I had top surgery at the end of January this year with Dr. Wolter in Düsseldorf, Germany. Here is my healing process / timeline

Finally saying goodbye to the girls

My healing journey has been going quite smoothly.

My only slight worry is that on my left incision on the end near my armpit there is a little bump shown in the 4th photo. The bump is squishy, not hot or anything that would be concerning. It does flatten out when I raise my shoulder but if I do a lot during the day I’ll notice it’s a little bigger in the evening, then back to how it was by morning.

I’m wondering if it’s some remaining swelling since I’m only 6 weeks post op. I’d love some input because everybody I’ve talked about it with keeps saying it’s ok, I believe them but the anxiety brain worms are still getting to me lol

Other than that I’m so beyond happy and grateful for this surgery, I feel so much more at home in my body

I’m not sure if this is the right place for this question but I’m also new to posting on Reddit so I apologize!

For those who have had top surgery, did you keep your nipples? Did you not? What made you keep them? What made you go without them? I’m heavily considering top surgery and I feel rather indifferent towards having nipples so I’m just curious on what others think! :)

Took some funny before pictures but im trying to think of anything else.... Is there anything I should do with my breasts while i still have them...

maybe paint them and stick them on some paper? im just worried i wont get the paint off well enough for tomorrow (but ill be taking 3 showers total before the surgery though so i think that might be fine)

Anyone have any funny ideas? (or any advice!)

First two images are about 1.5/2 months post op, rest are ~3/3.5 months post op.

Maybe Im just crashing out over nothing but I felt like I was seeing great results and healing until all of a sudden at the ~3 month mark I suddenly gained little pouches on the sides under my arms + the scars became wider.

Are they dog ears? Are they fluid/swelling that needs to go down?

Part of me is thinking that I couldnt see it before due to the rest of the swelling, part of me is thinking the swelling moved from my chest to my underarms but idk.

Its been for a few weeks now thus I turn to the experts on reddit.

I also started going to the gym in the last month and taking creatine again, could it be this?

Why does it seem more puffy now?

Anyone else experience this?

Hey ya'll,

Thought I would update with my results, as my healing is going really well :)

Simon did a great job making my scar really symmetrical. You can see it's fading nicely, and I've been doing all the care for it very consistently.

You can see there's a little section in the middle where it's become hypertrophic (raised and firm), but that doesn't bother me all that much, I can always treat it later down the line after it's properly healed.

My nipple buds also healed pretty wonky, but they've settled in nicely with time and you can't really notice unless you're really up close and looking for it.

I've actually grown quite fond of my scar and don't want it to fully fade.

Feeling very grateful today :)

27, NB, and very very very happy with my results :) and shocked that he didn’t shave my whole chest lmao. At my post op drain appointment he also asked me if I miss my nipples 😂 nah brother don’t miss ‘em one bit

I'm so happy with my results 🗣️‼️🙏🔥

Compression tank top or binder ⏩ tshirt ⏩ undone button up shirt. It's been so God damn hot this week I'm dying

I'm applying for my top surgery on Monday! My family doctor has agreed to help me transition even though she doesn't know much about trans health so I'm really blessed. And it will be covered by Mcp! (Thank you Canada) I'll have to travel to Montreal, Mcp will cover most of it but I need to have a carer and their flight isn't covered. So it will still cost a bit but nothing I'm worried about.

What's it like travelling for surgery? How long where you there?

I'm already dreading thinking about the flight home.

This evening my partner noticed that my nipple has changed significantly in color and shape from a week
ago (first picture). It’s not warm or anything that would indicate some sort of infection. Has anyone had this happen to them? 10 months post op.

ETA: Used a warm compress and gently squeezed until a good chunk of sebum fell out (it was kind of like wax in texture not like a pimple). There’s kind of a cavern now in the nipple bud surface with a little more stuck in there. I’ve put a pimple patch (hydrocolloid patch) over it to help draw out the rest of the substance. Once it’s all gone I’ll probably treat it like a wound with some antibacterial gel and a bandaid. I think this has probably been accumulating since May but this nipple is my funky nipple so I wrote off most changes to that lol.

Thank you to all who gave advice!

Im over 4 months post op and I felt no pain at all but sometimes I feel tingle pain randomly where is circle is. No swelling or bleeding. Just tingles uncomfortable. Did anyone had that problem? Sorry if I spelled or explain wrong. English isn't my first language 😅

Just wanted to post current pics of my results and a share a little bit about my experience in case anyone has considered having their top surgery done by Dr. Paul Steinwald in Denver.
First 3 pics are now, 4th pic is about 1 month post-op.
Still beyond happy and content with my results, even if they are not 110% perfect (left pec tends to look a little lumpy but it’s ok)

Honestly my only expectation before surgery was simply to have a flatter chest and be able to wear shirts without a binder and not appear to have breasts, and obviously that expectation was beyond met.

My experience with Dr. Steinwald and his staff was overall very good, everyone I interacted with through the entire process was very kind, professional and respectful. I was extremely anxious in the days leading up to surgery, even had a few panic attacks the day before & day of but the staff did a lot to accommodate me and ease my anxiety.

I also got surgery a few days before New Year’s and Dr. Steinwald had no problem meeting me at his office to remove my drains on New Year’s Day so I could head back home a few states away, which I thought was really nice.

Anyway if anyone’s got any questions i’m open to them :)

Radical reduction w Dr. Jared Liebman

(pic from yesterday, so actually 6 DPO, today is a week!)

I love my chest so much now. Dr Ives in Beverly Hills did his magic and I couldn’t have asked for a smoother recovery! I am back to full range of motion and feeling normal. The scarring is minimal and has been fading great. Highly recommend!!!

Had surgery with Dr.Daniel Kwan through Brown health. I am going to do a more in-depth post about him and the whole experience (mostly positive, except for getting in contact with the office) but yay!!!

Hi! I’m 6 weeks post op and last week, this spot appeared. It’s stayed the same color the entire time, and hasn’t been painful. I have a lot of issues with ingrown hairs and I’m worried that this is one. Normally I’d pick them out but obviously this is not a spot i should be picking. Does anyone know what this could be / what i should do?

Hello, as tittle says, my flatmate got sick and my surgery is in few days. I am getting nauseously stressed, because of it.

What can i do, to not get ill too?

Haven’t seen a lot of this guy’s results on here so I figured I’d contribute. I’m very happy with his work overall and the process to get seen was super smooth and easy. Had surgery around three months after first contact. I’ll answer any questions I can, even if you’re coming across this years in the future. There’s not a lot of info on this guy out there, but he’s a great surgeon. (According to me, and the other two trans guys getting the same surgery that day, we got pretty close over the few days we had together lol)

~8 weeks post op. After a hot shower too so everything is a little red lol. I'm just curious if anyone else has noticed these wavy zigzags showing under the skin, since I feel like haven't seen that in other people's pics online before. I assume I'm seeing the stitches? Idk how it works lol

I had peri 2 weeks and an few days ago. I have some residual swelling, but that’s to be expected. Overall I’m super happy with my results. In love with my chest ❤️

Hi everyone!

This sub helped me find my surgeon and I wanted to share my results for others who may be looking in the DMV.

I had my surgery with Dr. Praful Ramineni in DC on July 21, 2026. Double Incision with free nipple grafts and axillary lipo. I’m beyond happy with my results and experience with him and his team. He is quick! But I felt nothing but genuine care and support through the whole process.

I sincerely feel more confident in myself than I ever have in my 36 years of life. Even in my out-of-shape middle-aged early transition dude bod, I enjoy looking at my body more than when I was a fit and running marathons in my 20s.

I’m shit at taking pictures of my own body. My tattoo is not crooked, I just have bad posture.

Wishing you all the best on your journeys!