Toby Meltzer

Toby R. Meltzer, MD (born September 19, 1957), is a plastic and reconstructive surgeon who currently practices in Scottsdale, Arizona.^[1] Meltzer specializes in sex reassignment surgery male-to-female, sex reassignment surgery female-to-male, and facial feminization surgery. In the 1990s, Meltzer pioneered the neovaginal construction technique that increased the ability of the neoclitoris to feel sensations.^[2] In 2007, Meltzer reported that he performs 2-4 vaginoplasties a week, and that he has performed over 3000 male and female sexual reassignment (SRS) surgeries during his practice.^[3] Meltzer is considered one of the leading surgeons in this specialized field.^[4]

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Education and early practice

Meltzer is a graduate of the Louisiana State University school of medicine, where he completed a residency in general surgery. He completed his plastic surgery residency at the University of Michigan^[5]. Meltzer then began his practice, while working as a clinical professor of plastic surgery at Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU). There he specialized in general surgery, plastic surgery, and completed a fellowship in surgery for treatment of severe burn injuries.

Working with the chief of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Division at OHSU, he began training in SRS surgical techniques. Meltzer researched and interviewed pediatric urologists with experience treating children born with ambiguous genitalia, and surgeons already performing vaginoplasty surgeries such as the late Stanley Biber, MD. In 1993 he began performing vaginoplasty surgeries, which eventually became a large part of his practice. In 1996, he opened his own private practice in Portland, Oregon.^[6] He relocated his practice to Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S.A. in 2003 becoming the first doctor in the state of Arizona to specialize in gender reconstruction surgery.^[7]

Surgical practice

During the 1990s, during his practice in Portland Meltzer developed a vaginoplasty technique.^[8] Meltzer's demeanor and surgical skills gained him respect in the transgender community as he was considered having surpassed the veteran Stanley Biber in terms of referrals.^[9]

In the late 1990s, Meltzer performed many cricothyroid approximation surgeries. This procedure attempts to raise vocal pitch by surgically modifying the cricoid and thyroid cartilage structures.^[10] The intent of the procedure is to raise the vocal pitch of patients unable to do so through voice training. Improved voice training methods (which often produce better results than the surgery) and the inherent risks of vocal surgery have largely eliminated the demand for cricothyroid approximation.

Meltzer also performs facial feminization surgery (FFS),^[11] and various other procedures including reconstruction of severed limbs, scar revision surgeries, and more familiar plastic surgical procedures such as breast augmentation.

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