How Difficult Is It To Reduce My Large Adam’s Apple?

Q: I am a 35 year-old heterosexual male who is interested in getting my adam’s apple reduced. I do  not want to look feminine but the way it sticks out is bothersome to me. How is the operation done, how bad is the scar, and what is the recovery like?  

A: Most of the Adam’s Apple reductions (technically known as reduction chondrothyroplasty) that I do are in heterosexual males and they make up most of the patients. Contrary to popular perception, transexual patients requesting this procedure are in the minority. That is not surprising given that the ratio of heterosexual males far exceeds the number of patients requesting a transgender change. While once done mainly for feminization, that has changed today. It is becoming an increasingly requested procedure amongst men in general who find a large thyroid bulge detracts from a pleasing neck contour.

The operation is a one hour outpatient procedure done under general anesthesia. There is minimal pain and swelling afterwards. The small incision is just an inch and a half long and heals with an imperceptible scar.  I have never had to perform a scar revision for it. There are not sutures to remove. The typical result reduces the prominence of the thyroid cartilage but 50% to 75%. You usually can not get the neck profile completely flat but the improvement is substantial and patients are uniformly pleased. The location of the vocal cords, and the necessity to protect them and the patient’s known voice quality, prevents the cartilage to be reduced to the point that the neck has a smooth profile.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana