About Dr. Satterwhite

When Dr. Satterwhite first began working with transgender patients, he had no idea of the profound impact it would have on his life and work. Through meeting the strong, courageous members of the TG community, he came to have a deep appreciation for the fact that human beings cannot be compartmentalized or placed within a box. Each individual is wholly unique and has an expression in this world like no one else. Guided by this understanding, Dr. Satterwhite is able to provide customized results that celebrate what is innate to each client, helping them to achieve a more authentic existence that is true to their self-image. For his compassion, attentiveness, and genuine respect for trans rights, he is considered by any patient who has had the chance to work with him to be among the best board-certified, transgender surgeons serving the Bay Area.

Introduction to Dr. Thomas Satterwhite at Align Surgical Associates

Background and Professional History

Dr. Satterwhite is a board-certified plastic surgeon and a Diplomate of the American Board of Plastic Surgery. He obtained his B.A. in Human Biology, graduating with honors before continuing with a medical degree from Stanford University in Palo Alto, CA. Shortly after, Dr. Satterwhite embarked on a plastic surgery residency at Stanford Hospital, considered one of the foremost training facilities in the world. He then deepened his expertise with a distinguished craniofacial fellowship in Miami, FL under the guidance of an internationally respected authority, Dr. Anthony Wolfe. With such an intense focus on craniofacial techniques, Dr. Satterwhite was paving the way for the delicate and complex procedures he would one day perform as a facial feminization and gender-confirmation surgeon in San Francisco.

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Dr. Satterwhite's Specialty & Expertise

During Dr. Satterwhite’s craniofacial fellowship, he was humbled to realize his gift could be used to help those who have faced grave misfortune in their lives. He began working with adults and children who suffer from disfigurement and those who deal with devastating injury and facial anomalies. He honed his skill in refining the physical form and function of the human anatomy, while enlarging his heart in the process.

Dr. Satterwhite’s expertise lies in delivering all aspects of gender confirmation surgery for transmen, transwomen, non-binary, and gender expansive individuals. He performs top surgery and bottom surgery, completing highly intricate operations that give his patients a new outlook on life as they are finally in the body they were meant to be in all along.

As one of the best body contouring surgeons in San Francisco, Dr. Satterwhite along with his surgical team, offer a variety of services including facial feminization, body feminization, vaginoplasty, labiaplasty, breast augmentation, mastectomy, phalloplasty, scrotoplasty, urethroplasty, glansplasty, and many more treatments for the FTM and MTF community. In addition, Dr. Satterwhite offers the full spectrum of cosmetic procedures, both surgical and non-surgical, to enhance the results of transgender body contouring surgery. These include facelift, neck lift, brow lift, rhinoplasty, blepharoplasty, liposuction, abdominoplasty (tummy tuck), and many more treatments that can help you to look and feel at the top of your game.

Commitment to Research, Advocacy, and Mentorship

Dr. Satterwhite has a deep commitment not just to ensuring the best patient care, but also to research, advancing the field of gender affirming surgery, advocacy, teaching, and mentorship. Dr. Satterwhite has presented nationally and internationally in plastic, reconstructive, craniofacial, and gender affirming surgery with more than 100 podium presentations over the years; and he has authored more than 60 peer-reviewed research articles and book chapters.

He has been invited as a panelist or keynote speaker at many conferences and academic institutions, including Stanford, UC Davis, Miami Children’s Hospital, and Johns Hopkins. He’s heavily engaged in numerous international and national organizations including the World Professional Association for Transgender Health and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. He is a peer reviewer for several well-respected journals including the Journal of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and the Journal of Aesthetic Surgery. He has mentored numerous medical students, residents, surgeons, and other trainees who have visited his practice.

Active Member of the Community

Outside of his practice as a transgender surgeon, Dr. Satterwhite is an avid contributor to industry research. He has published extensively and presented his findings in plastic, reconstructive and aesthetic surgery orally to large crowds all over the United States and internationally. Dr. Satterwhite is the recipient of multiple awards for his work, and among these is the highly competitive honor bestowed on him from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the Plastic Surgery Foundation Award. Today, Dr. Satterwhite continues to lecture and present his research at national conferences, networking events and regional gatherings, ever eager to remain on the cutting edge of medical science. If there is a new advancement in technology or a new technique that he believes can serve his patients, Dr. Satterwhite is the first to adopt it, as long as it is a safe, vetted approach that will truly improve lives.

In terms of media coverage, Dr. Satterwhite has appeared on ABC news and Marin News, and has contributed to countless Youtube videos and searchable articles online. As trans people move out of the shadows and into the mainstream, he believes that they deserve all the information and education possible regarding transition procedures.

Today, Dr. Satterwhite’s practice stands as an oasis for transgender clients seeking comprehensive care in a luxury setting. He provides an environment of respect, safety and innovation, and clients can sense his genuine desire to help them achieve their most cherished aesthetic goals. Dr. Satterwhite is an active member of the LGBTIQ community, having lived for over 23 years in San Francisco with his husband Harald and their son Alexander.

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(415) 530-5335 (310) 751-5886

Dr. Thomas Satterwhite