top surgery scars - what do you tell people?

[Eli_]

If people who don't know you're trans ask about your scars, what do you tell them?

[Arch]

At my age, I don't go around shirtless anywhere but my own house and back yard. But you could say that you had extreme gynecomastia. You might go to some plastic surgery sites and see what gynecomastia scarring looks like in men who were really big.

Hmmm. Maybe I'll do that myself. I'm curious now.

[JohnAlex]

I've not had top surgery, but I have heard people say that you can claim you had a collapsed lung.  I tried to look up pictures of what a scar after surgery for a collapsed lung would look like, and I couldn't find any pictures at all.  that could be a good thing, though. lol.  I did read that there are TONS of different reasons for why one might have a collapsed lung.  and some of those reasons are less embarrassing than gynecomastia.  I least, personally, that would be embarrassing to me. 

[Arch]

I had cosmetic surgery.
I had some large growths removed.
I had some benign tumors taken out.
Tell me about your scars, and I'll tell you about mine.
I used to be a topless dancer, but I decided to retire.

[Felix]

Somebody once mentioned a runin with an overly curious ER doc, and I think I remember he finally just told the guy that he'd had cysts or something.

I'm kinda just repeating what Arch said, I guess.

You can really say whatever you want; anybody seeing those scars is going to accept that they know far less about them than you do.

[dmx]

Especially if you pass well, the first thing someone will think when they see the scars won't be that you're trans. Most people wouldn't even suspect it because it's so unheard of in today's society. They are just genuinely curious what the scars are from, and will readily accept an answer like "gynecomastia", "collapsed lungs", or "benign tumors" without question.

[Nathan90]

I haven't had surgery yet, but there's a good change that I'd just tell them I'd rather not talk about it. People are rather rude in their questions when they know you're trans, but they tend to shut up immediately if you seem normal and it's a personal scar issue.

[MaxAloysius]

[Zelane]

Gynomastia, its a good answer which technically you sorta had.

[Da Monkey]

I had my top surgery at the job I still have that I am stealth in. I guess I am sort of lucky because I had the bottom of my right lung collapse during a  surgery for no reason when I was younger. When I was talking about my top surgery I told people about my previous surgeries and how I don't like them then when they asked what I was having I just said 'I am getting fluid drained' and put my hands on my chest. They just assumed it was from my lungs and related to my other stuff. But I never actually said it myself so whatever. It seemed to work out.

[Cody Jensen]

I always thought no one would ever ask me about the scars. But I guess when I get top surgery I'll tell them I had lung surgery.

[anibioman]

i will say gynocomastia if people ask after i get toop surgery but if some random person asks me or a really nosey person asks im just going to say cancer people tend to stop asking questions after you say cancer. this random kid i dont even know came up to me at a water park and asked why are you wearing a shirt? i replied cancer he made a surprised/sad face and walked away. of course i wouldnt tell anyone i would have prolonged contact with such a huge lie, but its useful for getting people to leave you alone.

[dmx]

i will say gynocomastia if people ask after i get toop surgery but if some random person asks me or a really nosey person asks im just going to say cancer people tend to stop asking questions after you say cancer. this random kid i dont even know came up to me at a water park and asked why are you wearing a shirt? i replied cancer he made a surprised/sad face and walked away. of course i wouldnt tell anyone i would have prolonged contact with such a huge lie, but its useful for getting people to leave you alone.

That is hilarious, dude. Good idea.

[Make_It_Good]

Ive not been shirtless yet (well, in the country I live in. I did once when on holiday with my girlfriend. I thought Id make my first time somewhere noone knew me as I knew Id be very self conscious!)
  But I had to take time off work for surgery, and my friends at uni knew I would be away a couple days for surgery,so I had to make an excuse.
I briefly explained that I had a problem with the muscles in my chest, around the pectoral area, and it gets tight etc so I have to have an op to help with it etc.

Funnily enough, atleast 3 people I told, before Id finished my made up explanation, they said something along the lines of "Oh, I had a friend who had something similar to that. Is it (bla bla bla)?". I was just like yeah, something like that. (Thanks for filling in what I needed to say :p ).

I found telling my friends this, it helps me for if/when they do see me shirtless in the future, they already know I have the scars and what its from etc, so its no surprise.

[King Malachite]

If by any chance I do get the surgery and go shirtless and is asked that question I would say "crazy ex" or "bar fight in 97"  even though I was only 5 at the time.   

[Chamillion]

No one has ever asked me up front.  I lived with 2 guys for a few months who didn't know I was trans, saw me shirtless quite a bit and never asked or figured it out.  I go shirtless kind of a lot in the summer and it's not been an issue.

I had one incident, I used to have a pic of me shirtless only 5 weeks out of surgery as my fb pic, and someone I had just met added me.  He asked me about it so I told him and he was shocked - he said he thought I had cancer or something and had surgery to remove it.  Most people really are clueless about this stuff.  You could really tell them anything, but I doubt most will ask at all.

[Darth_Taco]

It's no secret I'm severely asthmatic so I'll likely say something related to my lungs. That or "it was a baaaaad night of binge drinking. At least that's what they told me in the ER." Everyone knows I black out :'P.

[Apollo]

If I get over my fear of surgery-- I'll probably say something to do with fatty tissue, or something. I dunno, I have this sort of karmatic fear of claiming things to not be true and having it happen to me.

I may just leave it at "Alligator wrestling in Australia. Good ol' days."

[Felix]

This has been mentioned in other ways on this thread, but it's pretty easy to fold things into other unrelated but real surgeries/illnesses/events/whatever. You could probably answer almost any question with "car accident." Sometimes I do this when I don't want to give long explanations to strangers.

[ChesireBat]

I may just leave it at "Alligator wrestling in Australia. Good ol' days."

I'm going to have to use this.  Beats my usual "chest muscle repair" bit.