Just a reminder that all bodies are unique!

How was the first time putting on a tight t-shirt and feeling only euphoria and happiness?
I waited so long for this moment and I‘m so grateful
(Almost 5 weeks post op)

shitty camera quality whoops

just had my 6 month post-op appointment and they offered me a revision for the slightly raised piece of skin (left in these photos and the very end of my incision in the centre of my chest) I’m wondering whether to take them up on it?

It feels noticeable to me because I’m hyperaware of it? And looking down makes it look worse than it is, I know working out will probably help as well

My "side boobs" are coz of weight gain due to becoming a wheelchair users not the surgery itself just to clarify 🤣

Either way, I love my results before and after 🫶

have any of y’all just been absolutely terrified the day before surgery? not about the surgery itself, but about it being cancelled? because i’m so anxious right now that i feel sick. like i genuinely don’t think i’m gonna be calm until it’s done, which is worrying bc my blood pressure was a concern and now i’m stressed that i’m going to be a self-fulfilling prophecy and worry myself so much that it’s too high and it does get cancelled.

sorry, i’m rambling. if anyone has any memes or reassurance, that would be awesome. i’m so ready for this but wow am i stressed.

Recently been pretty obsessed witht the fact that one of my pecs looks like it's “melting” (visibly more curved, nipple lower than the other side). Is it one of those things that once the scabs fall and scars heal ends up looking more symmetrical? Or will it worsen with time? I am aware that it's too early to tell but I'd like to know if other people had similar experiences.

I had top surgery on Monday (also 4 days ago) and I was able today to get the reveal. I don't really know what to think. My surgeon told me they maybe didn't have to do a single incision but they in fact did. That doesn't bother me as much as the fact that they told me it's because of me being so thin. It's always something I've been self conscious with and I HATE. I work out 4d/week but I have gastroparesis and cannot gain weight.

I'm completely depressed because I thought I would have looked more masculine but turns out it wasn't because of my chest. I'm on T 3 years from now and need desperate advice on how to look more masculine. I'm already on Minoxidil for hair, but it doesn't do much except for ingrown body hair.

And please be honest about this result, I don't know if it's just my body dysmorphia or the surgery results bad

this post is for those who are nervous and scared of getting top surgery (or any surgery really). gonna share my story on here to hopefully settle some nerves as i found before my surgery the internet has quite a lot of negative experiences and not too many positive ones surrounding recovery specifically, which isnt a problem as transparency about the realities is SUPER helpful when it comes to preparing to recover from a major surgery, but for me personally it got me quite worried about the whole thing. i just want to make this post for people who are nervous as hell about healing hopefully make some people out there more comfortable going forward :)

small mention of blood ahead

i want to preface first this is my personal experience and im not gonna give any medical advice or anything like that, and im not shaming anybody for sharing any negative/ neutral experiences, i love having these online groups and posts and learning about different people and their choices and reasoning and all that sappy stuff 🤗🤗 i love the trans community and yeah i hope yous can understand what im meaning to get across with this post

(photo is 2 1/2 weeks post-op, 17 days exactly, i went with dr jesus lago in madrid and stayed for 20 days with my surgery being on the 3rd day i was there. im also not on T and had my sister with me to look after me)

i was absolutely sure id be in pain the whole time, id feel nauseous and be unable to do anything and be miserable. that wasnt the case at all. i experienced little to no pain (i was taking prescribed paracetamol and ibuprofen), it was mainly just being uncomfortable from being in the same position for so long. small daily walks and movement really helped. i had no physical feeling around the bloating even tho i could see it and it didn’t impact how i felt, i had no constipation and actually had to stop eating prune pouches on day 4 cos they were working too well lol thanks to my dads genes xxxx. i also havent had any split stitches or infections, my nipple grafts have been great too, the only thing that happened with them is that when i got the bandages off at the week 2 week mark, i went into the shower 2 days after (16 days post op) and the gauze was stuck to them (totally normal, my doctor said to be gentle and use water to get the gauze off) and it came off fine, but a couple days after it got stuck again. i didnt notice it was stuck when i took it off and it started bleeding, but i didnt panic and got an ice cube in a ziplock bag and held it against the nipple at 5-10 second intervals to shrink the blood vessels and it stopped the bleeding almost immediately. i just let it scab over in the open air before putting more gauze on and havent had an issue since. my mum reminded me that bleeding (okay yeah not the best thing to happen) was ultimately a good thing because it means theres blood circulation there. and the nipple is getting the nutrients and what it needs to thrive long term. so dont panic if you see blood, just get ice and something non-porous to help with stopping the bleeding and remind yourself it’s all gonna be okay!! obviously this isnt actual medical advice, its just what i did because i knew the bleeding wasnt something more serious and was because i made a small mistake. also, this happened around 2 weeks post op, so i knew it was just the top layers of the scab and wasnt the graft itself as the gauze i took off had only been on for around a day at that point. plus my scabs were so thick theyd choke a horse. if you think something is wrong please listen to your body and your gut instinct!!
i was really surprised with my recovery for the first couple weeks and how smoothly it went, so thought id post about it and let others know that yes its scary and absolutely prepare for the worst like i did, but mentally dont expect only bad things to happen. just take it one day at a time and be kind to yourself :)

if anyone would like a more in-depth experience post then let me know as id be happy to talk about it, i know they really helped me prepare for mine 🫶🫶

Just wondering if i'm healing okay? I am surprised as i normally bruise extremely easily but when I took a break from the post op binder for the first timr(my surgeon said it's cool) I was surprised there isn't any significant bruising and only minimal swelling? 4 days post op di

Officially 1 year post-op!
Overall, I’m satisfied with my results. Obviously, I’m critical of myself and my brain tells me that it looks weird, but I’m just so happy to be here. If you told 15 year old me that I would get top surgery and get to heal with my best friends by my side, AND I’d get to keep both my nipples, I would’ve told you to fck off.

You can look at my previous posts if you’d like more healing pics!

I had a double incision w/ nipple grafts on 10/5 with Dr. Reformat. So far I’m very happy with the results. I’m mostly concerned with how the left side is more swollen/tender. I had my drains removed yesterday. I’m using ace wrap for compression. Wondering if anyone has any better tips to help control the swelling. Trying to prevent a sarcoma.

Hello, I got double incision done with Dr Gabriel del Corral on Sept 18th. Since the surgery I've had this weird big scab connected to my incisions which I'm not sure why it's there, but it's gone from hard and typically scabby to kind of gooey. Also my incisions are looking kind of scary to me. I had my 3rd post-op a few days ago where I got my drains out, and they said that the incisions looked fine and to just put betadine solution on the scabbing. I'm not sure what to even Google to figure out why it looks that way or if it's something I should actually be concerned about.

I've messaged my surgeon's office about this with the same picture asking for clarification last night and I'm waiting for their answer. Has anyone else ever experienced this and what did you do about it? I'm trying to trust the process but the process has me a bit anxious lol.

2 weeks post op from my top surgery by Dr Maud Bélanger (Montréal)

Scars in the front pop out and are shiny. Not sure why (pic 2)

Tape is from Amazon, silicone. I leave it on all day

Am I doing this wrong?

TW: brief mention of an eating disorder, fairly extensive discussion of dysphoria etc

Hey! My surgery (DI with grafts and reinnervation) is 11/20 so just over a month away. A couple weeks ago I was seeing a play that I hadn't seen since before coming out, and I had a panic attack in the middle of it about like...am I making a mistake/is this fine/can I live with this actually/should I cancel surgery. I'm just wondering if others dealt with panic/second guessing shortly before surgery and if so, how you sifted through what was just panic vs an actual concern? Did anyone end up cancelling or postponing or radically changing their surgery because of last minute doubt?

For background, I'm 30, no T (did it briefly, not for me), came out in 2021 after I finally realized that not everyone feels like their gender is a role in a high school play they never wanted to be in. I present masc of center (whatever that is) probably 80% of the time and occasionally enjoy an alt fem-ish situation. I was raised really religious and have some childhood sexual trauma (re: my chest specifically) that's meant I have always had a complicated relationship to my chest. I remember being excited at the onset of puberty because I desperately wanted to be and look grown up (which feels taboo to say? I always wonder if it means I'm not trans bc I didn't hate puberty at the beginning), but beyond that, most of the messaging around my chest was all shame based.

Once I left the religious context I grew up in, I was less worried about modesty but also just...didn't like calling attention to my chest and ended up hiding it (which at the time I would have said was some religious conditioning holdover). My chest was pretty small which I was happy about, although I never liked being topless (even asleep or alone) and definitely didn't like having breasts in a sexual context. When I started wearing binders and taping after coming out, I found it kind of delightful, especially because I could get pretty much flat with it, and I started assuming I'd do top surgery eventually but didn't actually plan it...and then I 1) quit doing the eating disorder thing and 2) started birth control for awful PMDD, and between the two, my chest size went up (from like an A to a small C). I also have chronic joint pain, so binding has become harder and harder, and sports bras don't cut it with the size of my chest now.

My current partner (been together for two years) is the first person I've actually felt comfortable with sexually, and I can tolerate being topless around her, but I don't like it and I can't handle my chest being interacted with or looked at. I stopped birth control after a hysterectomy in the summer and my chest size went back down a little (to like a B range afaik) and that's made me feel less like there's something weird and foreign attached to me, but it's definitely not zero of that feeling. It's just more tolerable. I can sometimes look at it in the mirror and be fine. I can sometimes wear a binder and feel fine. When I had the panic attack during the play, I ended up looking down at my chest (I had a too-small compression top on under a somewhat fitted shirt) and being like "well I don't hate this so maybe it's crazy to be doing a whole surgery, omfg."

My plan for months has been to ask for just barely not quite flat surgery (soft pecs, basically -- small enough to be shirtless outside but with a small bit of softness, and playing around with nipple size and placement to try for androgyny/gender fuckery which is perpetually my vibe). We talked about it at my consult but I didn't have pictures at the time, but I do now and will talk to my surgeon in a couple weeks. My medical clearance appointments are all scheduled. Plane tickets are bought. Airbnb is paid for. This is a stupid time for my brain to do a panic but ever since that panic attack, whenever anyone asks me if I'm excited about surgery, I just have this horrible feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach and I end up saying I'm excited because I'm supposed to be, but what I actually feel is just dread and anxiety and fear about waking up and still hating my chest, or regretting it, or realizing I'm actually an imposter and not really trans (something I would literally never say to anyone except apparently myself??), or wishing I'd asked for something different surgery wise (in either direction! worried I'll want flat if I go with my soft pecs plan and worried I'll miss the option of softness if I go totally flat), or that top surgery won't actually look good on me (even though it looks amazing on you all), or any of a dozen other worries (including that I found out during my hysterectomy that I have endometriosis and now I am worried about having to go back on birth control eventually for that and oh my GOD what if my chest grows back).

Sorry for the word vomit. I guess I just want to know if this happens to other people and if so, what did you do, did it continue through surgery recovery/when did it get better, did you change anything about your surgery plans because of it, how did you know if doubt was real, etc.?

And yes, I have talked to my therapist about this, and my partner and my transmasc sibling and several friends. It's just that aside from my sibling (whose trans identity looks very different from mine, including that they have literally always known they were transmasc and I didn't know), no one else has had top surgery.

Just the way it healed. I'm over a year out, post-op. The other side looked the same but leveled out over time

Appreciate any advice 🙏

The scab of my right nipple just fell off in the shower, but both sides look so weird😭😭 why are they so gross.

Is this normal 3,5 weeks post op😭😭

(Side not I have hEDS idk if that has to do with the healing process but yeah😭😭)

I'm 3 weeks post-op and wanted to know if the center of my nipples are healing right (especially the right one) or if I should be concerned.

had my surgery yesterday with pall mall and i couldn’t be happier - my mum is really pleased with the process too.

we arrived a little late to my 7am admission due to a 1.5hr drive, and was seen to and taken to my room relatively quickly on arrival. They asked for me it put my surgery gown on and do a urine sample but they never actually took my sample it was still in my bathroom when i left lol

my surgeon came in and drew on me, we had a nice chat aswell and she was speaking to my mum quite a bit because they both work in hospitals

she remembered from my pre op appointments that i have a needle phobia and requested that the nurse applies emla cream to both my hands to ease the cannula process, and it really did help

i was told im 2nd in line for surgery that morning and i was taken into theatre around 10am

I was walked up to theatre and lay myself on the table which was insanely daunting for someone like me who gets worked up by medical environments but i was out within 5 minutes

woke up in recovery room about 11:50am and asked for my glasses as everything was blurry, but i had no anaesthesia side affects luckily ?? I expected to wake up feeling nauseous and dizzy but i was completely fine, i was wheeled back to my room and saw my mum and she said she was surprised i was so fast and conscious

i managed to get into my bed on my own and i had a right appetite from the get go, i had a meal deal from tesco and nurses came to take my vitals every 30 mins up until discharge, everything was fine each time

i was told to get up to go to the toilet and as i got up i noticed my thighs had been shaved so that shocked me but its bc i have very hairy legs and it gets in the way of the electrode pads

i was fine getting up and doing whatever i needed, wasn’t in much pain at all just a bit achy. i was most paranoid about post surgery and how i’d be but id definitely recommend getting yourself into a routine where you’re being active and eat a balanced diet, i would genuinely say my lifestyle pre surgery has immensely benefited my surgery experience and how my body is dealing with it (so far)

the food was good, and the nurse brought me and my mum a brew too

kate came in go check my chest before i was discharged and she said that her and chloe were really pleased with my results so fingers crossed!

kate also helped me get dressed coz i couldn’t reach my jacket arm shes a right lifesaver i couldn’t even express my thankfulness to her

we drove home then i had no issues in the car journey except i couldn’t reach my seatbelt, there’s some speed bumps on a road outside the hospital which really tested me but other than that it was pain free

i had pain kick in about 6pm last night and i took paracetamol and it went, im trying to avoid using codeine because my pain is very manageable with paracetamol and ibuprofen rn, i slept 9hrs last night on just ibuprofen and im feeling fine as i write this at 8am

I do have 2 very attention seeking labradors at home aswell which is making recovery more challenging bc i can’t play with them, and 2 younger siblings 🫠 although i was up to a cuddle from my brother last night he was very gentle.

but yeah! hope this helps some people as i know i didnt see much about pall mall when i was going with them , they’re brilliant and im so thankful they’re so local to me

defo a 10/10 experience

Hey y'all, I saw this when I was buying items for my scar care and liked the idea. For people in the US, some are covered under medical item expense. Massage roller balls have the same mechanics, so don't worry about getting the cheaper one.

I didn't want to only massage my scars when applying oils/gels, so I got the basic massage ball which works great! I can massage my scars anytime over my shirt or silicon tape.

i’m 9 days post op and when i put the antibiotic cream on my chest i’ve noticed i’m not completely numb. besides my nipples, which are have no sensation whatsoever, the rest of my chest just feels like when your leg goes numb after crossing your legs for too long. it’s unpleasant but there’s definitely sensation there. will this last forever? is it likely to feel more normal ever? i hate this feeling and would honestly rather no sensation than this forever lol

edit: i know i’m super early on in recovery and nothing i see and feel right now will be my final results, but i just want to understand what i might expect given the sensation i have currently (and if anyone else has had sensation like this early on and it gained anything more over time)

im approaching 3 months post op now, and im still struggling to lift up my arms the amount i used to when im washing my hair in the shower. kinda annoying.. am i fucked or is this normal? my armpits get kinda achey and the scar that goes under my arms starts stinging. anything i can do (im currently wearing silicon tape one day and massaging with bio oil the other day)

bonus question, started noticing what looks like the start of purpleish stretch marks on my chest, anything i can do to stop that getting more visible? or is that just a thing that happens sometimes. thanks