I’m 3 weeks post op for double incisions and rn I’m massaging them with bepanthan, but I was wondering when I should start to use an oil or scare tape? I’m heard some people recommend vitamin e cream as well. Any suggestions and tips are helpful thanks :)

I'm getting top surgery probably within the next year and a half, and I've been really curious about something. Because of how HRT seems to react to my body (fully caused by lazy and irresponsible scheduling and frequency of doses of it in my teen years that I have LONG since dealt with the consequences of) one issue I deal with is every few months I get really annoying bouts of fibrocystic breast on one side, and I was curious if anyone else dealt with that and then went on to get top surgery, how it might have changed for you? Did it impact the consult or anything? Is it just fully gone now? (PRAYING).

I’m going to be so real, I was fully on the fence about top surgery really being worth it for me in the long run with my actual dysphoria level post T vs how much recovery, money, time, and effort it would take to get it, but since these annoying bouts of my chest seeming to hate me more than i hate it lately, it was the final nail in the decision.

Happy to be posting here, I got surgery almost 7 weeks ago, my surgeon was Dr. Arezoo Astanehe in Abbotsford BC; She was very nice to work with, she did let me know that without getting liposuction, I may have some fatty sides under my armpit.. which I do a bit, but I'm hoping it will be less than it looks and swelling will all go down.

I had a little bit of compromise in the healing of my left nipple, cuz I had a scab come off prematurely.

Otherwise a great experience overall, except for the binder haha, can't even remember not being flat anymore for I only had weight on my chest for about 7 years versus the 9 plus now years I've had flat, overall very interesting experience 10/10 put it that way

My insurance recently switched to an MVP hdhp, and I got a promotion at work so I figured now is a good time to start considering the top surgery process. I live in Upstate NY (capital region area) and would drive far to see a good surgeon, but would prefer to not go to the city. Does anyone have any surgeon recs anywhere upstate? Would prefer one that has some experience with bigger chests (unfortunately I'm a 32F) Also I'm wondering how much MVP will cover, vs how much I will potentially have to pay out of pocket, so if you have experience with this plan, pls lmk how it went for you.

First pic is from my post-op appointment (6 days) and the second is from today (7 days) after my first shower!!

I (transmasc nonbinary, 22) got double incision with heart shaped free nipple grafts with Rachel Goldstein at the Crane Center in Boulder, Colorado. Rachel and her team are so nice and she was super excited to give me the results I wanted. I originally asked for "hockey stick" incisions (straight lines that cut up to my armpit) but bc of my anatomy we pivoted to the soft curve that I have!

I haven't experienced much of any pain but I have been really itchy. I got some relief at my post op and being able to take off the ace bandage everyday for showers really helps. My right side has a little extra puffiness that I've been told to keep an eye on but overall I'm healing well! In two weeks I have to go in for another appointment where they'll remove the surgical tape from my incisions which I'm really excited for.

I started the process in March 2026, had my consult in June of 2026, and then got scheduled for October 2026 due to an early cancellation. I probably could've gotten seen even earlier, but when filling out the initial info form I put my email in wrong which resulted in me not getting a call back for about a month or so.

I used insurance for this process and paid about 1.5k to the Crane Center and prepaid $200 to the hospital, and I'm expecting a pretty sizable bill (around 5k).

Feel free to ask me any questions!

I had surgery in sweeden on 15th then check in in clinic on 16th and 19th on both occasions the doctor thought the thing heals well just looking at the bandages covering the incisions (I had not seen the bare chest yet )

Thing is this is night from day 6 to 7 now and those bandages feel frankly disgusting ..I am waking up every 2 hours worried that the incisions might be getting infected. I have itching pains and stinging pains and some.odd.pressure at the back of my ribcage to the side.

I propabkt wouldn't be as concerned if not the fact that a lot things went wrong during the trip I had stomach bug then caught some horrible cough I am still helping from and the flight back home had me extremally exhausted and sick.

I will be calling doctor to get the stitches on nipples removed today and bandages changed but it's still few hours till then and I'm scared.

On top of it I don't even know how tight that medical band should be ! The surgeon had it originally extremally tight then doctor on 16th made it very light just for then the doctor on 19th to make is somewhat tighter just not as tight as it was right after surgery.

I hate this thing

i’m 10 days post op and i’m trying to figure out if i should bother my surgeon. the concerning nip is my right and i’m concerned about my nip lifting up. looks like there’s just one part. i added pics of the discharge aswell. let me know if you have any advice please!

First photo is today second photo is 10/2. I had top surgery 9/17. My surgeon was a bit concerned about the photo left side of my chest. I have worn my compression vest until today. It seems like the scars are going into my body. Has this happened to anyone? I’m getting an ultrasound tomorrow to check and see if I should be worried but I’m having a hard time calming down. I don’t understand why the right photo looks better even though it was a week and some ago

Hey y’all, I’m a non-binary, transmasc lesbian looking to get top surgery w/o HRT (mastectomy w/free nipple grafts & lateral liposuction) in 2 years, so I’m aiming to get it done during summer 2028. I go to the gym about twice a week and I’m a PH at FedEx so I do a lotta physical, heavy lifting at work. Anyone have any tips on building a good workout routine? I’m specifically tryna focus on building muscle in both my arms & upper chest. I don’t necessarily wanna be super muscular, but definitely toned. For reference, I’m AFAB, about 138 lbs & currently have a 34B cup/chest size. I’m also skinny, but have wide hips. Any advice is much appreciated!

sorry for the stupid question. my pre-op is this friday (exciting!) and my actual surgery is next month. i'm not scared of the procedure itself, but i am autistic and struggle a LOT with not knowing what to expect. if anyone could share what exactly the pre-op is i would greatly appreciate it!

Im in the u.s. and ive had one consultation and they are ready to start scheduling. This feels sudden to me, but i dont have much experience.

Maybe there will be more appointments, idk, ive been putting it off for a bit because not knowing all the information makes me nervous, and so does asking questions that i maybe should already know the answers to.

I got top surgery this morning (woo hoo!) and am struggling to sleep with the drains. Not because of pain but where to put the drainage bulb. Right now I'm wearing sweatpants and put them in my pockets but I am worried I'll roll on them or something. Is safety pinning my best option? I just feel like they flop around a ton. Any thoughts or tips would be helpful!

Anyone heard of this surgeon or had experience with her? I’m booked for Dr Wolf in michigan but I finally heard back from Kaiser and they scheduled me with Dr Labove for a consult. Just wanted to see if anyone had experience with her since i literally can’t find a single thing about her online. Scary!!!

Hello, everyone. (Sorry if my English isn't perfect I'm French.) I'm planning to have surgery to remove my breasts, but I really want to keep my nipples.

The problem is that my breasts are pretty big... Is it possible for me to keep my nipples, or do I have to say goodbye to them?

Getting my drains out today and I haven't taken my heavy painkillers (Oxycodone) since the first day post op just been taking Panadol since the pain isn't bad (my tolerance is quite high I've been told BC of chronic pain lol). My issue is I've just got my body back to functioning and shitting normally so I don't really want to take a heavy med and fuck it up again and also potentially be nauseous?? Equally scared shitless to get my drains taken out since im a bit squeamish about them so any advice 😭🙏

edit: I took a Panadol and it was super chill, the worst part was all the tape and shit because the adhesive was STUCK DOWNNN the actual drains them selves I didn't feel - they are itchy now though

Over the past year I had lost significant weight around my waist and hips/butt. It seemed like the day after surgery I became so bloated that my hips and butt came back and it’s honestly ruining my experience.

Does this weight and bloating go away over time or will I have hold onto it unless I start my weight loss all over again?

Hey guys! Just wanted to show my healing progress. Hope it goes down a bit more, but not super displeased

Hey Friends!

I’m FINALLY scheduled for my surgery with Dr Wolf in Michigan in December. I’ve seen a lot of post op reviews but haven’t seen many pre op vs post op. If anyone has gotten surgery from him would you mind sharing a before and after? I’m asking because i’m almost a DD cup right now and want to see his work reflected on someone with a similar chest to mine. Any feedback would be appreciated! T - 55 days!

I (27) am having a difficult time getting myself to schedule out my top surgery appointment.

For context, insurance won't cover the procedure because they have an explicit exclusion that doesn't cover "sex transformation procedures and the likes." My company's policy is also self-funded, so I cant exactly appeal that decision with insurance.

I got an out-of-pocket estimate of $8000 from my surgeon back in July, and its only good for 6 months after the estimate. Otherwise, I'd have to go through the consult process again and get a new estimate.

My concern is, I don't have the savings to cover the procedure. I can maybe cover like a 1/4 of it, but that's it. I can't really ask any friends for help, and I don't want to have to ask my family. I've tried applying for fiancial aid from the hospital, but I got denied. My only other option is to put it on my credit card/take out a loan and hope I can pay it off next year.

I guess what's stopping me is the uncertainty of where the money is coming from. My surgeon needs the payment 10 days before the procedure, and is booking a few months out, so I'd only have that long to get the amount I need. But I also don't want to wait any longer than I already had to, because with the sociopolitical conflict in the USA I am very very nervous that I might lose my chance at getting the surgery done.

Any suggestions of what I can do? Is it worth putting myself into more debt when I already have money insecurity?

Connect with others who have surgery dates close to yours, share experiences, and get the support from people who understand!

🏳️‍⚧️

https://discord.gg/cCnSvurdZX

I’m a little over 6 weeks post op, just starting scar care. This one spot is really the only concerning thing/issue, it’s been redder than the rest, drier, and there’s one dark sort of soft spot that’s for sure grown. Is it just not entirely healed over yet? It started kind of small but I for sure feel some soreness/pain there when I move my torso around.

Literally everything else and every other part of the scar is fine. I’m using silicone gel atm and vaseline to moisturize the dry spot but if I should back off with the gel until it looks better I may. My best guess is it’s just not 100% healed over so I should give it time.

I’m booking an appointment to get it checked out just in case, but the more opinions the better lol.

I’m 9 days po DI no nips and have been sleeping with pillows to get to an incline where I can actually get up again. HOWEVER, I’m dying to just laying flat so my back can get a break, but I’m afraid I won’t be able to get up again as I can feel it in my chest when I get too far down and have to get up again.

So my question is when could you sleep completely on your back and actually get up without feeling like your chest will pop out and kill you?

I got a letter in the mail saying that Medicare won’t cover surgery because they don’t think it’s medically necessary. I submitted the note from my therapist, my PCP, and the surgeon sent it in. I don’t know what to do and I’m worried that because Medicare is federal they’re just not covering because of them just stripping ald trans people of our healthcare. Did anyone have this issue with Medicare? I’ve been on the phone waiting for them forever and they keep just hanging up.

Goku from dragon-ball Z, in case you didn’t know. Hand made by my mother and hand painted by me. My scars are fully covered no matter what way I move, but I’m still gonna wear sunscreen on them just in case. Not planning to be outside in this really. It’s just for a dress up day, to raise money for charity.

(The charity is breast cancer research, in the most ironic twist ever)

In case this isn’t relevant enough to top surgery— my surgeon was dr Karolis Varkalys in Nordesthetics Lithuania, I was a DD pre op so this is a huge weight off my shoulders, and I’m only recently back to near full range of motion, which makes this costume a lot easier.

Finally got a surgery date scheduled!! Trying to make sure all my insurance stuff is covered. Anyone that used Anthem BCBS did they require 2 letters? I just have one letter from a LPC so far.