Dear Editor, Transgender people are individuals whose gender identity or gender expression is different from the gender they are assigned at birth. As of 2011, an estimated 0.3% of adults identified as transgender in the United States.1 This is likely reflected globally. Transgender people have their own set of complex medical issues, chief among them are a subset of dermatological issues. As such, as dermatologists, it is important that we not only recognise the specific dermatological needs of these patients, but also the nuances in their treatment and are competent in discussing these issues using appropriate terminology that puts our patients at ease.
We are seeing increasing numbers of patients in our dermatology clinics that identify as Transgender. Some of these patients have had gender affirming procedures. The use of teratogenic medications, while common place in dermatology, can create a nuanced issue when treating patients who identify as transgender, particularly trans-masculine patients (assigned Female at birth, identifies as Male). Discussions regarding reproductive potential have the capacity to enhance gender dysphoria and have previously been identified as triggering for patients.2
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