I'v decided to opt out of having nipples re-grafted after/during my chest surgery and thought i'd put up a quick post/discussion. I do know that quite a few(very very few) number of trans men opt for no nipples and either tattoo them on later or just (like me) prefer to be without them.
The option of this doesn't seem to be particularly well know and I'm certain quite a number of FTMs don't know that they have this option(not to say that they would want it) but I was curios to see if this is something anyone else has thought about?
Nipple sensation means as much to me as a dead insect, to be quite frank. I am asexual which means that they do nothing for me in that sense and they also seem quite unneccessary for me to have as they do not appeal to me aesthetically.
I'm waiting for the day I run my hands down my chest and feel nothing but smooth flat skin.
I also plan on getting a rather detailed tattoo on the left side of my chest/neck/upper arm, so the lack of obstruction from uneccessary nipples would benefit this!
Anyway just something interesting to ponder over if anyone finds this interesting, would be nice to hear some thoughts.
Cheers
Interesting, I personally when drawing don't draw men's nipples. And to see someone without nipples would be interesting, I personally am going to have them re-grafted. But I agree with you that it would be less of a hassle if your getting a tattoo anyways, power to you, rock on :).
It's been done. I've seen discussion about it elsewhere. You might try googling as I think I ran into someone who did this or was thinking about it.
It wouldn't have that much texture is the only thing.
--Jay J
I have long wondered about whether this could be an option for myself. I'm finally on the waiting list for top surgery, wonder how they would respond if I brought it up.. *ponders*
I was wonder about this for myself when I get top surgery. Does opting for no nipples make the surgery/healing quicker/easier?
ive been thinking about it as well just because nipples tend to be put in the wrong place. nipple placement is one of the biggest things im worried about.
Something to think about, you'll never see a genetic male at the beach with no nipples. Think about it, eventually some day after top surgery you might go swimming at a public beach, no nipples would appear freaky and only serve to make you feel all the more self conscious. :)
Quote from: Shantel on November 03, 2012, 08:33:34 PM
Something to think about, you'll never see a genetic male at the beach with no nipples. Think about it, eventually some day after top surgery you might go swimming at a public beach, no nipples would appear freaky and only serve to make you feel all the more self conscious. :)
Also what has asexuality to do with no nipples?
Quote from: Sparrowhawke on November 03, 2012, 09:34:05 PM
Also what has asexuality to do with no nipples?
I often see people say they want to keep sensation for reasons relating relating to sex, so I can see what he means by not caring if he has them or not given he IDs as asexual.
no nipples is an intriguing idea. would avoid a lot of healing hassle too, I think.
Quote from: Shantel on November 03, 2012, 08:33:34 PM
Something to think about, you'll never see a genetic male at the beach with no nipples. Think about it, eventually some day after top surgery you might go swimming at a public beach, no nipples would appear freaky and only serve to make you feel all the more self conscious. :)
the only person I've heard of that opted for no nipples had a lot chest tattoos that could have covered it up.
plus, not everyone needs to look like a "genetic male" to not be self conscious. We all have different goals for transition. I agree it would be a red-flag, however, and is definitely something important to consider.
I google imaged this. Wow. This could look pretty realistic. However TRIGGER warning-- dysphoria-- on the google image thing. I'm not sure that this would be so less expensive though. It is very specialized work making this look real, but it looks VERY 3-d.
--Jay J
Whatever maintains the buoyancy of your seafaring vessel.
I just want to look normal, though, and not having nipples isn't normal. I'd feel kind of weird taking my shirt off at the beach or w/e.
Quote from: Shantel on November 03, 2012, 08:33:34 PM
Something to think about, you'll never see a genetic male at the beach with no nipples. Think about it, eventually some day after top surgery you might go swimming at a public beach, no nipples would appear freaky and only serve to make you feel all the more self conscious. :)
If it's just appearances that are the concern, couldn't someone get them tattoed on later if they started to feel self-conscious?
Quote from: dalebert on November 04, 2012, 12:44:33 PM
If it's just appearances that are the concern, couldn't someone get them tattoed on later if they started to feel self-conscious?
It surely would be an option! I knew a fellow in high school PE class who didn't have a navel and there was no scar, it looked very strange since everyone else had a navel. Might have been an alien from a different universe or perhaps there had been no umbilical cord and placenta in his mother's womb? Kids imaginations went wild and they can be so rude! I'm sure he was wishing he had a navel like the rest of the people at school.
Quote from: Shantel on November 04, 2012, 01:03:56 PM
I knew a fellow in high school PE class who didn't have a navel and there was no scar, it looked very strange since everyone else had a navel. Might have been an alien from a different universe or perhaps there had been no umbilical cord and placenta in his mother's womb? Kids imaginations went wild and they can be so rude! I'm sure he was wishing he had a navel like the rest of the people at school.
I've heard of that happening sometimes when someone gets a dramatic tummy-tuck procedure. Sometimes the naval is part of what's removed. It's actually a lot like what this thread is talking about.
I think I'd rather have the nipples even if it did mean a longer healing process. Scars are one thing to explain, no nipples is a lot harder in my opinion. It's possible for scars to fade to next to nothing, but having no nipples is always going to be there. You could have them tattooed but they're always going to be 2d which might raise questions, especially if they're spotted as tattoos. I remember a thread talking about this and they hypothesised about dermal implants to make the nipples
nice to see the discussion this has sparked up!
In regards to self consciousness, thats obviously not something I'mworried about if i'm willing to consider something like this. I dont see the point of having something on my body I find irrelevant just for the purpose of not seeming 'abnormal' to other people or pleasing other people aesthetically. I also have quite a substancial amount of chest hair from starting T, that plus the tattoo i plan to get would make it pretty unnoticable regardless, and even then,what does it matter to me if people notice? Do stapled-on nipples define me as a man?
I'm not saying i don't particularly want nipples, of course if i was born as a cisgendered male i would probably have ones I'd be happy with, however I justdon't want to end up with nipples that don't please me aesthetically(wrong positioning, different sizes, decoloration)
that will make me more self conscious than not having them at all.
I had my chest surgery done with no nipple grafts. I'm not sure how it affected ease/speed of healing as I had a huge haematoma that required a second surgery and I have always scarred badly (one of the reasons I decided against grafts).
They are 2d but there is an illusion of 3d. I don't know if the illusion changes in real life (not google images-- which I would recommend if you are interested in this-- but keep in mind that this is still a possible trigger for body image and so on). Or maybe the illusion changes depending on how far away you are.
NOthing guarantees good surgical outcomes. The best "guarantee" (and still not exactly a guarantee) is a good surgeon.
Again I'd wonder how cheap this actually is. I think the usual use for this is that if someone has breast surgery they might actually lose their nipples.
--Jay J
Yeah, I see OP's point. I've debated this a bit myself. I don't care for nipples, and I don't take off my shirt for any occasion other than showering. I don't care about what others think about my body, and I don't show it either. I don't think that'll change about me.
I do think people intimate with a post-op nippleless man are bound to question why their partner doesn't have nipples, and that issue might add further stress when discussing the other differences with the lower body. Some people have a low tolerance for abnormalities.
When looking at Halloween prosthetics, I ran across (medical grade?) stick-on nipples for mastectomy patients. I doubt they make male mastectomy nipples, but I have no idea how big or small they are, so they might be able to be trimmed down. I don't think they'd be too hard to make either, since there are certain caulks with high silicone content. I guess that could cover a temporary situation with minimal contact and personal space. It seems risky, but it might be an option for people who don't want nipples and care about seeming normal in permitting situations.
I wonder if a FTM that got breast cancer and had a double mastectomy covered under their medical care could opt to go nippleless. I heard that a second procedure (not covered by insurance) would have to be done for the nipple graft because it is considered a cosmetic thing. Obviously, if they went with a nippleless option, they'd have no nipples. However, they wouldn't have to have a second procedure done, they'd have presumably no extra cost, and they would no longer be pestered by having Female nipples.
If you don't want to have your nipples grafted back on, you can certainly ask your surgeon. There are many ways to create nipples later on if you want them(tattooing, creating nipples out of existing tissue and surgically grafting it on etc). I considered having mine tattooed on later, simply because I wasn't sure if I wanted to go through the extra process with the grafts healing and all, but I ended up getting my grafts. They look normal(just kind of red from healing) and feel fine. I never had sensation in my chest to begin with, so it wasn't a concern.
If this is what you want to do, just talk to your surgeon about it. They'll likely be willing to work with you.
I hate my nipples so it doesn't look like such a bad idea to me also.
I'll definitely go nippleless. I wouldn't want them even if a perfect result could be guaranteed. Most of the post-op pics I've seen I would consider unacceptable for myself (even a perfect nipple is ugly to me). I have no need for them (asexual and never having kids) and I've only had weird or unpleasant sensations from them so why would I want them. If I ever go shirtless in public, people will be more likely to look at me funny because I'll still have a ponytail.
I opted for having nipples tattooed after my chest had healed a good while. I'm super happy w/my decision. I went to my tattoo artist, who had done nipple tats before for women who had had mastectomies.
I can't figure out how to attach a photo here so I've changed my profile pic to one where you can get a decent look.
I didn't get a chance to mention this question to my docs but this was definitely something I was thinking about. For one thing, I will never be shirtless in public because even after surgery my chest will never look normal with the scars never going to be completely gone and all (that's what I was told by the surgeon at least) so I don't care about it being more abnormal. I am also afraid of them not going to be small enough or not going to be put back where they should. I was told they will be cut to the size of a nickel, is that like a bio male's?
Also I never heard of tattoo nipples, it sounds interesting. Is it possible to make it yourself? Xsmithersx, your chest looks decent allright. I don't even see any scars and the nipples look very natural.
Quote from: makipu on January 26, 2015, 09:07:13 AM
I didn't get a chance to mention this question to my docs but this was definitely something I was thinking about. For one thing, I will never be shirtless in public because even after surgery my chest will never look normal with the scars never going to be completely gone and all (that's what I was told by the surgeon at least) so I don't care about it being more abnormal. I am also afraid of them not going to be small enough or not going to be put back where they should. I was told they will be cut to the size of a nickel, is that like a bio male's?
Also I never heard of tattoo nipples, it sounds interesting. Is it possible to make it yourself? Xsmithersx, your chest looks decent allright. I don't even see any scars and the nipples look very natural.
You say you will never be shirtless now but there will be a time when you say "screw it" and go shirtless.
Quote from: anibioman on November 03, 2012, 06:33:26 PM
ive been thinking about it as well just because nipples tend to be put in the wrong place. nipple placement is one of the biggest things im worried about.
This is one of my fears as well. I'd never thought about the tattoo option though.
Quote from: makipu on January 26, 2015, 09:07:13 AM
I was told they will be cut to the size of a nickel, is that like a bio male's?
Yep. They are talking about areola size btw, not nipple size.
Quote from: makipu on January 26, 2015, 09:07:13 AM
Also I never heard of tattoo nipples, it sounds interesting. Is it possible to make it yourself?
If you are a flexible tattoo artist, I don't see why not. I feel like that would be a hard part of your body to tattoo though.
My issue would be the rather large disparity between my nipples. My left is around the size of a quarter, while the right is the size of a silver dollar! :o
Removing them altogether and not getting them regrafted would save the docs from the trickery of making them match. I also have no use for them sexually, so two points for removal.
Quote from: AdamMLP on November 04, 2012, 02:33:38 PMYou could have them tattooed but they're always going to be 2d which might raise questions, especially if they're spotted as tattoos.
Very many male nipples are fairly 2D already. Someone would probably have to be examining and touching you very intimately to even suspect. Many male nipples aren't very developed. I've seen some that are smaller than dimes. Mine are 2D until they get erect from stimulation or cold. They're just darker than surrounding skin, like a tattoo.
Quote from: LoriLorenz on January 26, 2015, 04:50:51 PM
My issue would be the rather large disparity between my nipples. My left is around the size of a quarter, while the right is the size of a silver dollar! :o
Removing them altogether and not getting them regrafted would save the docs from the trickery of making them match. I also have no use for them sexually, so two points for removal.
Nipples or areolas? The doctors cut down both during grafting on pretty much all patients in order to make male sized nipples and areolas so it's something they have experience for.
Quote from: wheat thins are delicious on January 26, 2015, 05:39:25 PM
Nipples or areolas? The doctors cut down both during grafting on pretty much all patients in order to make male sized nipples and areolas so it's something they have experience for.
The areolas, I assumed from the way the conversation was going that "nipples" included those! ;D
Since they have practically no value to me, I would likely opt out of them if I could. Meh :-\
I've been thinking about not getting the nipples regrafted for years. I really think I'd prefer that option. I frankly don't care if people clock me or think I'm weird with no nipples - I'm thinking about tattoos, and I will rarely go shirtless anyway, because I have a lot of self injury scarring on my shoulder and I'd me more self conscious about that than about having no nipples. If it heals more quickly and easily, I'd rather take that option. I don't feel like I'd miss anything sexually.
After waiting two years I finally get to start consulting with the gatekeeper doctors to get my top surgery covered by provincial insurance in March, so hopefully they will be ok with the no nipple regrafting.
I opted for double incision with no nipples. :)
My main concern with the surgery was overall contour, nipple appearance and placement - and I knew I would've been unhappy with my results if the nipple placement was slightly off or they looked weird. I also had dysphoria about my nipples, sometimes even more so than the actual breast tissue. I knew my surgeon could resize areolas fairly easy, but nipple resizing seemed more difficult (and both my nips and areola were large/feminine). I never had much sexual sensation in my nipples and I was too dysphoric to find that a turn-on, so I didn't care about losing them.
I had nipple reconstruction about 6 months after the surgery, and it was really nice to have new nipples! I did feel a bit alien when I had none. I haven't had the pigment tattooing yet. The small scars made during the reconstruction turned into mild keloid scars, which actually worked out well because it's given me a vague appearance of areolas. :P Now that the scars are fading and becoming paler, I'm considering getting the tattooing in the near future.