Your Voice Journey
Your voice is your most valuable instrument. It carries your singing, speaking, and stage expression. Not only its timbre but also its endurance and performance duration are critical for your professional career. Sometimes nodules, polyps, or cysts may form on your vocal folds; this can overshadow the timbre of the instrument and reduce voice endurance. Vocal fold surgery is a precise intervention performed to remove this shadow while preserving the natural timbre and endurance of the voice.
Preoperative Assessment
Before surgery, a detailed mapping of your voice is performed:
- Laryngoscopy and stroboscopic light examination: The overall condition of your vocal folds, vibration patterns, and the shape, size, and location of the lesion are examined in detail.
- Acoustic analysis measures your vocal range and control.
- Preoperative voice therapy is applied if necessary.
Psychological preparation and team collaboration: The surgical process can be as psychologically intense as it is physical. Anxiety and uncertainty are normal. Your surgeon, voice therapist, singing voice therapist, or vocal coach will prepare you for the process together, helping you feel safe and supporting recovery. Professional psychological support can be obtained if necessary.
Surgery
The surgery is performed using microsurgical techniques under a microscope. The delicate tissues of your vocal folds are handled with care. The goal is not only to remove the lesion but also to preserve the character and uniqueness of your voice and provide a safe path for recovery.
- Cold knife use (Microsurgical method): Preferred in professional voice users to maximize timbre and endurance. The cold knife does not cause thermal damage to the tissue, reducing the risk of stiffness and scarring that may occur with a laser.
- Laser use is applied only in selected lesions and in professional voice users on a limited basis.
Postoperative Care
- Individualized voice rest: The duration and limitations of voice rest are determined according to each patient and lesion characteristics.
- Gradual return to stage and singing: Performance is resumed in small, controlled steps; each stage is planned under the supervision of the surgeon and professional voice team.
- Voice therapy accelerates recovery and restores healthy vocal fold vibration.
- For professional voice users, singing voice work is often necessary: Therapeutic work is performed with a singing coach experienced in this area to regain technique, timbre, breath control, and endurance.
- Regular follow-up examinations monitor your vocal health.
- Psychological support and team collaboration: Being in continuous communication with the surgeon, voice therapist, and singing coach (singing voice therapist), planning the process together, and seeking professional psychological support if necessary strengthens your recovery.
Precautions
- Avoid loud speaking and singing.
- Maintain a humid environment; avoid stage dust and dry areas.
- Voice hygiene, light exercises, nutrition, singing practices, and psychological support are inseparable parts of recovery.
- For detailed voice hygiene information: [Click here]
- For a detailed guide for professional voice users: [Click here]
Possible Risks and Related Factors
- Voice changes: Closely related to the type and size of the lesion, meticulous care during surgery, and the rehabilitation process.
- Scarring: Minimized by surgical care, exercise programs, and voice rest during and after surgery.
- Psychological anxiety or performance fear: Managed with pre- and postoperative psychological preparation and support from the surgeon and professional voice team. Professional psychological support can be considered if necessary. Anxiety, stress, or stage fright can be alleviated with cognitive-behavioral techniques, breathing, and relaxation exercises.