On May 30th, 2019, Dr. Pierre Brassard was awarded the Phénicia Medal, surrounded by his main collaborators. Plastic surgeon, and medical director of Complexe chirurgical CMC and GrS Montreal, Dr. Brassard is recognized worldwide for his work in the field of FTM and MTF gender affirmation surgeries.

Career

Recently, Dr. Brassard told a journalist from the newspaper Le Devoir, about his first patient:

“I saw the extraordinary effect that the surgery had on this person and the suffering that had beset him until then. […] There is no better patient than a trans patient.”

Dr. Brassard graduated from Laval University in medicine and then in plastic surgery at University of Montreal. He then worked in various hospitals before becoming medical director of the Centre Métropolitain de Chirurgie in 2000. Dr. Brassard has carried out thousands of trans surgeries.

He is also invested in different institutions as an instructor or a lecturer emeritus. In addition to being a brilliant presence in the community, he contributes to the training of doctors who will follow in his footsteps.

The GrS Montréal Clinic

The main contribution of Pierre Brassard is not a small one. His clinic, GrS Montreal, is the only one in Canada that specializes in FTM surgery and MTF surgery. Since its opening in 1980, surgeons have operated on nearly 10,000 patients. The four surgeons currently working there are labouring tirelessly. GrS Montreal welcomes patients from around the world who come for phalloplasty, vaginoplasty, mastectomies, or even facial and body feminization surgeries.

The Phénicia Medal recognizes his dedication and empathy towards the well-being of patients who often carry a long, complicated history with them. His surgical skills and dedication to continuous improvement of his science make him an outstanding practitioner.

L’article Dr. Pierre Brassard, recipient of the CC-LGBT Phénicia Medal est apparu en premier sur TransAvenue.

On average over the last 3 years, 26% are from Quebec, 35% from Ontario, 26% from the western provinces, and 6% from the Maritimes.

The other patients (7%) who benefit from Quebec’s expertise come from Europe, Australia, and the United States.

The high percentage of Canadian patients reflects that in Quebec, as well as in other Canadian provinces, government programs cover almost 100% of the costs for most types of gender affirmation surgery and for the requisite medications.

“Because of superior accessibility, better timelines, and the expertise of GrS Montréal, we welcome many French and American citizens who are wishing to go through trans surgery,” explains Henri Labelle, social worker and psychotherapist.

Recognized and Coveted Expertise

With regard to gender affirmation surgeries, Quebec expertise is well-known and peer recognized. In this respect, GrS Montréal is a preferred location for all those wishing to undergo these types of surgeries.

At CMC, Dr. Pierre Brassard, whose primary training is in microvascular surgery, has developed his skills to the point of mastery over the past 25 years. It follows that the savoir-faire and expertise of Dr. Brassard are in great demand around the globe. In addition, the development of the pre- and post-operative clinics as well as the convalescent care offered at the world-renowned Maison de convalescence Asclépiade, the recovery center unique in the world, make GrS Montréal so very appealing to patients for its quality of care and its overall supportive approach.

Indeed, professionals from around the world are contacting GrS Montréal to benefit from its knowledge and many are asking for the privilege of observing its surgeries and viewing its care environment.

No matter where our patients come from, the GrS Montréal team will do everything in its power to facilitate accessibility to its services. Among the coordination services for your stay you could benefit from accommodation in a partner hotel as well as transportation required during your stay in Montreal. All GrS Montréal patients are entitled to the same dedication and quality of care.

L’article Where do the patients of Centre Métropolitain de Chirurgie come from? est apparu en premier sur TransAvenue.

These surgeries are a combination of both cosmetic and maxillofacial surgeries and aim to soften the facial features into a more typically feminine appearance. Read below to find out more about the main types of facial feminization surgeries (FFS).

Forehead Reconstruction

One of the most common FFS surgeries is the reconstruction of the forehead. A look is identified as feminine not because of a difference in the eyes, but because of the shape of the bones that surround them. Female foreheads are often smoother and uniform: women have vertical foreheads, while men’s foreheads descend to create a hump above the eyebrows (the brow bone is pronounced). Female eyebrows are also often high and curved, and men tend to have bare temples. For all these reasons, the reconstruction of the forehead can be a key element of facial feminization.

Several options are available to the patient: depending on the thickness of the skull to remove, the forehead may be ground or remodeled. This surgery can even be done at the same time as another FFS surgery or MTF surgery. In any case, it will be your surgeon who can guide you according to your particular case.

Tracheal Shave (Adam’s Apple Reduction)

The reduction of the Adam’s apple is more or less a 1 hour procedure. It consists of filing the cartilage which constitutes the Adam’s Apple. The surgeon must be suitably experienced to not get too close to the larynx and to not alter the patient’s voice. The small scar is hidden under the chin and will be almost invisible.

Rhinoplasty

Rhinoplasty, better known as plastic surgery of the nose, is done under local or general anesthesia. In the context of an MTF surgery, the surgeon removes excess bone and cartilage from the nose through small incisions inside the nostrils. A thinner nose contributes greatly to facial feminization and is one of the most common FFS surgeries.

Jaw Surgery

Several chin and jaw reduction options can be explored and are done through hidden incisions in the mouth. The V-Line procedure consists in shortening and thinning the jaw, it also allows for making the chin into a rounder shape and moving back a chin that is of a squarer shape. Some surgeons use high tech ultrasonic equipment to cut the bone without creating too much bleeding and to protect the nerves.

In conclusion, FFS surgeries include the face and neck, and focus on bone structure and shape of the nose. Other lighter FFS surgeries are available and can be incorporated to complete facial feminization: face or brow lift, blepharoplasty (eyelids surgery), cheek implants, lip lift, cheek fat resection, otoplasty (ears), or treatment with Botox© or Juvederm©. Many of these surgeries can be combined; talk to your surgeon!

L’article What is facial feminization surgery (FFS)? est apparu en premier sur TransAvenue.

The content of the first video reveals the scope of services available at GrS Montreal and the great importance given to the human component throughout the whole process of a gender affirming surgery.

We also learn that every year, no less than 1000 patients from all over the world choose to trust the Complexe chirurgical CMC and its subsidiary GrS Montreal with their gender affirming surgery. Each year, nearly 700 genital surgeries are performed here.

No wonder that the surgeons at this private hospital are considered the most experienced in the world in the field of gender affirmation surgery and are often cited for reference.

In one of the videos, Dr. Pierre Brassard, Medical Director and Associate Owner of the Complexe chirurgical CMC, mentions the evolution of techniques that continue to improve over the years.

While many of Dr. Brassard’s patients have thanked him for saving their lives, he is keen to qualify these words.

« In reality, we do not save the lives of people who will die of an illness, but we relieve them of a distress so strong that, in the end, the benefit for the patient is immense », says the famous surgeon.

Three Moving Testimonials

In the second video, we can hear the poignant testimonies of Adany, Nicolas, and Laura.

Authentic and moving, these three people from different places and backgrounds tell to what extend their gender affirmation surgery has changed their lives and for what reasons.

For instance, Adany evokes the feeling of being a fraud that has long haunted her.

« I was at a point in my life when going through the process at Complexe chirurgical CMC and the convalescence home Alsclépiade processes would finally allow me to begin to heal. From that moment, I was able to close a chapter and start a new one », she says.

Clearly, these are two revealing videos that help to better understand the universe of gender affirmation surgeries, from both the medical point of view as well as that of the patient.

L’article GrS Montreal is launching two corporate videos at the 2019 CPATH conference est apparu en premier sur TransAvenue.