Transsexual Mastectomy: Selection of Appropriate Technique According to Breast Characteristics

BACKGROUND: Subcutaneous mastectomy for female- to-male transsexuals is usually the first surgical pro- cedure in sexual reassignment. The main objective of subcutaneous mastectomy is to create an aesthetically pleasing male chest contour by removing all glandular tissue while minimizing chest wall scars. AIMS: In this paper, we present our experience with subcutaneous mastectomy performed in female-to- male transsexual patients. The authors recommend their point of view to aid in selecting the most suitable subcutaneous mastectomy technique depending on breast characteristics. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cross-sectional study. METHODS: Between March 2011 and December 2014, 52 patients underwent bilateral subcutaneous mastec- tomies (total of 104 mastectomies), performed using the following four techniques: Webster semicircular, concentric circular, vertical, and apron flap. The tech- nique decision depended on the breast size, degree of skin excess, skin elasticity, chest width, nipple areolar complex size and position. RESULTS: Seventeen patients (32.7%) were operated with Webster semicircular, 7 patients (13.5%) with con- centric periareolar, 12 patients with vertical (23%); and 16 patients (30.8%) with the apron flap technique. The overall postoperative complication rate was 13.4%. All patients were satisfied with the aesthetic results of their subcutaneous mastectomies within the follow-up period. CONCLUSION: To obtain higher patient satisfaction with aesthetic results and lower postoperative complication rates, breast characteristics are evaluated in a detailed fashion, while choosing the ideal technique of Female-to-Male (FtM) subcutaneous mastectomy. The presented surgical new algorithm facilitates the selection of the most reliable surgical technique.