FtM Top Surgery (Chest Masculinization)

What top surgery involves

Top surgery for trans men and non-binary patients is a subcutaneous mastectomy: the breast tissue is removed, the chest is contoured, and the nipple-areola complex is resized and repositioned to a masculine position. Two techniques cover most patients. The double-incision technique, for medium to large chests or reduced skin elasticity, removes tissue through a horizontal incision along the lower chest muscle with free nipple grafts — the scars are long but sit where a pectoral fold would. The keyhole or peri-areolar technique, for small chests with good elasticity, works through an incision around the areola and leaves the nipple on its blood and nerve supply.

Which technique fits you is decided at consultation from photographs and measurements, and the surgeon explains the trade-off between scar length and nipple sensation in plain terms. Liposuction of one area is included in the price, on the chest or around it: the surgeon decides where the fat comes from, for example the sides of the chest or under the arms, so the result looks flat and masculine rather than just emptied. It does not cover other parts of the body such as the legs or abdomen.

Who is eligible

WPATH SOC8 requires one mental-health letter and a minimum age of 18; testosterone is not a prerequisite, though patients on testosterone often get a flatter result because of muscle definition. You must be a non-smoker for at least four weeks before surgery. Bring any previous breast imaging.

Why Istanbul, and why through us

Top surgery is a plastic-surgery procedure, and Istanbul performs more breast surgery than almost any city in Europe. Our board-certified partner plastic surgeons work in a JCI-accredited private hospital, prices are roughly a third of the UK or Germany, and there is no waiting list — where NHS and public-system waits for top surgery run two to five years.

You deal only with our team, one private hospital and one surgical team. Your name, your photos and your medical file are shared with nobody outside that circle. We have accompanied LGBTQ+ patients from Italy, Germany, France, the UK and the Netherlands, and every member of our team who talks to you has been briefed on names, pronouns and discretion before the first message.

Recovery and follow-up

One night in hospital, then the recovery hotel. Drains, if used, come out by day three to five; the compression binder is worn for four to six weeks. Most patients fly home at day seven after the surgeon's check. Desk work at one to two weeks, upper-body training at six weeks. Nipple grafts look dark and crusted for the first two weeks — this is normal — and settle over three months. Scars fade over twelve to eighteen months and we send you a silicone-scar protocol.

Cost of top surgery in Turkey

The published price is a starting point for keyhole or double-incision mastectomy with nipple repositioning, including one hospital night, recovery hotel, transfers and coordination. Combined with a hysterectomy or with bottom surgery in the same trip, the total is reduced. Flights are never included. You receive a written, itemised quote before paying a deposit.