Skin Changes During Gender Transition Glossary

Gender Affirmation Surgery: Surgical procedures that alter a person's physical appearance and functional abilities to resemble their identified gender. This can include surgeries like vaginoplasty, phalloplasty, chest reconstruction, and facial feminisation or masculinisation surgeries.

Gender-Affirming Hormone Therapy: The use of hormones, such as oestrogen or testosterone, to start physical changes in the body that align with a person's gender identity. This therapy is part of the transition process for many transgender individuals.

Transmales: Individuals assigned female at birth but identify and live as males. They may also be referred to as transgender men or trans men.

Transfemales: Individuals who were assigned male at birth but identify and live as females. They may also be referred to as transgender women or trans women.

Oestrogen hormone: A group of hormones that play an essential role in developing and maintaining female characteristics and reproductive functions. Oestrogen is commonly used in hormone therapy for transfemales.

Anti-androgen hormones: Medications that start the androgens (male hormones) effects in the body. These are often used in gender-affirming hormone therapy for transfemales to reduce male secondary sexual characteristics.

Exogenous Hormones: Hormones that are administered to the body from external sources, such as oestrogen or testosterone in hormone therapy, rather than those produced naturally by the body's endocrine system.

Exogenous Oestrogen: Oestrogen is introduced into the body from external sources, typically as part of hormone therapy for transfemales.

Exogenous Testosterone/Testosterone: Testosterone that is introduced into the body from external sources, typically as part of hormone therapy for transmales to develop male secondary sexual characteristics.

Anti-androgen: A substance that prevents androgens from exerting their biological effects on the body. This is commonly used in transfemales to suppress the effects of male hormones.

Androgen: A group of hormones, including testosterone, that play a role in male traits and reproductive activity. These are present in both males and females but are typically higher in males.

Post-gender Affirmation Surgery: The period after an individual has undergone gender affirmation surgery. This involves recovery and adaptation to the physical changes resulting from the surgery.

Genital Reconstruction Surgery: Surgical procedures that create or reconstruct the genitals to match an individual's gender identity. This includes procedures like vaginoplasty for transfemales and phalloplasty for transmales.

Hypertrophic Scarring: A condition where a wound heals with a raised, thickened scar that stays within the boundaries of the original wound. It is a common type of scarring resulting from surgery or injury.

Keloidal Scarring: A more severe type of scarring where the scar tissue grows excessively, forming large, raised scars extending beyond the original wound boundaries. Keloids can occur after surgery, injury or even spontaneously.

Hypoallergenic: Describes substances or products less likely to cause an allergic reaction. This term is often used for cosmetics, skincare products, and medical materials.

Vaginoplasty: A procedure to construct female genitals.

Phalloplasty: A method to construct male genitals.