So here's some excellent news . . . i will be having voice feminization surgery on August 7, 2012 with Dr. Thomas in Portland, Oregon. This is a procedure i have been wanting for a long time. As many of you may already know i am very very displeased with the pitch, tone and the overall feminine-lacking quality of my grumbly trucker sounding voice . . . the GOOD NEWS is there is a very easy yet expensive remedy for this trans-malady . . . its called Feminization Laryngoplasty. This surgery is intended to comprehensively alter one's male sounding voice into an instantly identifiable female sounding voice. Dr. Thomas is the only surgeon who simultaneously alters both the pitch, overall tone and resonance of the voice in one procedure. The cost for this surgery is a staggering $9,600. . . . ANYWAY . . . yours truly just put a down payment on surgery which will be taking place in August. I have not been this excited since SRS. In just a few short months i will be prancing around town singing songs in a voice that would make Eliza Doolittle envious . . . . lovely lovely day!!
Here is some more information about the procedure (from Dr. Thomas's website . . . http://www.voicedoctor.net/surgery/pitch-altering-surgeries):
The first three pitch altering surgeries are primarily designed for transgender male-to-female patients to raise the pitch. Genetic males have vocal pitch and vocal resonance that are often too low to be perceived as a female.
- Feminization laryngoplasty
- an operating room procedure to shorten the length of the vocal cords and the size of the thyroid cartilage in a transgender patient to obtain a more feminine voice. This procedure raises pitch.
- it has the potential to raise the pitch further than the cricothyroid approximation, but has a greater risk of needing a revision.
- it does alter resonance to a small degree.
- a thyrohyoid approximation can be performed at the same time to affect resonance.
- Thyrohyoid elevation
- removes the upper portion of the thyroid cartilage and raises the larynx in the neck.
- Cricothyroid approximation (CTA)
- an operating room procedure to pull two cartilages closer together to mimic the cricothyroid muscle action of raising the pitch.
- when done on one side it is usually to replace the action of a paralyzed muscle.
- when done on both sides it may be used for feminization of the male voice to raise the lowest pitch you can produce.
- Reduction laryngoplasty
- an operating room procedure to reduce the profile of the Adam’s apple. This procedure does not alter the pitch but often accompanies thecricothyroid approximation procedure.
- It is also known as a "Tracheal Shave" or "Trach Shave", though it is a procedure on the larynx (voice box) which connects to the top of the trachea (windpipe).
- Microlaryngoscopy
- removes smoker's polyps, usually a disorder of female talkative cigarette smokers.
- Pitch-lowering surgery
- a segment of cartilage can be removed from the voice box to loosen the vocal folds and lower the pitch, and sometimes the thickness of the vocal cord can be augmented.
- Laser tuning
- a person's comfortable speaking pitch - male or female - can be raised a few semi-tones with an office laser procedure. It can also be used to raise the pitch of a person with smoker's polyps.
