Miscellaneous Advice

Voice

There is no sure way to undo the damage done to the vocal chords by testosterone. There are sugical techniques that can raise the pitch of the voice, but their effectiveness is variable, and can sometimes leave you with a voice worse than that you started with. At best, you're likely to get an increased pitch but a lower range. The most effective way to achieve a more feminine voice is simply to practise. Pitch isn't the only factor to be considered - plenty of women have deep but perfectly feminine sounding voices. Listen to how other women speak, and try to immitate it. My own voice is far from perfect, and I still occasionally get nervous about making phone calls, but generally my voice is good enough to manage casual interactions in person ("hi, I'd like a salad burger and fries, please"). Real conversations are more challenging, because if I have to think about what I'm saying rather than how I'm saying it my voice becomes erratic. One suggestion... try thinking in a higher pitch. Imagine your thoughts being "read out" by someone who's voice you'd like to emulate. It isn't easy, but if you can get in the habit of thinking in a more feminine tone, I'd guess your voice would be more likely to come out the same way.

Makeup

I don't use makeup. Like many of my female friends (who don't have Benjamin's Syndrome), I consider it to be a waste of time, money, and effort. Being a dyke probably contributes to this attitude, though I'm not particularly butch in most respects. It is not necessary for women to wear makeup to be presentable, no matter what certain elements in society try to convince us. However, for less fortunate sufferers from Benjamin's Syndrome it can be a very useful means to help disguise their condition, and in some regions, jobs, etc it is unfortunately necessary to wear makeup in order to fit in. If anyone can suggest any links for good makeup tips sites, let me know.

Cosmetic Surgeries

There are a number of ways that a more feminine appearance be be achieved through surgery, if necessary. A tracheal shave can be used to reduce the size of the adams apple, which is highly recommended if yours is very prominent. Breast implants can be used to supplement the effects of hormones, but it is best to give the hormones a few years to work before going ahead with this, so you don't end up with more than you really want. It's quite common for breast implants to be done at the same time as GRS, but this seems inadvisable to me. Removal of the testicals (ie the source of testosterone) can sometimes result in additional breast growth, even in people who've been on hormones for a long time (but don't count on it!), and recovering from GRS is hard enough without having to worry about your breasts at the same time. Hair Transplants can help those who've lost too much of their hair to testosterone, but I don't know much about this. It may be simpler just to stick to wigs. And finally, cosmetic surgery on the face can be an effective, though not cheap, way to feminize your looks. As always, make sure the surgeon you choose has experience in this area.

External Links

• Melanie Anne Phillips' Voice Page
• Feminine Voice Techniques - by the Looking Glass Society
• Surgery For Raising The Vocal Pitch - at the bird cage.