Treatment guide

Chondrolaryngoplasty

Looking to reduce your prominent Adam’s apple? A chondrolaryngoplasty is the answer to your question. It is a cosmetic procedure commonly also referred to as tracheal shaving surgery, Adam’s apple reduction, or thyroid cartilage reduction.

The content has been reviewed for quality and accuracy to the best of our knowledge by Qunomedical and its Medical Board of Experts.

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QUICK DETAILS

WHO IS THIS FOR

  • Individuals making the transition from male to female, and looking to reduce their prominent Adam’s apple. It can be performed as part of the Facial Feminization Surgery (FFS).

  • Men or women with looking to reduce their Adam’s apple to improve their appearance

RECOVERY TIME

  • You could return to your normal routine within a week.

  • Your vocal cords may need until 3 weeks post surgery to be back to normal.

SUCCESS

90-95% of all patients report a success

TREATMENT DURATION

An hour on average

POTENTIAL RISKS & SIDE EFFECTS

  • Slight or extreme changes to your voice

  • Unsatisfactory cosmetic results

  • Extremely serious risks include: infection, bleeding or permanent loss of voice

How Does a Chondrolaryngoplasty Work?

A chondrolaryngoplasty is an aesthetic procedure that involves reducing the Adam’s apple, which is technically referred to as a thyroid cartilage prominence. It can be performed as part of a Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS) or as can be offered as a cosmetic procedure for anyone else. The procedure requires the following steps:

  1. Prior to surgery you will have a CT scan or a similar imaging test so that the surgeon can clearly mark the location of your vocal cords with regards to the cartilage prominence.

  2. Before the surgery begins, you will either be placed under local or general anaesthesia. Both types have their respective advantages and disadvantages, so be sure to clearly speak to your doctor about which one they recommend.

  3. The surgeon starts by making a transverse incision on your throat, and then dissecting through the throat muscles to expose the cartilage.

  4. Then, the cartilage is excised. This leaves behind a much reduced Adam’s apple.

  5. The surgeon then sutures the muscle and the incision on the skin. The cut is then co vered with a light dressing.

What Should I Expect From This Procedure?

As mentioned earlier a chondrolaryngoplasty can be done as part of an FFS or a complete SRS procedure. Many patients choose to undergo the procedure at the beginning before any other major surgeries, or a few years down the line. Depending on what you are most comfortable with or which procedure is most important to you will ultimately decide the order in which you want your treatments. Additionally, even as part of SRS, a chondrolaryngoplasty is generally considered to be a cosmetic procedure and is not covered by insurance.

Finally, below is a list of points to keep in mind regarding the surgery:

  • The most important aspect of the surgery is to make sure that your vocal cords are not harmed. Some voice change may be expected though fairly subtle.

  • The results of the surgery depends on your consultation with your surgeon, and whether all your expectations were clearly met. To ensure this, it is important to be very frank and clear with the surgeon and have your expectations stated.

  • Following the surgery, you might have inflammation or bruising around the area.

  • The procedure may result in some throat pain that can last for a few days.

  • Lastly, most patients are very satisfied with the outcome and assure that the surgery is safe.

Frieda

Patient manager

Frieda

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