Voice Refinement

What is Loudness?

Sound has 3 characteristics: loudness, intensity and timbre. The sound characteristic that causes a sound to be characterized as thin or thick is the loudness of the sound (pitch). If the frequency of sound waves is high, the sound is thin, if it is low, the sound is thick. The loudness of the sound depends on 3 different qualities of the vocal cords:

• Length of the vocal cords: As the length of the vocal cords shortens, the amount and frequency of vibration increases. As the frequency increases, the sound becomes thinner.
• Thickness of the vocal cords: As the vocal cords become thinner, the amount and frequency of vibration increases. The sound becomes thinner.
• Tension of the Vocal Cords: As the vocal cords are stretched, the amount and frequency of vibration increases. The sound becomes thinner.

The fundamental frequency of sound is expected to be below 120 Hz in healthy men and above 150 Hz in healthy women.

What is Sound Thinning?

Many people want to change their voice tones that are not suitable for their gender, status or physical characteristics through aesthetic interventions. Especially individuals who change their gender, women who have hormonal problems or who have undergone hormone treatment in the previous period, and women whose voices have thickened due to smoking from a young age; They want to thin their voices in order to overcome their social or psychological problems. In addition, people who want to become announcers, presenters and voice actors, politicians, executive candidates and faculty members frequently request voice aesthetics.

In parallel with the developments in the field of medicine, the height of the human voice can be changed with some surgical interventions. During these operations, the desired changes can be made in the vocal cords and the voice is restructured through intraoral intervention or small incisions (incision) in the neck. In order to thin the human voice, it is necessary to shorten, thin or increase the tension of the vocal cords.

How is Voice Thinning Surgery performed?

Voice thinning is a surgical intervention in which changes and adjustments are made in the vocal cords, in other words, in the vocal folds, in order to make the voice thinner by increasing the sound frequency. Different surgical techniques can be applied:

Thyroplasty Type 4 (Isshiki Thyroplasty Type IV - Tension): It is one of the commonly used techniques. In this technique, which is also called Cricothyroid Approximation; With a small incision made in the anterior lower part of the neck, the two large cartilages in the larynx (Thyroid Cartilage) are brought closer to each other and lengthened and the vocal fold edges are stretched to increase the loudness / pitch. In this way, the voice is thinned. It is mostly applied under local anesthesia and sufficient thinning is performed by allowing the patient to hear the structuring of the voice during the operation.

Wendler Tiroplasti (Wendler Glottoplasty): It is a method in which vocal cords are intervened through the mouth under general anesthesia. By sewing a third of the vocal cords together, the vocal cords are shortened and the voice is thinned. It is the most preferred surgical intervention technique due to the successful results obtained.

Laser-Assisted Voice Adjustment (LAVA): It is a method in which the vocal cords are intervened with a laser through the mouth under general anesthesia. The vibrating part of the vocal cords is shortened with the help of laser and the voice is thinned.

Voice thinning surgery is mostly painless and the patient is discharged on the same day. A one-week vocal rest is generally recommended after the operation. It takes 3-5 months for the voice to fully settle. During this period, voice therapy support helps to achieve the result faster.

Vocal cord surgeries are not ordinary surgical interventions. For this reason, it should be performed by a specialist experienced in vocal diseases and surgery.

If you are experiencing problems with your voice and want to thin your voice, you can contact us using our contact information.