FtM Top Surgery Mastectomy
Female to Male and GNB GRS
FtM mastectomy top surgery requires psychiatric approval as per WPATH Standards of Care.
A non-binary person requesting a mastectomy for the purpose of body modification who is NOT undergoing hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and is NOT transitioning from female to male does not need a psychiatric evaluation as per WPATH Standards of Care.
Mastectomy categories:
- Small to medium size breasts — requires 2.5-3 hours of surgery using “extended keyhole” procedure: US$3600
- Skin excision procedure — requires 3-4 hours of surgery: US$4200. (medium to large-size breasts)
- Skin excision and relocation of nipple and Areola — requires more than four hours of surgery: (very large breasts): US$6000
Nipple and Areola reduction procedure is included in these prices.
The photos on this page show “Skin Excision Mastectomy & Relocation of Nipple & Areol”.
These procedures are always done under general anesthesia which is included in the price quotes.
Hospital stay may be one or two days.
The suction drain will be removed within 5-7 days.
Recommended recovery time and post-op care in Seoul is two weeks. Sometimes, 10 days is sufficient.
Skin suture removal is usually not needed, because Dr Kim uses absorbable suture material.
Costs quotations are issued on a case-by-case basis and will fall between the three major categories listed above.
The final result takes time to be apparent. Residual swelling around the lower portion of breast below the nipple is normal.
Pre-op testing to officially document you are strong and healthy and it is safe for you to have surgery is NOT included in the surgical fee.
You will need to get those blood tests done at the clinic 48 hours before surgery. They cost US$200.
The standard pre-operative tests include:
- Internist Exam [internal medicine specialist, ECG, and ultrasound heart exam]
- Blood Analysis (including for HIV, all types of hepatitis and any other infectious blood diseases)
- Urine Analysis (urine test, urinalysis)
- Blood Group (blood typing)
- PT (Prothrombin Time | Clotting Time)
- PTT (Partial Thromboplastin Time)
Adult blood tests need to include HIV, Hepatitis B & Hepatitis C.
Those do not disqualify a patient from surgery in Korea but there are strict protocols about where (at the National Medical Center, not at the clinic) surgery can be performed for patients requiring special care for infectious diseases.
After post-op discharge from the clinic, you will need to come back to the clinic every day, especially the first three days. After that, you can come to the clinic on alternate days if you prefer.
Dr Kim explains:
The residual swelling underneath of the peri-areolar area usually takes time before flattening, because the swelling is caused by hardening of residual fatty tissues.
If I removed all of the fatty tissue during surgery, the nipple area would shrink.
The swelling takes more than three months to disappear.
