The first ever data on gender reassignment surgeries in the United States shows demand is skyrocketing.
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons found a nearly 20 percent increase in vaginoplasties, phalloplasties, top surgery and contouring operations in just the first year of reporting.
In 2016, more than 3,200 surgeries were performed to help transgender patients feel more like themselves.
Surgeons in the field claim that figure is a conservative estimate – and would likely three times higher if all hospitals had a uniform way of documenting such surgeries.
And they believe celebrity transitions have been a driving force in this shift.
Increasingly, insurance companies are offering coverage for surgery for patients with gender dysphoria – a disconnect between how an individual feels and what their anatomic characteristics are.
Gender confirmation procedures can include everything from facial and body contouring to reassignment surgeries.
