Breast augmentation has long been the most popular procedure in plastic surgery as well as being a hugely important step in many gender reassignment cases. In transgender breast augmentation cases the choices of implant types and sizes is exactly the same, with the same beautiful results expected, but there are some points to take in to consideration.
Typically in male to female transgender cases the patient has broader chest and shoulders that will accommodate larger implants, smaller implants may look too narrow and appear unnatural. As well as a wider chest, nipples will typically be lower on a male chest than a females so the natural breast crease will often have to be lowered so that the nipple is more centered on the implant.
Another aspect that is important during consultation is whether the patient is currently using hormone therapy. Patients who have been using hormone therapy will tend to have developed breast tissue and this can be associated with ptosis (or drooping) that would have to be taken in to account when planning the procedure. Many transgender patients are good candidates for trans-axilalry augmentation where the incision is made in the armpit because of the lack of ptosis of the breast tissue.
Finally it is important for the patient to pay close attention to instructions from their surgeon to allow the implants to ‘drop’ in to a natural position on the chest. Because the pec muscle is generally larger in transgender patients the muscle has a tendency to hold the implant higher on the chest wall, with massage and compression the implant will fall in to a lower and more natural place on the breast.
For more information on procedures offered by Dr McCluskey and the Plastic Surgery Institute of Atlanta visit https://sexualaesthetics.com/