seeking advice on top surgery...

[bball1554]

I hope I have not stepped into the wrong circle to ask this question; but, I am a gay female with facial features that appear androgynous and I would like my body to appear so as well. I know I am not transgender and I do not want to have an overtly masculine chest, I just want it to be pretty much completely flat and basically never have to wear a bra. I've thought that a breast reduction would be enough, but now I am not sure if that type of surgery would be able to produce the results I am looking for...can anyone provide any guidance or advice?

[genderirrelevant]

If you are in western N America then I can recommend Dr Tony Mangubat. He did my top surgery 2 weeks ago and I'm pretty happy with the experience. He has done a lot of chests and he'll listen to your wishes. I didn't want nipples and he was fine with that although other people I talked to really seemed to doubt that I could want that. I am so glad I stood firm. My chest is smooth and beautiful with no annoying bits.

If you aren't naturally muscular and you aren't going on T then you probably won't have a masculine looking chest after top surgery even if they do an otherwise typical technique. If you don't care about scar placement then you may be satisfied with a mastectomy done by a general surgeon which could be cheaper. Don't rush your decision. Look at lots of chests on transbucket to see what appeals and what turns you off.

Good luck!

[Alexthecat]

Medalie in Ohio did mine. You do not need to be on T to get top surgery. My chest is flat still almost two years later, your pecs will get bigger only if you workout. You do need a letter to get the surgery but I got it while not on T and basically told Dr. Graham (therapist) that since I wasn't very female looking I just needed the surgery for now.

You need to pay a lot of money though.

Surgery $6500
Therapist Letter $320
Account for travel and food on top of that.

[RaptorChops]

A lot of surgeons don't require you to be on testosterone to have top surgery. They will require a letter from your gender therapist. Since I am FTM all I needed was a letter from my Endo and I was good to go (I went to Dr.Beverly Fischer in Timonium,MD). My best friend had his consultation with Dr.Kathy Rumer and she requires a letter from a gender therapist. Now he has to go to one because he hasn't been to one in about two years so his wait time is now extended even though he's been on T for over two years. The doctor won't just give him one because he hasn't seen her in awhile.

Also it may be difficult too if you have insurance. They may find a way around everything to not have to pay it out because for you they would consider it "Cosmetic" if you were considered transgender then they would probably pay off the surgery for you (in my case my insurance company lied and said they never received any of my doctors paperwork so I had to pay for everything out of pocket $8500)

[FTMax]

Top surgery would produce the result you want, if all you're looking for is flatness. There are multiple procedures to choose from based on your size and form, and some surgeons specialize or prefer specific procedures over others. More and more surgeons are open to doing this now than they were in the past. Some may still ask that you provide a referral from a mental health professional, as it is their job to confirm that you know what you're getting into.

But since you are not transgender, you should expect to pay out of pocket for it. It is a cosmetic procedure for you and not medically necessary. I'd budget around $10k for everything.