What Is Chest Contouring With FTM Surgery?

The FTM transition can be a long and involved process. In addition to all the exterior changes that you can make, there are also surgeries to help you become the person that you envision yourself to be.

Top surgery is the first and most common FTM procedure.‍

What To Expect From Top Surgery

‍In FTM top surgery, your plastic surgeon typically performs a subcutaneous mastectomy (keyhole) or double incision mastectomy. With a typical double incision mastectomy FTM chest surgery, you can usually expect the following:

• Clearing away the breast tissue
• Eliminating excess skin
• Removing the inframammary fold (the crease beneath the breast)
• Reducing and repositioning the areolas and nipples

The result of this procedure is a flatter and more masculine looking chest. But if your desire is to achieve the ideal male form, you’ll need to go a step beyond basic top surgery. That’s where chest contouring comes in.‍

How Chest Contouring Can Help

‍Chest contouring is an elective addition to most FTM top surgical procedures. The goal of chest contouring is to maximize the masculine appearance of the chest.The optimal masculine look includes a classic V-shaped torso with some definition around the pectoral muscles.You may not be able to attain the ideal male figure by simply having excess breast tissue removed and flattening your chest. You’ll need a skilled plastic surgeon with experience in chest contouring to help you achieve your goal.To further define and improve the shape of your chest, a plastic surgeon can employ the following tactics:

• Internal Sutures – Your doctor can strategically place internal sutures to contour the chest and eliminate the use of drainage tubes.These are serve as support to put less stress on the final closure which should help minimize scarring.
• Additional Incisions – The surgeon can further contour the chest area by extending incisions beyond those that are required for surgery. These incisions are deliberately placed in areas that emphasize a more masculine chest shape and reduce the risk of “dog ears”.
• Liposuction – Women typically have more fat distributed to the top half of their bodies than men do. Liposuction alters the fat composition and helps the breast area to more effectively blend in with the rest of the chest.

Surgeons who perform additional chest contouring may also include any future revisions that need to be made in the cost of the procedure.Having a traditional FTM procedure changes the shape of your chest significantly, but it may not create the ideal aesthetic male form. Consulting with an experienced plastic surgeon will give you the resources you need to achieve optimal results with chest contouring.