I Want Top Surgery

The consultation

What to expect, how to prepare, the appointment, and what questions to ask your surgeon.

What to Expect

  • Initial contact requires calling to schedule your consultation with the practice’s receptionist and/or scheduling coordinator.
  • You will be expected to pay the consultation fee, over the phone or online, at the time of scheduling your consultation.
  • During the consultation, you will meet with the plastic surgeon to discuss your goals and expectations.
  • The surgeon will explain the top surgery options best suited for your body type and goals after physically examining your chest and health.
  • The risks and benefits will be discussed, including potential complications, scarring, and recovery process.
  • Costs will be presented, generally itemized to outline what is covered.
  • If applicable, discussion of insurance options and what is needed for documentation and other requirements for approval.

How to Prepare

  • Discussing your medical background and transition is extremely vulnerable.
    • Feeling nervous is both normal and expected.
    • Your increasing comfort with discussing with the provider is a good sign.Your medical history is an important component of assessing your eligibility for getting top surgery.
  • Know your current list of medications, allergies, previous surgery history, and history of medical conditions.
  • Knowing your body type and desired outcome, start to research pictures of top surgery results to show your surgeon.
  • Have an idea of the types of surgeries (from above) you are interested in learning more about and if they are suitable for your body type and goals.
  • Collect inspiration pictures – can be either trans, cis, or both
  • Be clear on your financial/employment status:
    • What is your budget for top surgery?
    • Are you able to take out a loan or use a payment plan?
    • Can you take the necessary time off for healing?

What to Ask

  1. How many masculinizing top surgeries have you performed?
  2. Based on my goals and body type, what type of top surgeries do you recommend and why?
  3. Do you have before-and-after pictures of body types like mine?
  4. What are the risks and complications associated with this type of surgery?
  5. What does the day of surgery look like?What is the expected recovery time?
  6. When can I go back to work? (Be specific about your job requirements)
  7. What kind of scarring should I expect?
  8. How will my chest look immediately after surgery? After healing?
  9. Can I show you my inspiration pictures? Are these results realistic?
  10. What is the total cost of the surgery? Can you provide a breakdown of fees?
  11. When is the total due? Do you have payment plans or work with financing companies (i.e. Care Credit, PatientFi, Cherry, etc)?
  12. Do you accept insurance? Can you offer help with insurance approval and filing? Do you have an insurance specialist?
  13. How often and when will my follow-up appointments be?
  14. Are follow-up appointments included in the total cost?
  15. What is your policy on revisions? How often do you perform revisions?

Next page: pre-operation