Identifying policies, financial support and professional regulations for medically necessary hair removal

ABSTRACT

Hair removal is a necessary pre-surgical procedure prior to performing genital gender-affirming surgeries such as vaginoplasty and phalloplasty. For example, a recent literature review on the topic notes that the use of hairbearing skin in gender-affirming surgical procedures can result in post-operative intra-vaginal and intra-urethral hair growth, which can lead to complications and lower satisfaction with the surgery.