Chest Reconstruction Top Surgery and Drains This article provides information on the function, risks and benefits of surgical drains in the hope of addressing the increased confusion and anxiety surrounding this topic. Generally speaking, our surgeons try to give surgical drains to all top surgery patients, and especially those that are at a heightened risk for hematomas: patients with high levels of body fat, patients who undergo liposuction and/or patients who have significant amounts of tissue removed. We also discuss common concerns around surgical drains such as pain, discomfort, seromas, and their effect on your top surgery scars. Are Drains Necessary? The question of whether or not to use drains …

Top Surgery Eligibility FAQ

Body Contouring FAQ

FTM/N Top Surgery FAQ For questions not answered here, or for a printable version, you may download our PDF, Top Surgery: Your Questions Answered.

MTF Top Surgery FAQ For questions not answered here, or for a printable version, you may download our PDF, Breast Augmentation: Your Questions Answered.

Top Surgery FAQ

Follow-up to Chest Reconstruction or Breast Augmentation If you are in a support role for a loved one, friend or relative who is frustrated and dissatisfied living in the sex and gender identities they were assigned at birth, you will find yourself helping the person you care about to find gender satisfaction. ‘Transgenderism’ it is not currently classified as a diagnostic condition, nor is this term used in the WPATH Standards of Care, but is generally used as a catchall description for having a gender identity different from the one assigned at birth. Other terms, such as ‘transsexualism’, ‘gender diversity’, ‘gender variance’, ‘gender dysphoria’, and ‘gender identity disorder (GID)’ are interchangeably used by …

Friends and Family and a Patient’s Professional Support Group If someone important to you does not identify with the sex and gender they were designated at birth, you can help them get the professional help they need.  The first thing you can do is reassure your loved one that they are not alone and that there are many talented and dedicated professionals ready to help. Action points to get started: Educate yourself on transgender issues and help your loved one to find the information necessary to understand what they are feeling and what can be done to improve it. See: www.transfamily.org Together with your loved one, become familiar with the …

Chest Reconstruction/Breast Augmentation Surgery Satisfaction and Regret The increasing availability of plastic surgery as a part of gender transition occurs at the same time that more enlightened social awareness has resulted in an increase in the incidence of reported gender variances in the general population. At the same time advances in medical diagnosis and treatment methods have resulted in more accurate diagnosis of Gender Dysphoria with psychological counseling, hormone therapy, and surgery offered as treatments. There is no definitive agreement among medical professionals as to what is the best treatment for Gender Dysphoria, nor even agreement on the standards of diagnosis and care. Activists for transgender rights, including many physicians, even object …