Just like everyone else

by Robin Dorner
Editor in Chief

Dr. Courtney Caplin is not just smart, she is also very ambitious. With both medical and dental degrees, she is uniquely qualified as a female Cosmetic and Maxillofacial surgeon and currently practices at Cosmetic Surgery Affiliates in Oklahoma City.

Caplin recently moved to Oklahoma City after finishing a highly selective fellowship in General Cosmetic Surgery under the directorship of Dr. E. Antonio Mangubat in Seattle, Washington. This dedicated specialized training focused on facial and body cosmetic procedures with an emphasis on facial, breast and abdomen.

In a recent interview with The Gayly, she explains that body contouring is not always what you take, it’s about what you leave behind - it’s the redistribution of the inventory that you already have.

“With every patient, the first thing I ask them about is what their goals are for the surgery. Some people are very concerned about scars, about sensation. I’d say the vast majority of my patients ask for the most masculine chest for their body.”

Caplin explains how she utilizes the area around the pec muscles (pectoral) to make sure her patients don’t have that sunken, hollow, unnatural look.

“If we can just take away what’s a feminine distribution and then shape what is over the pec muscle, you can make a natural pec implant and just create a real masculine look. The last part is the nipple placement. A masculine nipple is more central and higher up, so it has to be relocated.”

Caplin explains male to female top body contouring, “It’s a breast augmentation which is very similar to a breast augmentation we do for almost any patient.

“Our trans females typically have very little amount of breast tissue so to have the most natural appearance and the softest feel, I like to use silicone.”

Caplin said for these patients, she uses a different approach in that she will go through the armpit instead of through the breast because it better hides the scar.

She added about hormone therapy, “Once on hormones, it can definitely change the tissue. I often ask patients to hold their hormones around surgery time.”

Caplin said her career simply “evolved.” She went to dental school with plans to be an oral/maxillofacial surgeon. The craniofacial work went hand-in-hand with cosmetic surgery so she had more exposure to that side. She volunteers for participation in mission trips in Central and South America for the surgical correction of patients with cleft lip and palate and facial differences.

“But I really loved the cosmetic side. It made the most sense to do something that I could be busy here and helping those in need. I looked around at the different fellowship programs and Dr. Mangubat in Seattle was highly respected, it was a great place.

“When I went to interview with him, he told me he had a real niche with transgender surgeries. He said, ‘Seattle is more aware than most cities, but it was a community of patients that are underserved.’ It really expanded my mind for patients that are in need.”

One of the things that brought Caplin to Oklahoma after such great training was seeing the need. She felt like she “fell” into this need area that she could be a part of.

Caplin says her passion for work in the trans community is that, “They are just like any other patient to me. To see a community of people who support each other and who are in need and to be able to help them is a special field. Hearing their stories of being treated by other physicians who are honestly, just uneducated; I think there’s a complete lack of education about the community, about what transgender means, about gender dysphoria.

“I think we can continue to educate all people about what transgender means, about what gender dysphoria means. This is just an area that really needs help with education and seeing so many people in need – if [there is] anything I can do to help raise awareness and help others.”

Dr. Caplin recently submitted an article to the Journal of Cosmetic Surgery for their technique in top surgery. However, Dr. Caplin also performs all types of full body cosmetic surgeries for all patients, everything facial, removing fat, body lifts and more.

If you have questions for Dr. Caplin, she may be reached at her offices at Cosmetic Surgery Affiliates at (405) 842-6677 or visit her website at www.csaok.com.

Copyright 2016 The Gayly – November 16, 2016 @ 10:50 a.m.