For best results, I should wait until 5 years of HRT before getting a BA, right?

[Anna Banana]

I've been on HRT for just shy of 2 years now, and I find that I'm a little anxious to get a breast augmentation, not just because it would be nice to have larger breasts, but also because I need excess skin removal (a total body lift), and a total body lift should come after (or during) a breast augmentation if you're going to get one, not before, and SRS should come after the total body lift, because getting SRS and then getting skin removal in that general area afterwards might cause issues with the vagina shifting.  So since the sequence of surgeries pretty much has to be BA -> TBL -> SRS, I can't do the other two surgeries without doing the BA first.

On the other hand, if it's the consensus that waiting until 5 years of HRT before getting a BA is going to give you the best breast development, then I guess I just have to wait another 3 years with shallow breasts, a good amount of excess skin from weight loss, and a penis where my vagina should be.  I can be patient, if that's what it takes to get the best results.

My current bra size is 34DDD/F, according to the A Bra that Fits bra size calculator.  That sounds pretty big, but part of that bigness is excess skin from weight loss, and then there's the issue of shallowness.  My breasts don't currently really project; they're almost flat, really.  From the side, they're not that visible.  They look good in a bra, but outside of a bra, eh.  If I went from 34DDD/F shallow to 34DDD/F projected, then I think that would be ideal.  My Endocrinologist examined my breasts a few weeks ago and said that they were just slightly below Tanner 3.  6 months prior to that, she said that they were between Tanner 2.5 and 3.  I pass currently, so getting a BA would not affect whether I pass or not.

If waiting for 5 years of HRT is going to give me the best results, I can do that.

[sophie1904]

Interested in this as I thought the recommendation was 2 years?

[bubbles21]

I've been on HRT for just shy of 2 years now, and I find that I'm a little anxious to get a breast augmentation, not just because it would be nice to have larger breasts, but also because I need excess skin removal (a total body lift), and a total body lift should come after (or during) a breast augmentation if you're going to get one, not before, and SRS should come after the total body lift, because getting SRS and then getting skin removal in that general area afterwards might cause issues with the vagina shifting.  So since the sequence of surgeries pretty much has to be BA -> TBL -> SRS, I can't do the other two surgeries without doing the BA first.

On the other hand, if it's the consensus that waiting until 5 years of HRT before getting a BA is going to give you the best breast development, then I guess I just have to wait another 3 years with shallow breasts, a good amount of excess skin from weight loss, and a penis where my vagina should be.  I can be patient, if that's what it takes to get the best results.

My current bra size is 34DDD/F, according to the A Bra that Fits bra size calculator.  That sounds pretty big, but part of that bigness is excess skin from weight loss, and then there's the issue of shallowness.  My breasts don't currently really project; they're almost flat, really.  From the side, they're not that visible.  They look good in a bra, but outside of a bra, eh.  If I went from 34DDD/F shallow to 34DDD/F projected, then I think that would be ideal.  My Endocrinologist examined my breasts a few weeks ago and said that they were just slightly below Tanner 3.  6 months prior to that, she said that they were between Tanner 2.5 and 3.  I pass currently, so getting a BA would not affect whether I pass or not.

If waiting for 5 years of HRT is going to give me the best results, I can do that.

Hey,

I don't think you need to wait 5 years at all. Where did you hear this? I was always told to wait about 2 years but yeah i think it depends on what you want to do. If you want to do it then go for it. I def didn't wait 5 years for surgery. If you already have breast tissue and at that size you mentioned than id think you were ready. I mean i've seen ppl with completely flat chests get BA's and they had only been on hormones for about 12 months.

regards,
B

[Dani]

With weight loss, you get droopy breasts. There is no way around this, but it can be fixed with a breast lift and implants.

At 3 years of HRT, most women get all the breast development that they will ever get.

I would start today to look around for a surgeon and ask about what procedure is right for you. Initial consults are not expensive and sometime free.

[Wednesday]

Yup, as previous poster noted, a number of girls went for BA even before reaching the 2 year mark and their results are as good as those obtained from girls who had the boobjob done after 2 or more years on HRT.

While your breast may develop more in the next years, a significant change is unlikely to happen. Most girls are just able to get a rather modest breast development/growth even after many years on hormones.

Since I got BA after several years on HRT (strictly due to financial reasons) I can say that not much change happened over time before getting the surgery. Plus I can state that my breast tissue hadn't diminished at all (no tissue atrophy) after the surgery, even despite I had wpent for quite big implants (600 cc, small E cups).

In addition, having into account you have excess skin and therefore you Will be eventually looking for surgical liftings... even if you were a one in a million case who would develop a pretty fair amount of breast tissue... It probably would be concealed (maybe almost completely) by excess skin.

So to me it looks like your final result (in both terms of size and visual appearance) is going to relay almost exclusively on implant size and their placement (over vs. under the muscle) , breast lifting technique (mastopexy) if needed, and ultimately on the severity of the excess skin issue.

Finally I would like to note that you may not need a breast lift in addition to the implants, since in some cases the implants are enough to fill in and solve the skin issue.

Also, since you mentioned breast projection, I have to say that breast implants (all of them, but specially high and extra high profile ones) are not just the most effective way to add projection to your breast, but also the breasts that remain good looking for longer. 

[Maria77]

I think if you've been on hormones two years and have some breast tissue you will get a good result.  I think I got mine about two years in and had a natural b.  From what I've seen under the muscle works better for our community. 

[Anna Banana]

Interested in this as I thought the recommendation was 2 years?

The most common recommendation I've heard seems to be around 5 years.  Puzzlingly, though, the most common time when people get a breast augmentation seems to be around 2 years.

[Anna Banana]

Hey,

I don't think you need to wait 5 years at all. Where did you hear this? I was always told to wait about 2 years but yeah i think it depends on what you want to do. If you want to do it then go for it. I def didn't wait 5 years for surgery. If you already have breast tissue and at that size you mentioned than id think you were ready. I mean i've seen ppl with completely flat chests get BA's and they had only been on hormones for about 12 months.

regards,
B

Just from asking other trans women, really.  If you get a BA at 2 years and you experience additional growth after that, what happens to that growth?  Does it make them look better? Mine are still baby boobs, I believe, almost to Tanner 3 but not quite.  Just enlarged due to pre-HRT lipomastia and excess skin, and maybe my intersex condition had something to do with it as well.  I started HRT in late June 2015, and measured my bra size as 36DD/E in late 2015, and since then my bra size has remained essentially the same, basically 34DDD/F or its sister sizes, but while my bra size hasn't really increased, it does look as though the pre-existing (basically empty) breast area has been slowly filling up with actual breast tissue, and very slowly looking less like manboobs and more like breasts.

[Anna Banana]

With weight loss, you get droopy breasts. There is no way around this, but it can be fixed with a breast lift and implants.

At 3 years of HRT, most women get all the breast development that they will ever get.

I would start today to look around for a surgeon and ask about what procedure is right for you. Initial consults are not expensive and sometime free.

I actually haven't lost weight in a year and half, 6 months after starting HRT.  3 years seems fair, I think, maybe that's more doable than 5 years, and gives me enough time to catch most of the stragglers who still want to hop onboard the booby bus.  My health insurance covers breast augmentation, but only with a surgeon who I can't find any reviews for (Dr. Philip Iorianni), which leaves me wondering if perhaps I ought to instead go with a surgeon who has tons and tons of good reviews, like Dr. Tom J. Pousti.  Or Dr. Jonathan Fisher, who also has tons of reviews, but offers a surprisingly good deal on a mommy makeover (tummy tuck, breast augmentation, breast lift).

Yup, as previous poster noted, a number of girls went for BA even before reaching the 2 year mark and their results are as good as those obtained from girls who had the boobjob done after 2 or more years on HRT.

While your breast may develop more in the next years, a significant change is unlikely to happen. Most girls are just able to get a rather modest breast development/growth even after many years on hormones.

Since I got BA after several years on HRT (strictly due to financial reasons) I can say that not much change happened over time before getting the surgery. Plus I can state that my breast tissue hadn't diminished at all (no tissue atrophy) after the surgery, even despite I had wpent for quite big implants (600 cc, small E cups).

In addition, having into account you have excess skin and therefore you Will be eventually looking for surgical liftings... even if you were a one in a million case who would develop a pretty fair amount of breast tissue... It probably would be concealed (maybe almost completely) by excess skin.

So to me it looks like your final result (in both terms of size and visual appearance) is going to relay almost exclusively on implant size and their placement (over vs. under the muscle) , breast lifting technique (mastopexy) if needed, and ultimately on the severity of the excess skin issue.

Finally I would like to note that you may not need a breast lift in addition to the implants, since in some cases the implants are enough to fill in and solve the skin issue.

Also, since you mentioned breast projection, I have to say that breast implants (all of them, but specially high and extra high profile ones) are not just the most effective way to add projection to your breast, but also the breasts that remain good looking for longer.

If I get a BA at ~3 years on HRT, and I experience further breast growth after that, will it just make my BA results look better?

It sounds like a combination tummy tuck and BA (mommy makeover) might be the best route, since that would eliminate the torso-based excess skin and breast issue all in one go, unless that much surgery at once turned out to have too tough a recovery.

[bubbles21]

Hey,

I'd think that extra breast growth post-BA would only further soften the area and make the area look more realistic, tbh i've had a little bit extra growth after BA and there's no issue and imo i think it gives a more natural look but equally you'd probs get that if you had max breast tissue before BA as well. I don't think it's an issue it just comes down to your choice of when to do it. soo it's up to you girl  but i don't think you need to wait 5 years i didnt have big breasts from HRT when i got mine, i had probs a small b-cup if that. I think people may say wait for max breast growth bcz then you have the option of a bigger implant but like i said its completely up to you. Maybe you could email a surgeon or talk to your dr about it bcz this is the first i heard about the 5 year wait.

regards,
B

[Sydney_NYC]

I know of many transwomen that have had additional breast growth (up to a full cup size) well after 3 years of HRT right after bottom surgery. (Vaginoplasty or orchi). The body can react different from T being blocked compared to T simply not being there.

[Anna Banana]

I know of many transwomen that have had additional breast growth (up to a full cup size) well after 3 years of HRT right after bottom surgery. (Vaginoplasty or orchi). The body can react different from T being blocked compared to T simply not being there.

I would get an inguinal orchiectomy now if I knew that it wouldn't potentially negatively affect my future SRS outcomes.  Orchi is covered by my insurance.

[LiliFee]

I would get an inguinal orchiectomy now if I knew that it wouldn't potentially negatively affect my future SRS outcomes.  Orchi is covered by my insurance.

don't. it will cause the scrotum to shrink, and the penis. thus, you run the risk of not having enough material to work with for an srs

[Wednesday]

If I get a BA at ~3 years on HRT, and I experience further breast growth after that, will it just make my BA results look better?

As another poster said, it would "soften" the appearance of your breasts, making them appear more natural (and obviously more big, since there will be more tissue). If you're aiming for really natural results, then yes, further breast growth is going to enhance your BA results.

Breast growth will occur over the implant, being concentrated the most around the nipple area, and expanding to its surroundings. So, what you will get, is more tissue between your skin and the implant, therefore a more "soft"/natural result and less obvious-looking implants.

It sounds like a combination tummy tuck and BA (mommy makeover) might be the best route, since that would eliminate the torso-based excess skin and breast issue all in one go, unless that much surgery at once turned out to have too tough a recovery.

In fact, this combination of procedures done at once is really popular (during last years "mommy makeover" has become really a thing) at it's usually advised by almost all surgeons to have it done in just one procedure instead of going two times to the OR. Mainly because going under the knife is kind of a "shock" for the body (though a minor, well monitored and controlled one), so the less times you go under the knife, the less recoveries you need to go through, the better. Also is pretty safe in regards to general anesthesia, since having those procedures done together won't take much time (I think it usually takes around 3 hours).

I had several procedures at the sime tame performed in more than one occasion and recoveries were not that tough at all. They become quite manageable once you get prescribed the right painkillers at the right dosages. Also things quickly improve specially through the first days. For me (and for everyone I met) the worst are the first 3 days (and I insist, it is quite manageable with painkillers). Then things speed up during the first week til the point you'll be able to keep up with most of your daily routine without much struggle.

[KayXo]

As with girls in puberty, complete breast growth can take up to 5-7 yrs and also depends on HRT. Say you don't grow much in 2 yrs, increase estrogen, get SRS and/or add progesterone, you may get a significant growth spurt, etc. 2 yrs, in my opinion, is a not a valid nor rational recommendation. I had a significant breast growth spurt 9 yrs after starting HRT. Why? Because of external factors I can't explain and an increase in estrogen.

[Debra]

I waited close to 3 years. My girls barely came in at a 34 A/B cup.

Been happily at a 34DD since BA in 2012

[Wednesday]

Been happily at a 34DD since BA in 2012

Lol you're on my team

[Anna Banana]

As with girls in puberty, complete breast growth can take up to 5-7 yrs and also depends on HRT. Say you don't grow much in 2 yrs, increase estrogen, get SRS and/or add progesterone, you may get a significant growth spurt, etc. 2 yrs, in my opinion, is a not a valid nor rational recommendation. I had a significant breast growth spurt 9 yrs after starting HRT. Why? Because of external factors I can't explain and an increase in estrogen.

But other posters are saying that breast growth can still occur post-breast-augmentation, and it'll make them appear more natural.  Another factor to consider is that waiting 7 years would mean that I would need to go another 5 years before getting not just a BA, but also surgical excess skin removal (because I lost more than 100lbs) and SRS, because it's best to get SRS after skin removal.

[Anna Banana]

don't. it will cause the scrotum to shrink, and the penis. thus, you run the risk of not having enough material to work with for an srs

I was already thinking that it would cause the scrotum to shrink, and wondering about prosthetic testicles until SRS just to keep the scrotum from atrophying, but getting an orchi would cause the penis to shrink? How would that work? If your T levels are already at or below female levels as a result of taking an anti-androgen, shouldn't the penis be just as likely to shrink if you continue to take AAs as it would if you had your testicles surgically removed?

[Anna Banana]

As another poster said, it would "soften" the appearance of your breasts, making them appear more natural (and obviously more big, since there will be more tissue). If you're aiming for really natural results, then yes, further breast growth is going to enhance your BA results.

Breast growth will occur over the implant, being concentrated the most around the nipple area, and expanding to its surroundings. So, what you will get, is more tissue between your skin and the implant, therefore a more "soft"/natural result and less obvious-looking implants.

So by, say, year 10 of HRT, I wonder how different one's breasts would look if one had a BA at 3 years of HRT, compared to if one had a BA at 5 years.  Would the breast growth that occurred between years 3 and 5 in the second scenario tend to make the augmented breasts look even more natural compared to in the first scenario, where breast growth occurred over the implant during years 3-5?