A MAN whose voice was so high-pitched people mistook him for a woman paid £6,400 to make it deeper.
The unnamed 26-year-old underwent the “masculinisation” surgery in Istanbul, Turkey, and is delighted by the “dramatic change”.
Jam Press Vid/@kursatyelkenA man, 26, underwent voice-changing surgery after ‘constantly being mistaken for a woman’[/caption]
Jam Press/@kursatyelkenDr Kursat Yelken carrying out the procedure in Istanbul, Turkey[/caption]
The doctor who carried out the procedure said his patient’s “whole life” had transformed.
In a video before going under the knife, the squeaky-voiced man from the US says: “I’m here for voice masculinisation surgery so people don’t mistake me for a woman.”
Then in a short follow-up clip, sounding much lower, he adds: “‘I just had the surgery. It wasn’t very painful, just felt weird.
“Yeah, I’m very happy with [my new voice].”
Dr Kursat Yelken, a professor of ear, nose and throat diseases, permanently alters the pitch of around 125 people’s voices a year.
He does so by either relaxing or tightening their vocal cords to either deepen or heighten their tone.
Sharing a video of his latest procedure on Instagram, the doctor said: “This guy is 26 years old and his voice frequency is somewhere between a male and female vocal range, close to the male upper limit.
“His main concern was occasionally to be perceived as a female on the phone.”
To perform the operation, the surgeon makes a small incision along the lower part of the neck.
“A diamond-shaped cartilage island is then made on the thyroid cartilage and pushed back, which allows vocal cords to become relaxed and produce a deeper voice,” Dr Yelken said.
“The decrease in the voice pitch is directly related to the amount of cartilage relaxation.”
Astonishingly, he talks to his patient throughout the surgery to gauge how much to tweak.
“It is possible to go back and forth and choose the best tone for the patient,” Dr Yelken added.
“During this surgery, I tried several different voice tones and finalised the procedure when we found a satisfying deepness level.
“The procedure is completed when the right pitch of the voice is decided upon by both parties.”
The patient in question was reportedly incredibly happy with his immediate results, which cost $8,000 (£6,400).
“He had a dramatic change in his voice after surgery,” Dr Yelken said.
“When we made a follow-up video consultation a couple of months after, he said his whole life, including social and work life, had been changed.”
Jam Press/@kursatyelkenDr Kursat Yelken is an ear, nose and throat diseases specialist[/caption]