Feminization Surgery FAQ

As with all surgeries, gender-affirming or otherwise, you should only consider jaw and/or chin contouring surgery if your jaw and/or chin is a major source of dysphoria for you. While exposure to testosterone can alter the jaw bone, these changes are much more variable from person to person compared to the forehead.

Exposure to testosterone in puberty can cause the jaw bone to be thicker and more angular in appearance. This is usually observed at the angle of the jaw below the ear. It can make your face appear square but also can be responsible for a more masculine width of the overall face in the jaw region. People who were exposed to higher amounts of testosterone also have a thicker chin bone, making the face look wider and square.

Sometimes, whether it is related to testosterone or not, the chin tends to be too tall in the overall proportions of the face, which can be interpreted as more masculine in appearance.

At Catalyst Surgical, we use the JawContour method developed by Facialteam.

We use a 3D reconstruction derived from a CT scan of your face and skull to plan our approach and where the cuts in the jaw bone will be.

We then design and and 3D print a custom cutting guide using biocompatible resin. This ensures that the precision of our cuts is as close to our pre-plan as possible. It also serves as a guide for our ultrasonic saw blade to prevent cutting errors.

Our surgeon will make the incisions inside your mouth so there are no visible scars. We access your jawbone, protecting the sensory nerves that give your lower face feeling. We then place the customized cutting guide on the bottom of your jawbone.

The jawbone (at the sides and/or the chin) is cut using an ultrasonic (or piezoelectric) saw. This saw only cuts through bone, and does not cut any other tissue, thus keeping your non-bony tissues safe. Keeping the soft tissues safe can be challenging with conventional sharp-toothed saws.

Once the bone is removed, we use a high-speed burr to smooth out your jawbone to give it a more rounded contour. If any additional chin work is required (e.g. a chin advancement to improve projection), we do it at this stage.

Immediately after surgery: You’ll stay with us for one night after surgery so that we can observe you. You can eat after surgery, but it may be difficult to eat normally. We will provide you with a chin strap that you should wear as much as possible.

On post-operative day 1, you’ll see our lymphatic drainage specialist to help you reduce the most immediate swelling. We will then review your post-operative instructions with both you and your caregiver before sending you home. We see you again at the 1-week mark for a second lymphatic drainage therapy session and to check your incisions.

You can expect substantial swelling. While most of this will diminish over 2-3 months, the area will look puffy for up to a year since swelling fluid tends to follow gravity, and the jaw/chin area is at the bottom of your face.

Generally, your physical activity should not be more intense than brisk walks, as spikes in blood pressure with heavier activity can cause more swelling and set back your overall recovery.

Around 6-8 weeks after surgery, you can ramp up your physical activity to higher intensities.

After the first week, we like to see our patients at the 1, 3, 6, and 12-month marks. Sometimes more frequent visits may be required. We will tailor your follow-up schedule to your specific needs.

It takes months for the swelling to clear completely. Most of it will clear up within 3 months, but you will still look more puffy than at the 1-year mark.

Jaw and Chin feminization surgery is meant to address the bony framework of your forehead. The way that the overlying tissues respond to the recontouring of your bones varies and changes within the first year the most. What you see at 3 months will be different than what you will see at 12 months.

The range of prices varies greatly depending on the surgeon. Between patients, the range can be quite wide as individual characteristics are always taken into consideration. At Catalyst Surgical, the cost starts at $16,440 for the jaw and $20,540 for the chin. If the jaw and chin are combined in the same operation, the price starts at $ 24,940.

The following services are included in all of our quotes:

• Post-operative visits and nursing care
• Pre-operative consultation, standard pre-operative preparation
• Material costs
• Costs for the surgical facility and general anesthesia
• 1 night in our facility
• Lymphatic drainage therapy
• 24-hour post-surgical support