Your breast surgery specialists for trans identity
What does "transgender," "trans identity" or "trans" mean?
Information on mastectomy
- Treatment duration: 1.5 - 2.5 hours
- Anaesthesia: General anaesthesia
- Hospital stay: 1 - 5 days
- Downtime: 1 - 2 weeks
- Restriction from sports: 6 weeks
- Price: from € 5.000,- (plus anaesthetic costs)
The internationally used term "transgender" refers to people by whom the external gender characteristics and the gender assigned at birth do not correspond to their perceived gender or identity gender.
Simply put: Transgender people are, in relation to their gender identity, in a body that is "unsuitable" for them. However, the living conditions of transgender people cannot be reduced to this simple formula. This is because the subject extends to many more parts of life than just the physical.
Trans identity itself has many facets. One fundamental distinction is the division into non-binary and binary transident persons. The terms binary and non-binary refer to the gender system. If the traditional categories "male" and "female" are present here, we speak of binary division, but many people cannot be classified into these two categories in their gender identity. One then speaks of non-binary trans identity. People with this characteristic often refer to themselves as "non-binaries."
Binary trans identity is present, for example, when people who were assigned the female gender at birth have a male gender of identity or vice versa. Female assigned gender and male identity gender are called transmen, male assigned gender and female identity gender are called transwomen.
Important questions and answers
1. What are the benefits of breast surgery for women to men trans people?
The adaptation of the female breast form to a male breast in woman to man-trans people is for many probably the most important surgical adaptation due to the high psychological strain and the associated psychological stress, which arises in everyday life by the fixation of the female breast. It serves to adapt the existing female breast to the desired male breast shape so that a clear masculinisation of the body shape is achieved in everyday life, sport and at work.
2. Why come to us?
In the past few years, during our clinical activities in one of the largest breast plastic surgery clinics in the country, we have performed between 250 and 300 breast operations on trans men per year. In order to achieve fulfilling results for our patients, we have continuously improved our techniques throughout the last 14 years.
The goal of breast surgery on trans men should therefore be:
- Unnoticeable scars, whether the breasts are small, medium or large
- The flattest possible masculine breast, which is also presentable in everyday life, for example in the swimming pool
- few risks with short operation time and short hospital stay
- A quick reintegration into everyday life without prolonged downtimes
3. What conditions do I have to meet to undergo surgery?
The most important prerequisite is the clear desire for a mastectomy. In order to be able to perform this, we need an expert opinion on the indication from a psychologist or corresponding specialist, which clearly confirms the trans identity. In the case of underage trans identity patients, we always require the written consent from the person with custody.
Ideally, hormone therapy with testosterone starts 6 - 12 months before the planned operation, but this is not a criterion that must be met.
4. What surgical procedures are there for trans men?
The shape and size of the existing breast is important for the choice of the appropriate surgical procedure for breast augmentation surgery. The mammary glands are completely removed (aka, 'mastectomy') and in case of additional excess fatty tissue and excess skin, it is reduced. In this situation, the nipple, including areola, is reduced in size or its position is changed, i.e., lifted.
If the breasts are small, an incision on the underside of the nipple for mastectomy, in combination with liposuction, can be completely sufficient to produce a masculine breast shape permanently.
For voluminous breasts with a firm skin condition, a mastectomy with a circular incision around the nipple with circular tightening of the skin mantle around the nipple can be performed in combination with liposuction.
If there is a voluminous breast with deep-lying nipples and significant excess skin, a longer horizontal incision must be made in the inframammary fold with a reduction and free displacement of the nipples above the scar. With this procedure, the breast can also be shaped permanently flat and masculine. The scars are located in the lower breast fold and are usually unnoticeable after complete maturation.
The operation is performed under general anaesthesia and takes about 1.5 - 2.5 hours. The inpatient stay is about 1-5 days. Postoperatively, compression garments should be worn for at least 6 weeks and physical activities, such as sports, should be avoided.
The main risk of the procedure is a surgically relevant postoperative bleeding, i.e., the accumulation of blood in the wound cavity usually within the first 48 hours, thereby making it necessary to remove the blood clot in a surgical procedure. By continuously improving our surgical procedures, we have been able to reduce the incidences of this complication to well below 5%. In addition, wound healing disorders and scar maturation disorders can occur, which can usually be controlled without further surgery. Sometimes minor corrective surgery is necessary to achieve an aesthetically pleasing and satisfying result in the long term. Since we are a private clinic and we treat our patients in a private clinic, the treatment of patients with statutory health insurance is currently only possible after an individual application has been made and the appropriate authorisation has been obtained from their health insurance company. We are of course happy to support our patients in the written application procedure. Privately insured patients and self-pay patients can receive care in our partner clinic at any time. Please feel free to arrange your individual consultation at our practice for further information. The most frequently used procedures are breast augmentation with silicone implants and breast augmentation with autologous fat. Further FAQ
What are the risks and complications of the procedure?
To which patients can we currently offer this procedure?
What surgical procedures for breast correction are available for man to woman-trans patients?
