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Woollahra Sydney . Wollongong NSW

What is Gender Affirmation Surgery?

Top Surgery
Top Surgery can be of two types – Masculinising or Feminising: MTF/N & FTM/N – Male To Female, Female To Male. The MTF Top Surgery includes placement of implants under the chest muscle and corrections of the chest contour. The Female To Male (FTM) Top Surgery involves removing breast tissue and glands and alteration of the chest to make it appear more masculine. Some patients elect to undergo Top Surgery after hormone therapy which then is followed by other gender surgeries.
- Visit the page on MTF Male to Female Top Surgery
- Visit the page on FTM Female to Male Top Surgery performed by Dr Maryam
Are You a Suitable Candidate for GAS?
Anyone wanting to change their gender may be a candidate for Gender Affirmation Procedures. However, as these are major surgeries, Dr Hunt needs to ensure you are completely supported and healthy before he can consider you for surgery. Hence, to get Gender Affirmation Surgeries, you need to fulfil certain conditions:
- You are older than 18 and able to consent
- You are mentally and physically healthy
- You are making an informed decision
- You have no severe systemic disorder
- You are not allergic to the materials used in the reconstruction
- You are a non-smoker
- You do not have any serious heart, kidney or other organ disease that may affect the surgery
- You have taken hormone therapy. Usually, a 10 – 12 month hormone therapy is required
- If you have gender dysphoria or you are suffering from gender identity disorder you can be a good candidate
- Body weight is a major health issue. Your BMI should be below obesity, to avoid any unwanted complications during surgery
- You will need WPATH certification and psychological support
About Gender Affirmation Surgery
Gender Affirmation Surgery is a complex process. The surgical details involve altering several muscle attachments, skin and tissue contours. While the fine details of the procedure should be discussed with Dr Hunt during the consultation, most other details stay the same. Here are some facts you will want to know about Gender Affirmation Surgery:
- Gender Surgery is done under general anaesthesia, which means you will be asleep throughout the surgery. This is also why you need to be healthy to get Gender Affirmation Surgery.
- To get general anaesthesia, your blood pressure, heart condition and overall health condition need to be ideal or close to it.
- Top Surgery can take about 2 – 3 hours.
- After this time you will be taken to the post-op room to recover. If there are no complications, you can be out of the hospital in a single day or two.
More About the Surgery
To prepare for the gender-affirming procedures, you will need to quit smoking, vaping and alcohol for at least a month prior to surgery. Medications like aspirin or other anticoagulants will be stopped prior to surgery as well. As a preparation for surgery, Dr Hunt may also ask you to stop other medications for 2 or 3 days.
- Surgery Length: The MTF or FTM top surgery can take 1 to 2 hours.
- Recovery: The recovery process for Top Surgery is mostly about letting your upper body rest. This involves resting your arms and torso and restricting movements as much as you can. Even though you can go home after the Top Surgery, have someone drive you home and stay with you for a few days. You will feel some soreness after Bottom and Facial Reconstruction Surgeries as well.
- Recovering from Gender Affirmation Procedures can be more difficult than other interventions because of the toll it takes on your mind as well as your body. You will need time to adjust to the newness of your body. So, expect some discomfort. You should also talk to your therapist about the challenges you are facing.
The first few days of the recovery period are often associated with a certain level of pain and discomfort as the anaesthesia wears off. You will most likely be prescribed some antibiotics and analgesic medication; make sure you take them on time. To speed up the recovery process, wear the support bra given to you after the surgery. You should also avoid showering or getting water on the stitches until the dressing is removed. Another thing to remember is to prevent any tearing or stretching of the suture sites. Tearing the stitches can lead to large scar tissue. This means you cannot lift heavy objects for 1 – 2 months either.
- Back to work/exercise: Regardless of which Gender Affirmation Surgery you are taking, you will need some time to heal. To get back to exercising, you will need to wait at least 2 months. The best course of action here is to take cues from your body and let your body decide when you are ready to work out. As for work, you can join your office within a few weeks of the surgery, but don’t overdo it!
- Results: Results are a huge concern for most patients. The results of Gender Affirmation Procedures may not be exactly what you had in mind immediately after surgery, which may be due to post-operative swelling. After a few weeks, you should notice the swelling has subsided and everything looks more settled. It generally takes about 2 – 3 months for all the inflammation to go away completely.
Gender Surgery Options
There are options for gender surgery. For MTF Top Surgery, you can choose different implant types. There are many decisions to be made with Facial Masculinisation and Facial Feminisation Surgeries.
What to Expect
Hormone Therapy, WPATH documentation, counselling support etc. are important for the gender surgery process.
After you have booked your consultation, you will meet with Dr Hunt who will then discuss the procedure with you and complete an assessment of your overall health and suitability for surgery. Following your consultation, you may be able to book your surgery date. After the surgery, you will need to come in again for post-op check-ups.