Everything You Need to Know: Preparing for Your Transgender Breast Augmentation Surgery

As you get one step closer to living as your most authentic self, there are a few things to keep in mind as you prepare for your transgender breast augmentation.

What is transgender breast augmentation?

Let’s begin with the basics: Transgender breast augmentation (also known as transgender top surgery or an augmentation mammoplasty) is a surgical procedure that adds volume and shape to the chest of trans-feminine patients using a silicone or saline implant, and is performed so that your physical appearance reflects your gender identity.

Preparing for your transgender breast augmentation

While you’ve undoubtedly taken many steps to get here, your first surgical step towards your transgender top surgery should be to meet with a board certified plastic surgeon to discuss your goals and expectations for this important stage in your transition journey. Additionally, since you’re likely receiving different types of therapy as a part of your transition process, it’s recommended that you also meet the following criteria prior to your transgender breast augmentation:

• Completed hormonal therapy
• Attended at least three months of professional counseling
• Received documented support from a licensed health professional (a letter of recommendation that can be verified by our staff)

You may also be wondering how to choose the right size breast implant for your transgender breast augmentation. There are many factors that go into choosing the right size implant. These can include:

• Your body size and shape
• Your desired breast look and size
• The amount of breast tissue you currently have
• Your lifestyle

You should discuss your options with your surgeon, but ultimately, this is a very personal decision that only you can make.

Good plastic surgery prep also includes thinking about and planning your recovery. While everyone is different, you should expect at least three days of solid downtime and relative downtime for at least another two weeks. You can also expect pain, swelling and sensitivity for a few weeks, but it should subside enough within the first few days to allow you to return to most of your activities without significant discomfort. There are things you can do to ensure you have the best possible outcome and recovery: Dr. Barrett has curated a breast augmentation recovery kit to set all his breast augmentation patients up for surgical success with the least amount of down time and discomfort possible.

Speaking off outcomes, to say that you’re probably anxious to know when you’ll see your transgender top surgery results is an understatement. It’ll take at least six weeks for your implants to drop and fluff, though it can take up to a year for all the swelling to completely go away and for your full results to appear.

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Do you want to learn more about Barrett Plastic Surgery? Keep up to date by subscribing to our blog and following us on social media at TikTok, Instagram, Realself, and YouTube for updates.

Are you interested in this procedure? Call us at (310) 398-2648 or fill out this virtual consultation form and we will reach out to you as soon as possible. We’re excited for you to take this next step!

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