What is Top Surgery for Gender-Affirmation? Medically reviewed by Jennifer Richman on Dec 8, 2025. Top surgery encompasses a variety of surgical techniques designed to treat a patient’s gender dysphoria by bringing their upper-chest in greater alignment with their internal sense of gender. Chest reconstruction top surgery––sometimes called chest masculinization surgery or non-binary top surgery––removes breast tissue and any excess skin to flatten the chest. Breast reduction surgery for gender-affirmation significantly reduces the volume of the breasts for non-binary and transmasculine patients. Breast augmentation surgery, sometimes called feminization top surgery, increases the volume of the breasts through implants (silicone or saline) and/or liposuction fat grafting. If you are interested in …

Emotional Recovery From Surgery: Depression Symptoms, Coping, and Support Written by Giovanna D’Ambrosio. Medically reviewed by Dr. Scott Mosser on April 28th, 2025. Recovering from surgery can be a physically and emotionally challenging process. Many people experience postoperative depression, even when their procedure is successful and free of complications. Feeling emotional after surgery is a common part of the healing process. This can arise from factors such as stress about regaining full strength, experiencing pain and inflammation, the impact of medications on mood, the body’s reaction to anesthesia, and limited mobility during recovery. Post-surgery depression and anxiety may manifest in different ways—persistent sadness, exhaustion, and a loss of interest in …

The Gender Confirmation Journey It can be both daunting and exciting to think about all the steps that are necessary between considering surgery and actually having  surgery. To help with this process, we lay out a typical overview of the process – though each person takes their own journey – to help you prepare for the milestones that lay ahead. It’s important to realize that there are many diverse stages people go through in the exploratory process of gender transition. We tried to take some of these early stages into account when we thought about the design of information on this website. Some individuals are at a very early stage …

Legal Gender & Name Change Many  transgender people change their legal name and/or gender marker for their identification documents, including a driver’s license, birth certificate, passport, and more. After your surgery, our office can provide a letter for a legal gender change anytime, stating you’ve had a surgical procedure related to your transition. Since requirements vary by state, ID type, and country, let us know if there is any specific language that needs to be included. Note that for many US documents (such as your passport), you do not need to undergo hormone replacement therapy or gender confirming procedures  to update your gender marker. All you need is a simple …

Realistic Expectations for Top Surgery (Chest Reconstruction and Breast Augmentation) The plastic surgeon is responsible for setting expectations and informing the patient on all possible risks, compromises, and complications regarding any surgical procedure. These expectations, risks, and complications are especially important when pursuing gender confirming chest reconstruction and breast augmentation procedures, as there is a lot of information spread through the community, on the internet, and by providers. It’s important to recognize that not all of the information shared within and around the community is the most up-to-date or accurate. Here we attempt to give the most thoughtful, informed, and current information regarding preparing for these surgeries, their risks, and …