Can Cisgender Women Have Facial Feminisation Surgery?

Yes, cisgender women can have facial feminisation surgery. Facial feminisation surgery for cis women uses the same procedures as any facial feminisation surgery (FFS), chosen to soften features that look stronger or more angular than you would like. There is no rule that FFS is only for trans women. A cisgender woman with a heavy brow ridge can have forehead contouring, one with a wide, square jaw can have jaw contouring, and one with a prominent Adam’s apple can have a tracheal shave.

What differs from person to person is the plan: some women want one targeted change, others several. This guide explains what facial feminisation means, which features women most often want softened, the cosmetic names for the same operations, what non-surgical options can do, and what assessment and recovery involve. If you are not sure whether your concern is bone or soft tissue, our guides to reducing a brow bone and the female jawline are a useful starting point.

Can Cis Women Get Facial Feminisation Surgery?

Yes. Facial feminisation surgery, written facial feminization surgery in American sources, describes what the operations aim to do, not who they are for. FFS is best known as gender-affirming surgery for trans women and non-binary people, but cisgender women ask for the same procedures, often in different words: “a softer jawline”, “a smaller chin” or “a less heavy brow”.

At Centre for Surgery, FFS is available to any adult over 18 who feels some of her facial features look more masculine than she wants. No diagnosis, GP referral or gender clinic letter is needed, and your surgeon’s job is to assess your anatomy and advise on what can be changed, not to judge whether your reasons are good enough.

Published research includes cisgender women too. In a 2025 retrospective study in the Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery ↗, surgeons compared 39 cisgender women and 34 transgender women who had midface and lower-face bone contouring, including jaw-angle reduction, and measured the results on CT scans at least a year later^[1]. Both groups had significant reductions in midface and lower-face width and in the jaw angle, and the main complication was temporary nerve weakness. Patient-reported scores for facial appearance and psychosocial wellbeing improved more in the transgender women than in the cisgender women, a reminder that how much difference surgery makes to you depends on how much your features bother you to begin with.

What Is Facial Feminisation Surgery?

Facial feminisation surgery is a group of operations that reshape the bone and soft tissue of the face so it reads as more feminine. It is not one operation and there is no standard package. A plan can include one procedure or several, from the forehead down to the neck, done in a single session or staged a few months apart.

At Centre for Surgery, FFS can include ten procedures:

• Upper face: forehead contouring (brow ridge reduction), hairline lowering and a brow lift.
• Eyes: upper blepharoplasty and canthoplasty to soften the eye area.
• Midface: feminising rhinoplasty and cheek augmentation with implants or facial fat transfer.
• Lower face: a lip lift, jaw contouring (mandibular angle reduction) and chin recontouring (genioplasty).
• Neck: a tracheal shave to reduce the Adam’s apple.

Bone work is planned on a 3D model built from a CT scan and carried out under TIVA (total intravenous anaesthesia); some smaller procedures, such as a tracheal shave or lip lift on its own, can be done under local anaesthetic. A single procedure usually takes one to two hours, comprehensive FFS four to six, and most people go home the same day.

Why Does My Face Look Masculine?

Faces vary along a spectrum rather than falling into two boxes. The differences between a typically male and a typically female face are mostly in the bone and develop during puberty, when sex hormones drive growth of the brow ridge, jaw and chin. Many cisgender women simply inherit stronger features from a parent, and ethnicity also influences jaw width and chin shape.

Some features carry more weight than others. A 2025 CT study of 154 healthy adults found that the upper forehead, the brow prominences between and above the eyes, and the outer rims of the eye sockets were the areas of the upper face that differed most between men and women^[2]. That is one reason a heavy brow ridge can make a face look masculine even when every other feature is soft.

In a 2020 prospective international multicentre study in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery ↗, patients having FFS named their brows (54.5%), jaw (33.3%) and chin (30.3%) as the most masculine parts of their faces^[3]. Cisgender women tend to point to the same areas.

Hormones can play a part. Conditions with higher androgen levels, such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), are more often linked with excess facial hair and acne than with changes to bone, so if you have irregular periods or new hair growth, see your GP first. Hormone treatment in adulthood will not reshape bone, which is why surgery is the only way to change a brow ridge, jaw angle or chin. Our article on hormone therapy and facial feminisation explains what hormones can and cannot change.

Which Facial Features Can Be Feminised?

Most women considering FFS are concerned about one or two features rather than the whole face. The most common requests are below.

Brow bossing and a sloping forehead

A prominent brow ridge, sometimes called brow bossing or frontal bossing, gives the upper face a heavy, hooded look. Forehead contouring reshapes the bone above the eyes, usually by setting back the front wall of the frontal sinus, for a smoother, more upright forehead.

A high or square hairline

A high hairline makes the forehead look longer. Hairline lowering brings it forward, typically by around 1.5 to 2 cm, through an incision that hair grows through as it heals. It suits a stable hairline with no history of hair loss.

Low, heavy brows

Low, flat brows read as more masculine than higher, gently arched ones. A brow lift raises them, often alongside forehead contouring.

The nose and midface

A feminising rhinoplasty reduces a strong bridge, refines the tip and narrows a wide base. Cheek augmentation with implants or fat transfer adds volume over flat cheekbones, and a lip lift shortens a long upper lip to show more of the pink lip.

A wide or square jaw

A square jaw angle is one of the most visible markers of a masculine lower face. Jaw contouring reduces its width and squareness through incisions inside the mouth, leaving no visible scar. If the width comes mainly from a bulky chewing muscle rather than bone, injections may be enough.

A broad or strong chin

Genioplasty narrows, shortens or rounds a wide or long chin through an incision inside the lower lip.

A prominent Adam’s apple

Women can have a visible Adam’s apple, as our guide is it possible for a woman to have an Adam’s apple explains. A tracheal shave (chondrolaryngoplasty) reduces the front of the thyroid cartilage through a 2 to 3 cm incision in a natural neck crease. A 2025 review of 13 studies found that it is also performed for cisgender people and that reported complications were mild and temporary^[5]. Only the protruding front is reduced, and the vocal cords are not approached. More detail is in can you remove an Adam’s apple.

Is Facial Feminisation the Same as Cosmetic Surgery?

Largely, yes. The operations used in FFS are the same operations used in cosmetic facial surgery; what makes them “feminising” is the goal and how they are planned together. If you search for these procedures individually, you will usually find them under their cosmetic names:

• Brow bone reduction is forehead contouring or brow ridge reduction.
• Forehead reduction is hairline lowering, also called hairline advancement.
• Brow lift is sometimes called a forehead lift.
• Nose job is rhinoplasty.
• Jaw reduction or V-line surgery is jaw contouring, also called mandibular angle reduction.
• Chin reduction or chin reshaping is genioplasty.
• Adam’s apple reduction or removal is a tracheal shave, also called chondrolaryngoplasty.

The difference in FFS is the planning: the nose, brow, jaw and chin are assessed together, as softening one feature can make another stand out more.

How Do I Feminise My Face Without Surgery?

Non-surgical treatments can soften some features, but they work on muscle and soft tissue, not bone. They are temporary, and they are often used to preview a change or fine-tune a result rather than replace surgery.

• Jaw slimming injections: anti-wrinkle injections into the masseter (chewing) muscle can slim a square lower face when the width comes from muscle. Slimming shows from about four weeks, peaks at 8 to 12 weeks and lasts around four to six months. A 2026 meta-analysis of five randomised placebo-controlled trials ↗ involving 536 people found these injections improved masseter prominence and patient satisfaction in the short term^[6].
• Cheek fillers lift and add volume to flat cheeks, which can balance a wider jaw.
• Dermal fillers elsewhere, such as the lips or temples, can soften the overall shape of the face.
• Anti-wrinkle injections in the forehead and around the brows can give a slight lift to the tail of the brow.

What these treatments cannot do is reduce a brow ridge, narrow the jaw bone, make a chin smaller or flatten an Adam’s apple, and filler in a chin that is already strong can make it look heavier.

What Happens at a Facial Feminisation Consultation?

Your consultation is with the consultant who will perform your surgery. It usually covers:

• What bothers you: which features you notice, in which situations, and for how long.
• A feature-by-feature assessment from forehead to neck. Often one or two features drive the overall impression, and treating those is enough.
• Bone or soft tissue: whether a feature needs surgery or could be helped with injections first.
• Realistic expectations: what surgery can and cannot achieve for your anatomy, with clinical photographs taken for planning.

Your surgeon will also ask how much time you spend thinking about your appearance and how it affects your daily life. These are routine questions for everyone considering cosmetic surgery. Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), where worry about a feature others barely notice becomes distressing and hard to switch off, is more common among people seeking appearance-changing treatment. A 2024 systematic review and meta-analysis in Healthcare ↗ of 65 studies and 17,107 patients estimated that 18.6% of people attending plastic surgery clinics had BDD^[7]. Surgery rarely helps when BDD is the main driver, so if screening suggests it might be, your surgeon may suggest talking to your GP or a psychologist first. It is not a judgement on you; it is part of making sure surgery is likely to help. Our guide to body dysmorphia and cosmetic surgery explains more.

You leave with a written plan and quotation. We recommend a two-week cooling-off period before you book surgery, so you have time to think about it away from the clinic.

What Is Recovery Like After Facial Feminisation Surgery?

Recovery depends on which procedures you have: soft tissue procedures such as rhinoplasty, a lip lift or a tracheal shave recover faster than bone work on the forehead, jaw or chin. Before any of them, you stop all nicotine, including vaping, for four weeks before and four weeks after surgery, stop aspirin two weeks before, and arrange a responsible adult to stay with you for 24 hours after TIVA. A typical pattern afterwards is:

• First two weeks: swelling peaks around days two to three, more after bone work, so sleep with your head raised. The face feels tight and numb rather than very painful. Jaw or chin surgery needs a soft diet for one to two weeks, and your wound check is at one week.
• Back to work: desk work after 7 to 14 days following soft tissue procedures, or two to three weeks after bone work.
• Six weeks: avoid strenuous exercise and contact sport until your surgeon review at six weeks. Swelling after bone work improves markedly by four to six weeks.
• Three to six months: residual swelling settles and the final shape becomes clear, around six months for comprehensive FFS.

Keep healing scars out of direct sun for three months. In the first 24 hours you have your surgeon’s direct number; after that you can call us on 020 7993 4849, 9am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday. Out of hours, call NHS 111, or 999 in an emergency. Contact us straight away if one side becomes much more swollen than the other, you have a temperature above 38°C or a discharging wound, or you have any difficulty breathing or swallowing.

How Risky Is Facial Feminisation Surgery?

Serious complications are uncommon, but every operation carries risks, and the overall risk depends on how many procedures are combined. A 2023 systematic review and meta-analysis of 19 studies covering 1,837 patients found that the most commonly reported complications were palpable fixation hardware (3.45%) and poor scarring (2.17%), with an overall revision rate of 2.17%^[4].

General risks include bleeding, infection, asymmetry and a result that needs revision. Procedure-specific risks include altered sensation in the lower lip and chin after jaw or chin surgery and scalp numbness after forehead or hairline surgery. Bone changes are hard to reverse, so over-correction is avoided.

What Results Can Cisgender Women Expect From FFS?

Expect your face to look softer and more balanced, with the change depending on which features are treated. The results of bone and soft tissue surgery are permanent, although your face continues to age naturally.

Satisfaction in published studies is high. In the 2020 prospective multicentre study, a validated facial feminisation outcome score rose from a median of 47.2 before surgery to 80.6 six months or more afterwards^[3], and the 2023 systematic review found significant improvement across all the quality-of-life measures it pooled^[4]. Most of this research comes from trans women and the evidence for cisgender women is smaller, but the 2025 comparison study measured significant narrowing of the face and jaw in cisgender women as well as transgender women, with the larger gain in patient-reported satisfaction seen in the transgender group^[1].

The aim is a face that still looks like you, with the features that bothered you softened.

How Much Does Facial Feminisation Surgery Cost in the UK?

Facial feminisation surgery is quoted individually, as the cost depends on which procedures you need, whether bone work is involved, whether procedures are combined or staged, and how long surgery takes. Combining procedures in one session shares theatre time, anaesthesia and aftercare, so it usually costs less than having the same procedures separately. Your itemised quotation is given in writing after your consultation, and 3D planning and cutting guides are included where your plan uses them.

Your initial consultation is £100, redeemable against the cost of surgery if you go ahead. Finance is available, subject to status; see our finance options. If you have private medical insurance, check with your insurer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Facial Feminisation Surgery in London

Facial feminisation surgery at Centre for Surgery is performed by GMC-registered surgeons at our CQC-regulated Baker Street hospital, rated Good overall by the CQC, for cisgender women, trans women and non-binary people. We offer forehead contouring, hairline lowering, brow lift, blepharoplasty and canthoplasty, rhinoplasty, cheek augmentation, lip lift, jaw contouring, genioplasty and tracheal shave, alone or combined, with 3D planning for bone work. No diagnosis or referral is needed. The consultant who assesses you at consultation is the consultant who performs your surgery, and we recommend a two-week cooling-off period before you book.

Phone: 020 7993 4849 | Address: 95–97 Baker Street, Marylebone, London W1U 6RN
Contact us to schedule a consultation

References

1. Younis H, Zhou Z, Sun X, et al. Middle and lower-facial feminization surgery in East Asian transgender and cisgender women: surgical techniques and outcomes. Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery 2025;104:215–224. doi:10.1016/j.bjps.2025.03.024 ↗
2. Wu M, Salinero LK, Chang AE, et al. Quantitative analysis of male versus female frontal bone and orbital skeletal morphology. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Global Open 2025;13(9):e7068. doi:10.1097/GOX.0000000000007068 ↗
3. Morrison SD, Capitán-Cañadas F, Sánchez-García A, et al. Prospective quality-of-life outcomes after facial feminization surgery: an international multicenter study. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery 2020;145(6):1499–1509. doi:10.1097/PRS.0000000000006837 ↗
4. Raner GA, Jaszkul KM, Bonapace-Potvin M, et al. Quality of life outcomes in patients undergoing facial gender affirming surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Transgender Health 2023;25(4):653–662. doi:10.1080/26895269.2023.2278736 ↗
5. de Almeida RBS, Costa CC, Ramos HVL, et al. Surgical techniques in chondrolaryngoplasty: a narrative review. Sexual Medicine Reviews 2025;13(2):237–245. doi:10.1093/sxmrev/qeaf003 ↗
6. Machado GF, De Freitas LR, Ribeiro LFS, et al. Efficacy of botulinum toxin for masseter muscle hypertrophy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery 2026;119:212–225. doi:10.1016/j.bjps.2026.06.012 ↗
7. Kaleeny JD, Janis JE. Body dysmorphic disorder in aesthetic and reconstructive plastic surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Healthcare (Basel) 2024. doi:10.3390/healthcare12131333 ↗

Related Articles

• How Can I Reduce My Brow Bone?
• The Ideal Female Jawline: What Actually Defines One
• Is It Possible for a Woman to Have an Adam’s Apple?
• Do I Need Hormone Therapy Before Facial Feminisation Surgery?