Scarless Tracheal Shave
Scarless Chondrolaryngoplasty
Scarless Adam’s Apple Reduction
Scarless Tracheal Shave
Chondrolaryngoplasty is known by multiple different names that all describe the same surgery – “Adam’s Apple reduction”, “trach shave”, and “tracheal shave”. These terms all describe a procedure where an incision is made in the neck to reduce the prominence formed by the thyroid cartilage, typically seen in the male neck.
Although the incision is typically an inch long, it creates an apparent and revealing scar in the front of the neck. As many patients do not desire this scar, performing this surgery through the mouth (transoral approach) provides a way to successfully perform the “tracheal shave” without a neck scar.
Dr. Seth created and pioneered the scarless chondrolaryngoplasty that utilizes the same incision in the mouth used to reduce the chin/jaw bone. The incision is made inside the mouth where the gums meet the inside of the lips and cheek. This single incision allows him to perform surgery on both the chin/jaw and the thyroid cartilage (Adam’s apple). As an added bonus, the incision allows him to access and remove the stubborn fat that resides behind the chin, further feminizing the jaw-neck contour.
His surgical approach and experience was the first description of the surgery and was published in the official facial plastic surgery journal, Facial Plastic Surgery and Aesthetic Medicine. Click here for the scientific article and here for a news story covering the innovation. In the study, in which he was the lead senior author, he demonstrated that patients were able to safely and effectively undergo the transoral chondrolaryngoplasty (TOC, which is short for the surgery’s official name).
To safely perform the surgery, the surgeon must know where the vocal cords are within the thyroid cartilage. A camera or scope is passed into the mouth to visualize the vocal cords within the throat. The location of the vocal cords is then marked on the outside of the thyroid cartilage using a needle to that helps guide localization. Only the cartilage above that mark can be safely removed. Performing this step is essential to any chondrolaryngoplasty procedure, whether performed through a neck incision or mouth incision, because injury to the vocal cords leads to permanent voice changes.
Dr. Seth is the innovator and leading authority on scarless chondrolaryngoplasty. If you desire the TOC procedure, it can be performed at the same time as the entire facial feminization surgery or as a stand-alone procedure. For more information and to learn if you are a good candidate for the surgery, please contact our office for a consultation with Dr. Seth.
