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Keeping Up With Cait: The Cost of Being Transgender

It takes big money to look as good as Caitlyn Jenner. We break down the hefty price of becoming a woman
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Taking Your Face From Handsome to Pretty
As you might expect, facial surgery to look like a woman varies greatly from one patient to the next, says Dr. Jeffrey Spiegel, MD, Chief of the Division of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Boston University Medical Center. "Believe it or not, not everyone wants to look stunning," says Spiegel. Some people prefer to look androgynous.

"A transgender woman typically wants to blend in and be seen the same as every other woman," says Spiegel. Her end goal is to pass as a woman, not a transgender woman.

On average, Dr. Spigel performs about two to five facial feminization surgeries a week. This includes any of the following procedures:

-Rhinoplasty: $7,000*
-Adam's apple surgery: $5,000*
-Lip augmentation: $5,000*
-Forehead contouring: $12,000*
-Jaw and chin reshaping: $10,000*
-Cheek augmentation: $2,000-$7,000*
-Scalp advancement (a lowering of the hairline and adjustment of the eyebrows): $8,800*
-Facelift and eyelid surgery for older patients: $12,000*

The most common procedures involve the brow bone and Adam's apple, according to Dr. Gary Alter, MD, board-certified plastic surgeon and RealSelf.com contributor, who recently added Caitlyn Jenner to his patient roster.

Cost: $17,050 is the average price for facial feminization surgery, though Prata notes many of her clients spend around $30,000.

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Oh, and Two More Things
Hormone replacement therapy can only give you so much cleavage. After that, transgender women look to breast implants. Breast augmentation is considered a cosmetic aspect of the transformation, so most insurance companies do not cover it.

Cost: On average, male-to-female breast augmentation is $5,175*.

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Dangerous Curves Ahead
In case you hadn't noticed, a male-born body is shaped very differently than a female-born body, with fat and muscle distributed in different areas. Alter works with patients to create a more feminine, hourglass shape by providing liposuction in some areas (usually the abdomen and "love handle" areas) and inserting the fat elsewhere, such as the butt.

Cost: $5,000 to $10,000*

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Going From Outie to Innie
As of this writing, Jenner reportedly hasn't had genital surgery, and she's not alone. Hanson reports that only about 50 percent of the people she works with have opted to "go all the way." "We do have some people who think, 'This is the most important thing I can do for myself,'" says Hanson. "But others don't want it."

For those who choose genital surgery, it's usually a combination of vaginoplasty and labiaplasty -- the former converts the parts, while the latter improves the appearance.

Cost: The average cost of labiaplasty is $4,000*; vaginoplasty is $12,725*.

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Blow-Out-Worthy Hair
Out of necessity, most of Prata's clients rely on wigs to create a natural, feminine-looking hairstyle. "If they're over 45, they've usually lost a lot of hair," she says. (The average age for trans women to undergo surgery is 42.) Prata recommends synthetic wigs with a lace front (usually $250-$500) over human hair because human hair (including extensions) requires a lot of hairstyle know-how.

Other clients successfully receive hair transplant therapy. "I had one client who lost most of his hair as a man at 28. [After he got hair transplants], he looks better at 50 than he did at 28," she says. However, it's expensive -- about $15,000.

Cost: $500 to $1,000 for wigs (you'll want a couple if you're wearing them everyday, says Prata) or $15,000 for hair transplant therapy.

BY EMILY WOODRUFF | JUL 23, 2015 | SHARES
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