does anybody wonder if getting testosterone before getting top surgery is a bad idea or a good one?  i want to start the process i am just not wanting to be the bearded lady (its hard to hide DDD under one binder you know?) 

From what I've read around here, and is standard procedure here in the Netherlands, is T before surgery. Mainly because your chest and pecs would develop some on T, which makes it easier for the surgeon to shape your chest correctly. I've heard of guys doing it the other way around, so it is not a big no-no to not take T before top surgery. But it is recommended to take T first.

Always thought that hormones before any surgery were the norm in both MtF and FtM.

It's more common to start T before top surgery here but there are those who can afford to have the surgery before starting T.

I know several guys with the very large chests like this to get surgery first. It's very hide this chest so it makes sense. I think a lot of surgeons do better with it now and you don't have to have T first. May be more typical to go the other way but definitely not required.


--Jay

I've personally always wanted surgery first and HRT after. I wouldn't want to grow a beard and have breasts at the same time. Not only would it make me incredibly uncomfortable but my chest is large enough that I could be outed and thats a situation I'd rather avoid!

I have your sized chest. However, between T and binding, I'm almost certain my chest is going down. And apart from that, I just got this awesome exercise thing to build muscle, all that stuff. So basically I will be working my chest out so that my chesticles do go down. When I get top surgery, I want the surgeon to have a more defined area to work on.

I started T last week but my surgery date isn't until February (God willing I'll have the money by then) but the thing I'm most worried about has nothing to do with will it be better to have started before or after but I also have a larger chest and I don't want to be experiencing my body changing and still having breasts.  The dysphoria of that almost seems worse than what I experience now. 

My surgeon prefers his patients to have been on T for at least six months before he operates, because he gets better results that way.