Gender Affirming Voice Surgery with Dr Chadwan Al Yaghchi

“When the sunlight strikes raindrops in the air, they act like a prism and form a rainbow. The rainbow is a division of white light into many beautiful colours. These take the shape of a long round arch..."If you ever have gender affirming vocal surgery, you'll probably become more than a little familiar with this quotation. It's the start of the Rainbow Passage, a standard recitation used to measure the before and after results for patients who undergo this incredibly delicate yet massively life-changing procedure.For most trans people, the question of whether or not to have such a surgery depends on many personal factors as well as overall transition goals. And there are usually more questions than readily-available answers.If such thoughts send a small quaver through your own voice, it might be time to join us at The Joy Tuck Club, as we sit down with one of the world's most renowed voice feminising surgeons, Dr Chadwan Al Yaghchi of the London Voice and Swallowing Clinic. You can contact him via the details provided at lvsclinic.com. In this interview you'll learn more than you probably ever thought you'd need to know, including choosing a surgeon, how to get the most out of your initial consultation, the questions to ask, preparation for the surgery, the recovery timeline, as well as the benefits but also some of the other changes to your voice that may negatively impact your life at work, home, and play.We also talk about the need for therapy after surgery, and the importance of this type of surgery in easing at least one of the difficulties in getting through a typical day.This is the first in our series of interviews with leading gender affirming health care professionals from around the world including surgeons, therapists, and more.Support the show—Visit The Joy Tuck Club online at redandfreckles.com and learn more about us and our upcoming book, How To Transition. You can also find red+freckles (Rachel & Phoebe) at:Instagram: @twodamptransThreads: @twodamptransBluesky: @twodamptrans.bsky.socialTikTok: @twodamptransYouTube: @TwoDampTransSpotify: The Joy Tuck ClubApple: The Joy Tuck ClubThe Joy Tuck Club is written, produced, and edited by red+freckles, of Two Damp Trans Ltd, UK.