
Our story
Chrysalis Surgery was founded in Beverly Hills in 2009, at a time when gender-affirming surgery was too often folded into a broader cosmetic practice — one procedure among many, offered alongside facelifts and tummy tucks. We chose a different path from the beginning. From day one, this practice has been devoted to gender-affirming care and nothing else. Every surgeon here focuses exclusively on this work; it is never a sideline, never something we fit in between other cases.
That single focus shapes everything. Our surgeons hold board certification from the American Board of Plastic Surgery and fellowship in the American College of Surgeons, and our founder, Dr. David N. Sayah, brings more than 26 years of surgical experience to the planning of each transition. Facial, chest, body and genital surgery are all performed under one roof, alongside a private recovery spa — so that the arc of care, from first consultation through the last stage of healing, unfolds in one discreet home rather than scattered across strangers and unfamiliar rooms.
What has not changed in the years since 2009 is the pace. Plans here are built slowly, in stages, around one person at a time. We listen before we recommend, and we sequence surgeries in the order that serves the individual — not a template. That, quietly, is the difference: a practice that does only this work, for people who deserve to be met with the time and attention their transition asks of them.

Meet your surgeon.
Board-certified and focused exclusively on gender-affirming care — every plan built around one person.