Transgender woman, 20, who used to spend FIVE HOURS applying make up to appear more 'feminine' has $45,000 surgery to achieve the face she always wanted

  • Stef Sanjati, 20, from Toronto, recently uploaded a powerful video
  • In it, the transgender woman talks about her facial feminisation surgery
  • She is seen soon after going through various surgical procedures 
  • She said previously that she didn't 'see in my head what I see in the mirror'
  • She hopes that her different surgical procedures will improve 'my mental health' 

By SOPHIE HASLETT FOR DAILY MAIL

Published: | Updated:

For Stef Sanjati, looking in the mirror has always been difficult.

This is not because she intrinsically dislikes herself or thinks she is ugly. It is because the person staring back at her does not, to Ms Sanjati, reflect who she is.

The 20-year-old transgender woman from Toronto recently underwent Facial Feminisation Surgery - sharing a graphic video on her popular YouTube page the day of and after she had the procedure done.

'For myself, waking up and looking in the mirror is like pressing reset on your favourite game every day. Losing all progress, going backwards, never reaching your potential,' Ms Sanjati said.

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Stef Sanjati (pictured before her Facial Feminisation Surgery) has never felt she identified with how she looked in the mirror - and spends hours applying make-up and editing photos 

Stef Sanjati (pictured before her Facial Feminisation Surgery) has never felt she identified with how she looked in the mirror - and spends hours applying make-up and editing photos 

The 20-year-old transgender woman from Toronto recently underwent Facial Feminisation Surgery (pictured) - sharing a graphic video on her popular YouTube page about the procedure

The 20-year-old transgender woman from Toronto recently underwent Facial Feminisation Surgery (pictured) - sharing a graphic video on her popular YouTube page about the procedure

'For myself, waking up and looking in the mirror is like pressing reset on your favourite game every day,' Ms Sanjati said prior to surgery (pictured as an adult before starting her transition)

'For myself, waking up and looking in the mirror is like pressing reset on your favourite game every day,' Ms Sanjati said prior to surgery (pictured as an adult before starting her transition)

'It's incredibly frustrating, not seeing what you see in your head in the mirror,' she continued, writing on a GoFundMe page set up to help with the cost of her various surgical procedures.

 I don't think I have uploaded an untouched photograph since before I started my transition - I nip and tuck at my face, reducing my jaw here, enlarging my cheek there

'I don't think I have uploaded an untouched photograph since before I started my transition - I nip and tuck at my face, reducing my jaw here, enlarging my cheek there... all with the goal of looking more like what we perceive as feminine.'

Alongside Facial Feminisation Surgery (FFS), which costs Ms Sanjati more than CAD $45,000 (US $33,000; AUD $45,000; GBP £26,500), Ms Sanjati also will have Sexual Realignment Surgery (SRS).

Costs can vary for these surgeries depending on the person. 

In February, Ms Sanjati (pictured before her FFS) set up a GoFundMe page to help with the costs of various surgical procedures - FFS, for instance, costs USD $33,000

In February, Ms Sanjati (pictured before her FFS) set up a GoFundMe page to help with the costs of various surgical procedures - FFS, for instance, costs USD $33,000

'It's incredibly frustrating, not seeing what you see in your head in the mirror,' Ms Sanjati has said in the past of her desire to have the surgery (pictured: Stef Sanjati just after surgery)

'It's incredibly frustrating, not seeing what you see in your head in the mirror,' Ms Sanjati has said in the past of her desire to have the surgery (pictured: Stef Sanjati just after surgery)

The 20-year-old (pictured as a young boy) said she felt that after many years, 'it is time for me to undertake my gender confirming surgeries'

The 20-year-old (pictured as a young boy) said she felt that after many years, 'it is time for me to undertake my gender confirming surgeries'

In the candid video (pictured), posted on YouTube on December 17 after surgery, Ms Sanjati said she was 'happy' with how the surgery had gone - and was feeling 'grateful'

In the candid video (pictured), posted on YouTube on December 17 after surgery, Ms Sanjati said she was 'happy' with how the surgery had gone - and was feeling 'grateful'

The 20-year-old (pictured before FFS) said she wanted the various surgical procedures to 'vastly improve my mental health'

The 20-year-old (pictured before FFS) said she wanted the various surgical procedures to 'vastly improve my mental health'

'I would love to share the experience with you, so that people can learn about the surgeries and what they mean to transgender people,' Ms Sanjati said (pictured before FFS)

'I would love to share the experience with you, so that people can learn about the surgeries and what they mean to transgender people,' Ms Sanjati said (pictured before FFS)

However, the 20-year-old said that she felt 'it is time for me  to undertake my gender confirming surgeries'.

She said that in the past, it took her as long as five hours doing her make-up to feel comfortable with her face, adding that she always used photo-editing applications to ensure that photographs reflected how she wanted to appear.

In the candid video, posted on YouTube on December 17 after surgery, Ms Sanjati said she was 'happy' with how the surgery had gone - and feeling 'grateful'.

'I can't really express myself, but I'm in minimal pain right now,' she said. 

Meanwhile, the young Canadian woman has had more than a thousand people donate to her cause on GoFundMe, raising $32,000 of her goal.   

'They are not as simple as feeling better about the curve of our nose, it is much larger than that,' she said (pictured after the surgery)

'They are not as simple as feeling better about the curve of our nose, it is much larger than that,' she said (pictured after the surgery)

Stef Sanjati has so far raised $32,000 of her goal, and more than a thousand people have donated to the cause (pictured before the surgery)

Stef Sanjati has so far raised $32,000 of her goal, and more than a thousand people have donated to the cause (pictured before the surgery)

WHAT IS FACIAL FEMINISATION SURGERY? 

* Facial Feminisation Surgery is a set of reconstructive surgical procedures that alter typically male facial features to bring them closer in shape and size to typical female facial features.

* FFS can include various bone and soft tissue procedures such as a brow lift, rhinoplasty, cheek implantation and lip augmentation.

* Faces contain secondary sex characteristics that make male and female faces readily distinguishable.

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'Undergoing FFS and SRS would vastly improve my mental health,' Ms Sanjati wrote.

'I would love to share the experience with all of you, so that people can learn about gender confirmation surgeries and what they mean to transgender people.

'They are not as simple as feeling better about the curve of our nose, it is much larger than that. 

'These surgeries are about feeling like you, every day, when you wake up in the morning - before cinching, pulling, and covering every inch of your body with body shapers, tape, and cosmetics. 

'They're about recognising yourself in the mirror and feeling like living going outside, is possible, and not something to dread.'

If you would like to donate to Stef Sanjati's GoFundMe page, click here. You can also follow her on YouTube, where she is documenting her journey, here.

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