Female to male voice surgery or voice masculinization surgery/VMS in Bangkok, Thailand.
This type of surgery is performed if the patient is not satisfied with his voice despite the use of male hormone therapy. Unlike the female voice, a lower fundamental frequency of the voice is associated with men.
Before the surgery, an accurate Video Laryngostroboscopy and spectrum-acoustic study of the voice will be performed to highlight the real and fundamental frequency and to plan the best operation to achieve the patients goals.
A masculine voice is a low-frequency voice, around 100-125 Hz, which is lower than the average frequency for men's voices.
The surgical technique involves a 2-3 cm incision in the neck area. The external laryngeal structure is identified and reduced diameters. The vocal folds are shortened to make your voice deeper and lower in pitch.
Picture 1 shows reduce laryngeal diameter
This technique is very safe and don’t interfere your vocal fold.
After operation, you can feel mildly dysphagia, phlegm in your throat and lumpness.
This procedure you should admit in hospital for 1-2 night.
Post-operative Care
- Day 1 to 7: You must maintain absolute silence until the first follow up. There are no food and drink restrictions.
- Day 3 to 7: Keep the vocal cords lubricated by drinking lots of water and nebulize with a sterilized saline solution.
- Day 8 to 10: After the vocal rest period a new videolarygostroboscopic and spectrum-acoustic study is performed. The outer stitches are removed, the dressing is changed and the speech therapy rehabilitation can start.
The speech therapist will teach the patient how to use her new voice in the best way possible. The final result will be seen between the third month and the eighth month after surgery. For this reason a follow up is recommended at the third, sixth and twelfth month after surgery.
Note: The surgical team reserves the right to assess the feasibility case by case if the upcoming patient already underwent the voice change surgery using a different technique and is not satisfied with the result of his / her voice.
In order to prevent acid reflux it’s highly recommended to avoid caffeine, chocolate, peppermint, fatty foods, acidic foods, soda and alcoholic drinks.
One week off from work is sufficient as long as long as it’s possible to follow the voice restrictions. Two weeks off from work are required if the use of your voice is needed.
Risk and complications
- Scar at neck
- Infection around area of injury
- Hematoma and edema
- Necrosis and bruising
- Pain after surgery
- Voice hoarseness
- Sounds not change < depend on patient factors>
Voice masculinization speech therapy
Voice masculinization speech therapy is a treatment to refine your voice, making it sound more masculine. The treatment has to be done before and after the voice masculinization surgery to provide your effortless control of speech. Before voice masculinization surgery is performed, your voice has to be assessed and tuned to let you have a proper speech. After voice masculinization surgery is performed, you would have to learn to masculinize your voice and how to speak effortlessly. This program is provided by a specialized, skilled speech therapist, inclusive of multiple sessions of practice until you complete all aspects of voice feminization therapy, under the guidance of our speech therapist. Practicing without a guidance of the specialist may result in edema of your vocal cord and can cause a failure in our training program.
Getting to Know for Voice masculinization Surgery (VMS)
How to take care of a patient after voice surgery
Taking care of a patient after voice masculinization surgery is crucial to ensure a smooth and successful recovery.
Why does Voice become Gender Identity?
Voice is indeed an important aspect of gender identity for many individuals.In the context of transgender
Why does smoking make your voice terrible?
Smoking is detrimental to voice surgery and can have several negative effects on the surgical outcome.
Video: Voice Masculinization Surgery / VMS
Tricks to get a clear voice.
Here are a few tips to help improve the clarity of your voice:
- Hydrate: Drinking plenty of water can help to keep your vocal cords lubricated, which can make it easier to speak clearly.
- Warm-up: Just like athletes warm up before a big event, it's a good idea to warm up your voice before you need to speak for a long period of time. This can include exercises such as humming, lip trills, and tongue twisters.
- Use good posture: Maintaining good posture can help you breathe more easily, which can improve the clarity of your voice. Stand up straight, keep your shoulders back, and keep your head held high.
- Use good breathing technique: Diaphragmatic breathing can help to support your voice and improve its clarity. This involves breathing deeply into your diaphragm instead of shallowly into your chest.
- Speak at a moderate pace: Speaking too quickly can make it difficult for others to understand you while speaking too slowly can make you sound monotonous. Try to find a pace that feels natural and comfortable for you.
- Use appropriate volume: Speak loud enough to be heard, but not so loud that you strain your voice.
- Avoid speaking when you are congested or have a sore throat: If your vocal cords are inflamed, it can be difficult to speak clearly.
- Avoid smoking, excessive alcohol, and caffeine. All of these can dry out your vocal cords and make it more difficult to speak clearly.
- Practise good vocal hygiene, as well as vocal hygiene as singing like a warm-up, making sure you're not overusing your voice and taking breaks to rest it.
Remember, speaking clearly is a skill that can be developed and improved over time with practice and attention to technique.
