Gender Reassignment Surgery Expert
Dr. Kathy L. Rumer is a board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon in the Philadelphia tri-state area who is an expert in gender reassignment surgery. Dr. Rumer performs the full range of gender surgery procedures, including:
- FTM Top Surgery
- Male to Female SRS (Vaginoplasty)
- Facial Feminization Surgery (FFS)
Dr. Rumer’s superior surgical skills, coupled with her extensive formal education and state-of-the-art facilities, have made her a highly sought after surgeon.
Dr. Rumer is board certified in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery by the American Osteopathic Board of Surgeons (AOBS) and is also a member of:
- American Osteopathic Association (AOA)
- American College of Osteopathic Surgeons (FACOS)
- American Medical Association (AMA)
- Association of Cosmetic Surgeons (ACS)
- World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH)
Dr. Rumer’s academic background in both science and art give her unique abilities in attaining natural looking results. Her education includes:
- Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine – Philadelphia College Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM)
- Experience as an Aerospace engineer, member of various NASA satellite/Space Shuttle launch teams
- Formal education in Fine Arts and engineering
- BS, Applied Mathematics – Ursinus College
Additionally, Dr. Rumer has been named “Top Doc” annually since 2008 by Main Line Today magazine, and “Top Doc” by Philadelphia Magazine, as voted by her peers. She was named “Surgical Intern of the Year” during her General Surgery Residency at PCOM, and “Nation Fellow of the Year” in her Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Fellowship. She was the Chief Resident in both her General Surgery Residency and her Plastic Surgery Fellowship Programs at PCOM.
Dr. Rumer is well-known in the transgender community. She is a regular sponsor of and presenter at several national transgender conferences:
- Philly Trans Health Conference (Philadelphia, PA)
- Southern Comfort Conference (Ft. Lauderdale, FL)
- First Event Conference (Boston, MA)
- Keystone Conference (Harrisburg, PA)
- Trans Ohio Conference (Columbus, OH)
- Virginia Transgender Information and Empowerment Summit (TIES) (Richmond, VA)
Dr. Rumer’s private practice is located in Ardmore, 30 minutes west of Center City Philadelphia, on Philadelphia’s Main Line. She performs gender confirmation surgeries at Delaware Valley Memorial Hospital and at Delaware Valley Orthopedic and Spine Surgicenter. She has additional privileges at Bryn Mawr Hospital and Lankeneau Hospital.
Dr. Rumer achieves natural-looking surgical results by focusing on the individual–their anatomy, surgery goals, and lifestyle. During your consultation, Dr. Rumer and her highly qualified staff will clarify each step of the process for you, and discuss all the options available to you. Her customized approach helps to ensure your complete satisfaction.
FTM Surgery
Pricing includes: Surgeon fee, OR fees, anesthesia fee, as well as hospital stay fees and any post-op garment fees (if applicable.) Costs are general estimates only (May 2015.) Exact pricing can only be determined following a consultation. |
MTF Surgery
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FTM Top Surgery
Dr. Rumer performs at least 150 Top Surgeries a year and can provide patients with a natural appearing, male-contoured chest. Dr. Rumer gets excellent results using one of the three primary methods along with customized techniques: Double Incision with nipple grafts, Peri-areolar or Keyhole. To determine the approach, Dr. Rumer will discuss with you your surgery goals and the options best suited to your anatomy at your consult.
Note: Dr. Rumer uses drains for Double Incision Top Surgery but not for Peri-areolar or Keyhole. Compression garments are worn for 3 weeks post-op.
FTM Bottom Surgery
For SRS for men, Dr. Rumer offers both Metoidioplasty and Phalloplasty. Associated procedures such as Hysterectomy and Mons Resection are also available.
- Metoidioplasty: Simple Meta, with scrotoplasty and testicular implants
- Phalloplasty: Abdominal or Groin Flap Phalloplasty, with scrotoplasty and testicular implants
Additional surgeries offered for trans men: Body Sculpting, Facial Masculinization and Hair Grafting.
MTF Surgery
Dr. Rumer excels at MTF sex reassignment surgery, specifically a one-stage modified Penile Inversion method of Vaginoplasty, performing 80-100 of these surgeries per year. She’s able to achieve excellent depth, function and sensation with this procedure, and her technique does not require hair removal before or after surgery.
Facial Feminization Surgery
Dr. Rumer has extensive experience with Facial Feminization Surgery, or FFS, a group of procedures that naturally feminize a patient’s face. FFS procedures can include:
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Which procedures are right for you will depend on your goals and facial structure. During your consult with Dr. Rumer, she will do a complete evaluation and customize a surgical approach to help you get the results you seek.
MTF Breast Augmentation
Dr. Rumer’s MTF Breast Augmentation procedure is designed to enlarge the breasts and provide a feminine chest contour. Breast implants can be positioned either behind the breast tissue or partially or completely under the chest muscles. The incisions are discreet. At your consult, Dr. Rumer will discuss the type and size of the breast implants and surgical methods with you. Your preferences, your anatomy and Dr. Rumer’s recommendation will all factor into the chosen approach.
Other surgical procedures available for transgender women:
- Body Contouring – liposuction, fat grafting
- Orchiectomy
- Labiaplasty
- Buttock Augmentation
- Hair Grafting using advanced Follicular Unit Extraction technology
To complement her surgical work, Dr. Rumer also offers advanced aesthetic procedures to help maximize surgery results, or to provide non-surgical options when surgery is not the answer. Non-surgical procedures available for transgender women include injectibles like Botox, Juvederm, Radiesse, or Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP).
Dr. Rumer’s Recovery Program
To help patients recover in the Philadelphia area after surgery, Dr. Rumer offers a recovery program. While patients are medically cleared to go home after surgery, there’s peace of mind at being near your surgeon, and the majority of patients choose to stay.
With the recovery program, you can opt for a local hotel (at additional expense), or you can stay at Dr. Rumer’s recovery facility. The cost is the same for those who stay on-site or in a local hotel, $95/day. The facility houses Dr. Rumer’s medical office and home on the first and second floors, and three guest rooms on the third floor. Patients will be seen by Dr. Rumer and/or her Nurse Practioner every day while in the recovery program.
Each of the large guest rooms have a full-size bed, a futon, a flat screen TV with basic cable service, WIFI, a ¾ size refrigerator/freezer and a microwave oven. There are many restaurants nearby that deliver, as well as a Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s within walking distance. The facility is short walk (under 5 minutes) from the SEPTA (local regional rail) and AMTRAK train station. One guest may stay on-site with the patient to assist them during their recovery. Typically, patients check-in the day before their surgery and check-out 9 days later if GRS is performed or 3 days after Top Surgery. (Length of stay after FFS varies depending on the extent of the surgery.)
Consultations with Dr. Rumer
Dr. Rumer is available for in-person consultations, phone consultations, and Skype consultations. An in-person consultation is not required prior to booking surgery. The consultation fee of $75 will be applied towards your procedure.
Wait List
Wait time for surgery varies but typically range from 2-4 months.
Financing and Insurance
Credit cards, checks and cash are accepted. Dr. Rumer also accepts insurance from multiple insurance companies, and financing is available from multiple surgery financing companies, such as CareCredit.
Surgery Requirements
Dr. Rumer follows WPATH guidelines for surgery, as well as mammography protocols of the American Cancer Society.
- Medical evaluation by primary MD or MD providing hormones
- Letter of recommendation from a psychologist or other mental health professional
- Mammograms prior to Top Surgery are required (a normal baseline mammogram) for patients 40 years old or older who DO NOT have a family history of breast cancer, and for patients 35 years of age or older who DO a family history of breast cancer.
Have questions for Dr. Rumer? Contact her office by clicking the Send Inquiry button above.