Top and Bottom Surgery
Top Surgery:
- the removal of the breasts and the shaping of a male contoured chest
- By some doctors, the surgery is done in two steps, first the contents of the breast are removed through either a cut inside the nipple or around it, and then let the skin retract for about a year, where in a second surgery the excess skin is removed. This technique results in far less scarring, and the nippleneeds not to be removed and grafted.
- For trans men with smaller breasts, a peri-areolar or “keyhole” procedure may be done where the mastectomy is performed through an incision made around the nipple. This avoids the larger scars of a traditional top-surgery, but the nipples may be larger and may not be in a perfectly male orientation on the chest wall.
Bottom Surgery:
- Hysterectomy is the removal of the uterus. Bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (BSO) is the removal of both ovaries and fallopian tubes.
- A ‘partial hysterectomy’ is actually when the uterus is removed, but the cervix is left intact. If the cervix is removed, it is called a ‘total hysterectomy.’
- hysterectomy/BSO is done to decrease the risk of developing cervical , endometrial, and ovarian cancer after starting testosterone.
- Genital reconstructive procedures (GRT) use either the clitoris, which is enlarged by androgenic hormones, or rely on free tissue grafts from the arm, the thigh or belly and an erectile prosthetic. In either case, the urethra can be rerouted through the phallus to allow urination through the reconstructed penis. The labia are united to form a scrotum, where prosthetic testicles can be inserted.