Your Questions
Your Questions
Q: Hi Dr. I have a large adam’s apple that I want reduced…I am not a transgender, just a regular guy who doesn’t want a big adams apple sticking out, I get tired of people mentioning it too. I was wondering what the approximate cost would be for this procedure! Thanks!
A: A prominent adam’s apple, medically known as a thyroid cartilage or voice box, causes a protrusion in the very visible central part of one’s neck. its size and shape can be very effectively changed through a procedure known as a reduction thyrochondroplasty or adam’s apple reduction. Using a small (one inch) incision overlying the thyroid prominence, the u-shaped protruberance can be shaved down. There is a limit as to how far it can be reduced because of the vocal cords that lie on the inside of the voice box. Most patients will not get a completely flat side neck profile but it is safe to say it can usually be reduced 50% to 75% in profile which is a significant difference.
Contrary to popular opinion, the majority of people whom I have performed this procedure on in my Indianapolis plastic surgery practice are not transgender patients. Most are men who just want their neck bulge reduced. At one time the transgender patient may have made up the bulk of whom was requesting this procedure but not of recent times. More men are becoming increasingly sensitive to a large thyroid cartilage and want it reduced for cosmetic neck contouring purposes.
The typical overall cost estimate, all fees included, is in the range of $5,000 to $ 5,500. It is a one hour procedure that can be done under Iv sedation or general anesthesia.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis Indiana
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
Q: I am interested in a Thyroid cartilage reduction. I am a male but this is not for any kind of transgender procedure, I just have an oversized adam’ s apple and I do not like it. i am in my 30’s and I’m not looking to have it removed just made smaller. Is it possible to have this procedure at my age?
A: Most of the thyroid cartilage reductions that I do are in heterosexual males, not transgender patients. Like yours, the issue is the same…an adam’s apple that is just too big and sticks out too far. Your age is fine as age is actually irrelevant. As long as one is skeletally mature (fully grown, age 18), it is acceptable to have the procedure. This is a fairly simple operation that is both effective and requires minimal recovery. At the price of a very fine 1 1/2″ horizontal line in a skin crease over the cartilage, it can be substantially reduced.
The thyroid cartilage plays a very valuable role in supporting the vocal cords and certain neck muscles and ligaments. Its removal is not possible. Thyroid cartilage reduction merely shaves down or reduces a portion of the V-shaped prominence of the upper or superior part of the cartilage. Their paired upper borders come together in the front and form a notch whichi is easily felt. Removing this portion of the cartilage does not interfere with vocal cord function or other neck functions.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana