Plastic Surgery

Gender-affirming surgery (GAS) is a surgical procedure, or a series of procedures, that alters a person's physical appearance and sexual characteristics to resemble those associated with their gender identity. The phrase is most often associated with transgender health care, though many such treatments are also pursued by cisgender individuals. It is also known as sex reassignment surgery (SRS), gender confirmation surgery (GCS), and several other names. Professional medical organizations have established Standards of Care, which apply before someone can apply for and receive gender-affirming surgeries, including psychological evaluation, and a period of real-life experience living in the desired gender. Feminizing surgeries are surgeries that result in female-looking anatomy, such as vaginoplasty, vulvoplasty and breast augmentation. Masculinizing surgeries are those that result in male-looking anatomy, such as phalloplasty and mastectomy. In addition to gender-affirming surgery, patients may need to follow a lifelong course of masculinizing or feminizing hormone replacement therapy to support the endocrine system. Sweden became the first country in the world to allow transgender people to change their legal gender after reassignment surgery and provide free hormone treatment, in 1972. Singapore followed soon after in 1973, being the first in Asia.