Dr. Alvin Jorge offers safe space for trans community completing their gender affirmation journey

Trans men and women no longer have to look far to complete their gender affirmation journey. Dr. Alvin Jorge, a Filipino doctor specializing in performing gender-affirming vaginoplasty in the Philippines, is sharing his advocacy of providing a safe space for the transgender community to embrace their gender identity.

Dr. Jorge, co-founder of Cosmedics Dermaster Aesthetic Center, is a leading general and cosmetic surgeon in the Philippines and has been specializing in gender affirmation surgery (GAS) since 2007. He was introduced to GAS by his uncle, Dr. Jaime Jorge, who was experienced in performing the procedures. After training with Dr. Jaime for two years, he sought further studies in Thailand, a global leader in gender-affirming procedures.

“I initially got interested in cosmetic surgery because I can see that the results create fulfillment and happiness in patients. [With GAS], I realized that this is not just for career progression – a lot of patients need it, and I will be helping a lot of people,” Dr. Jorge says.

Gender affirmation surgeries involve a series of procedures that aim to give transgender individuals the physical appearance and functional abilities of the gender they know themselves to be. GAS includes male-to-female and female-to-male procedures like facial gender surgeries, breast and butt augmentation, gender-affirming vaginoplasty, and top surgery. 

While surgeries are not required for gender affirmation, undergoing a gender-affirming procedure is the final step to completing gender identity for many trans men and women. It gives them a sense of fulfillment and eases their gender dysphoria, or the deep feelings of unease and distress brought by a mismatch between their sex at birth and their gender identity. According to Dr. Jorge, GAS “serves as a treatment, management, or solution to relieve them of this dysphoria,” which can lead to psychological problems like stress, anxiety, or depression if left unaddressed. 

While Thailand is a popular destination for GAS, Dr. Jorge believes it is highly beneficial for trans men and women to get their procedures done in the Philippines, especially if they are opting for gender-affirming vaginoplasty, which has a lengthy recovery period of about three to six months. Patients undergoing surgery abroad might find it hard to get proper aftercare, but Dr. Jorge ensures his relationship with patients does not end after the surgery. Instead, he continues to care for them months and even years after the procedures.

“Gender-affirming vaginoplasty is not a simple procedure. You have to deal with proper cleaning, dilation, and wound care. It takes weeks to months to heal. If you encounter any problems, you need to go back to your doctor. And that’s the advantage of doing it in the Philippines because I’m always here,” he says.

Another hurdle faced by transgender individuals having surgery abroad is communication. Many of them have a particular desire for how they would like their genitalia to look, and these nuances are sometimes hard to explain. “They may be able to talk in English, but even us Filipinos find it hard to explain in detail what we want. There’s also the additional problem of relaying it to another person where English is not their first language,” Dr. Jorge shares.

In addition, some of these procedures, like top surgery and gender-affirming vaginoplasty, are irreversible. “If you change your mind, I can’t put it back. So we have to be 100 percent sure that the patient wants to have the surgery and there are no regrets after,” he says.

Dr. Jorge takes great care in closely following the guidelines of the World Professional Association on Transgender Health (WPATH), ensuring patients are good candidates for the surgeries. He is thorough with performing health checks, including psychiatric clearance, laboratory work-ups, cardiopulmonary clearance, and other health requirements that may be needed for a particular surgery.

Dr. Jorge is proud of how far he has taken GAS in the country. As one of the few doctors performing gender-affirming vaginoplasty in the Philippines, he can boldly say that the external appearance has vastly improved and looks as close as it can get to the female genitalia. The organ also functions as it should, with sensations replicated – sometimes even more sensitive than the real female genitalia.

He’s also developed various techniques like the Iron Man Top Surgery, which is a double incision bilateral mastectomy for trans men who would like to make their chest look more masculine. Dr. Jorge’s method follows the contour of the chest muscle to hide the long horizontal scars associated with top surgery.

“Because of the challenge patients give to make themselves look more beautiful, it pushes me to do more. I’m proud to say a lot of my patients are very happy with their appearance,” Dr. Jorge says.

Gender-affirming vaginoplasty is a difficult procedure that can last around six to eight hours. But Dr. Jorge has toughed it out.

“Even though gender-affirming vaginoplasty is a very challenging surgery, I’ve survived and continued the practice. There were some surgeons who attempted to do this type of surgery many times, but they eventually stopped because of the challenges associated with the procedure,” he adds.

In honor of Pride month, Dr. Jorge affirms his staunch allyship with the transgender community, advocating for a safe space where trans men and women can openly embrace their gender identity. 

“Just coming to the clinic is difficult for some patients because some clinics are not safe spaces. In Cosmedics, the little things matter. We already call them by their preferred pronouns, and on the patient’s chart, we ask them to write their chosen name. These things might seem simple to others, but they are very important to our patients. We understand them, we see them, and they are welcome here,” he says.

Dr. Alvin Jorge is a leading general and cosmetic surgeon from the Philippines, specializing in gender affirmation surgery. He is one of the few surgeons in the country performing gender-affirming vaginoplasty. He has been doing these types of surgeries since 2007.

A past President of the Philippine Academy of Aesthetic Surgery (PAAS) and current President of the Philippine Federation of Cosmetic Surgeons (PFCS), Dr. Jorge is also vice-chair of the PAAS Training Management Group. He is a respected mentor in cosmetic procedures such as thread lifting, dermal fillers, and botulinum toxin injections, sharing his expertise with fellow surgeons and advancing the field.

For more information, visit his Facebook page at Dr. Thread Lift, Instagram and TikTok @drthreadlift, and the official website of Cosmedics. – Rappler.com

PRESS RELEASE