Questions for FTM post op surgery

[BenKenobi]

I'm sure I've stated this before but I'd like to reiterate that I'm pretty early in to transitioning. I'm one month in to just presenting as male and still going through therapy to get hormones (just one year to go). For the moment I'm doing what I can with what I've got.

NOTE: Keyboard messed up and posted this message early. Rest of the post is in progress. SORRY D:

CONTINUED:
In my early years, I always wondered why I was treated different from the boys. It wasn't until "the talk" that I learned why. So from, I don't know, 9-ish on, I pretended that none of that pesky female puberty stuff applied to me. Of course that didn't work and I'll admit, I was severely disappointed even though, by the time it did hit, I had a better understanding of how anatomy worked.

Fast forward to now, I have a dilemma. I want to have as close to the male body as I possibly can, however I'm absolutely terrified of surgeries. I was curious as to what phalloplasty and metoidioplasty entailed so I googled information on it and...well that didn't help my fears at all. Now I'm thinking "Maybe it isn't all that bad as it seems because other people seem really happy with it".

I know these are probably really personal questions but I'm an uncomfortably inquisitive dude. I can't help it. I need to know things.

How long does the surgery take? Couple hours? What about recovery time? Are there specific places that skin is always removed or is there a choice and recommended areas? For top surgery, they don't do that at the same time, do they? Is there any noticeable scarring or does that depend on the surgeons that you go to? I'm sure I have more questions but I can't think of any at the moment.

Like I said, it is pretty early to officially decide but I want to learn as much about it as I can from any source so responses and answers are greatly appreciated.

Also sorry for the early post before it was ready. New keyboard and all. Still getting used to it.

[FTMax]

Ben,

First - Can I ask where you are located? The WPATH standards of care don't require a year of therapy before administering hormones anymore. It's typically 3-6 months of sessions if you don't have other issues and don't go the informed consent route. Would be something to look into if therapy is locking up money that you could be using for other things.

Dr. Crane's website has a deeply informative section on both procedures and the differing sites, features, etc. I'd highly recommend looking at it, even if you aren't considering him as a surgeon. Lots of great info there. Both procedures are done in phases depending on what all you're having done. I think some versions of the meta can be done all in one go.

Top surgery is not done at the same time. I cannot think of anyone online who has had bottom surgery without having had top surgery (if it was necessary - I'm sure there is someone out there that was flat enough to do without). I believe the guidelines for bottom surgery are (1) year of living as male, on hormones, with recommendations from two mental health professionals.

There are a lot of great resources online here, and there are a few Tumblrs out there specifically for questions and surgery updates from guys who have had the procedures done.

[BenKenobi]

I didn't know that about the hormones. I might have either misheard or misunderstood her then. It was only one session so it was mostly a life-dump hour. I'm sure the next session can be more focused. Also I live in Florida. Not the most LGBT friendly but i searched through a good while before choosing my therapist and she's pretty great. So I'm lucky we have at least some good mental health docs here.

Anyway, I'll look in to Dr.Cranes info. I just like personal input because it helps calm my nerves about it. Like a "oh it only looks worse than it is". Last time i was having surgery i woke up in the middle of it...and they were working on my face....i was also 6 or 7. Somewhere around there. Not yet double digits.
So that's primarily my worries. Also scarring and complications worry me too.

I'm not a warrior, I'm a worrier

[Jake25]

I am interested in your topic. Try to be more of a warrior than a worrier.

[AndrewB]

I'll try to help you out as best I can from readings, other trans guys' experiences, etc., as I've not yet had surgery. As ftmax already said, there are no time requirements in therapy for acquiring a letter unless they are put in place by your therapist. In most circumstances, I would deem 1 year unnecessarily long for just hormones, and probably even for surgeries.

As for phalloplasties: you may want this, mentally, but if you're terrified of surgery then a metoidioplasty (also known as a "meta") might be your better option, since it's a lot less of an ordeal. As far as skin usage, they usually take skin from the forearm or thigh, and I have no idea if this is mostly left up to you or if it's surgeon's choice/preference/skill area that determines it. The phallo surgery is usually done in parts, depending on the surgeon and what you want done -- testicular implants, the making of the penis itself, and what I believe is known as "glans sculpting" are usually done in different surgeries, though two of them might be done in one go. It all depends a lot on the surgeon and what you actually want to have.

On a last note: whenever you have surgery, there WILL be scarring. It might not be prominent forever, but worst-case scenario, your scars could become hypertrophic and be raised and pink for a long time after surgery. This is often not of any fault of your surgeon's, and just has to do with the way your body reacts to the surgery and/or healing process. If you're flat enough, your top surgery scars might be minimal, as you'd be better suited for peri-areolar or keyhole methods of breast tissue removal. If you have double-incision or t-anchor methods performed, your scarring will be far more noticeable. Basically, the bigger the chest, the more invasive the surgery. Phalloplasties will definitely involve scarring, mostly on the arm or thigh you choose to use as a tissue source. A lot of guys like to get tattoos, so it's less noticeable, over the affected surface.

Keep up the reading, too! There's always tons of posts out there of guys getting their surgeries done. A good place to look might be tumblr, if you're on there; try the 'ftm' tag or other tags relating to the surgeries you're considering, or just look up blogs from various trans guys to see how their journey unfolded.

[FTMax]

Also important to note, Andrew reminded me: You can start with a meta and get a phallo later. I am not sure on how that would all end up price-wise, but it has been done and is something to consider. I have a friend who is saving up for a meta, though he's unsure if he'll be happy with the end size. But why go through a harder procedure when you may be happy with the results of something that's much easier on the body?

Something to think about!