Inverted-T Top Surgery: Preserving Sensation and Volume Medically reviewed by Briana Smith on March 23, 2026. What is Inverted T Top Surgery? The inverted T or anchor top surgery technique is used for breast reduction for cis women and non-binary patients, as well as gender-affirming chest reconstruction for trans masculine folks. What Makes the Inverted T Technique Different? An Inverted T top surgery most often leaves some volume of chest tissue behind. Patients have about an 80% chance of maintaining heightened nipple sensitivity after surgery.  The technique gets its name because it leaves behind an upside-down T or anchor-shaped scar that goes from the nipple to the base of the …

Periareolar Top Surgery: Minimal Scars, Maximum Results Medically reviewed by Brianna Smith on April 6, 2026. What is Periareolar Top Surgery? Periareolar top surgery is a gender-affirming chest reconstruction procedure, also used for gynecomastia, that creates an incision around the areola to remove tissue. This technique––also called “peri” or the “doughnut incision”––is ideal for patients with a small to medium amount of tissue and skin they would like to have removed.  The advantage to this procedure is that scars are often invisible, as they are concealed around the areola. Likewise, after recovery, patients have about an 80% chance of maintaining the same level of sensation in their nipples as before …

Keyhole Top Surgery: Your Questions Answered Medically reviewed by Paul Gonzales on April 29, 2024. The keyhole method is a type of chest reconstruction top surgery that involves making a small incision along the border of the areola, through which the surgeon carefully removes the chest tissue. This procedure involves very minimal scarring since it creates a small scar up to half the length around the areola border. Since no excess skin is removed in this procedure, it is only available to patients with minimal chest tissue and relatively elastic chest skin. Thus, only about 5% of the population are good candidates for this type of surgery. This article provides …

Double Incision – The Most Popular Top Surgery Procedure Medically reviewed by Paul Gonzales on April 29, 2024. What is Double Incision Top Surgery? The double incision method, sometimes called a double incision gender-affirming mastectomy, is the most popular form of chest reconstruction top surgery, formerly referred to as FTM top surgery. This procedure involves the surgical removal of chest tissue and excess skin, as well as resizing and placement of the areolas as skin grafts. The result is a flatter chest with a horizontal scar on each side, generally on or around the bottom of the pectoral muscles. This article provides information on the surgical outcomes that are important …

The Ultimate Guide to Nipple Grafts: Techniques, Risks and Recovery Nipple grafts are a highly successful procedure in which skin is removed from one location and transferred to another. This article provides an overview of the procedure, including the process of skin graft survival and the steps that can be taken to maximize the chances of success. We also go over the difference between a classic nipple skin graft and a composite nipple graft; the former only resizes and repositions the areola whereas the latter allows for both the areola and nipple to be resized. Discover the threats to nipple graft survival such as bleeding during the procedure, infection, smoking, …

Post Top Surgery 3D Nipple Tattooing 3D nipple tattooing is a viable option for those who prefer an alternative method of obtaining nipples, or those who want to change the appearance of their nipples after their gender affirming surgery. In this article, we introduce Shane Wallin, owner of Garnet Tattoo in San Diego, who is an experienced tattoo artist and specializes in 3D nipple and other medical tattoos. Read on to discover how to get 3D nipple tattoos and get answers from some frequently asked questions regarding Garnet Tattoo services. Guest Blog: 3D Nipple Tattooing Some patients have asked about how to change the appearance of failed free nipple grafts …

Insurance Dr. Mosser is always actively working with insurance companies to negotiate contracts. Some have been more receptive than others. At present, we have gotten successful insurance approval for top surgery from the following insurers: Anthem BC (Anthem Blue Cross) Blue Shield Blue Cross Aetna Aetna (Student Services for University of California System) Cigna United Health Care Brown & Toland HMO Health Net Health Plan of San Joaquin Hill Physicians IPA Mercy Medical Group Meritage IPA (“WHA Medical Groups”) Northbay Medical Group Western Health Advantage (“WHA”) UC Davis Medical Group Unfortunately, we do not accept Medicare at this time. If you do not see your insurer on this list, please …

After Surgery: Breast Augmentation Healing Timeline It is helpful to remind yourself that there will typically be ups and downs during recovery from your breast augmentation top surgery. In this article, we provide instructions on the daily activities you can do to optimize your recovery and healing. We discuss various restrictions for physical activity, showering, diet, and lifestyle to help you prepare and know what to expect after your gender affirming surgery. VERY IMPORTANT: If you have excessive bleeding or pain, call our surgeons at (415) 780-1515. You can reach your surgeon day or night by calling the normal office line. YOUR FIRST 24 HOURS: When you wake up from …

Top Surgery Recovery Timeline: Everything You Need to Heal Medically reviewed by Paul Gonzales on September 27, 2025. Welcome to our page on recovering from top surgery, also called “FTM top surgery,” non-binary top surgery, chest reconstruction and/or breast reduction top surgery. Here, we discuss the recovery timeline, tips for maximizing your results, things you should look out for during recovery and other frequently asked questions from our patients. To ensure the integrity of your results, it is important that your procedure is performed by a board-certified plastic surgeon with hospital privileges and experience with the type of surgery you will undergo. Top surgery recovery changes from patient to patient …

Post-Surgery Nutrition Diet and nutrition is important not just for your daily health but also for anyone undergoing any surgical procedure including gender confirmation surgery such as chest reconstruction top surgery and other types of top surgery. This article provides instructions for the recommended foods, drinks, medications, and supplements during your top surgery recovery to optimize your healing. Keep in mind that there are many other healthy options and you are not limited to the foods listed here. Below is a list of foods that are easy for your body to digest. When you eat foods that are easy to digest, your body can spend more energy on recovering. However, …