Augmentation mammaplasty in male-to-female transsexuals

Hormonal therapy and gender-confirming surgery are the treatments of choice in appropriately selected male-to-female transsexuals. Penectomy and vaginoplasty are the paramount surgical requests of the male transsexual, but breast enlargement greatly increases subjective feelings of femininity. There are only limited reports on augmentation mammaplasty in male transsexuals, and hardly any attention has been paid to the differences between the female mammary anatomy and its male counterpart. The basic anatomic and surgical considerations of augmentation mammaplasty for 201 male-to-female transsexuals who were operated on from 1979 to 1997 are reviewed and discussed. They include the differences between male and female anatomy and how to feminize the male chest, the results of hormonal therapy and the proper timing of surgery, the choice of implant size and surgical approach, the results that may be expected after surgery, and the implications of all mentioned on the long-term outcome and follow-up after augmentation mammaplasty. Because the referring doctor may not check on the breasts or may not be trained to examine augmented breasts for pathologic conditions, the mammaplastic surgeon has an obligation to ensure the proper follow-up of these patients.