Transgender patients face so many challenges and hurdles throughout their journeys—and the medical system sometimes may seem to work against you. You have been through so much already, and our main concern for your top surgery at our practice in Columbus, Ohio, is to make this part of the journey as easy as possible.
Saying this does not mean it will not require some effort on your part, but our office is here to help. Navigating the insurance system can be daunting and the entire A-team is experienced and ready to assist you with your questions. After we obtain the preapproval, we can proceed with the good part.
Insurance vs. Self-Pay
There are some insurance companies that cover both MTF and FTM breast surgery—and hopefully, your particular insurance company is one of these. But if you do not have insurance, we will go over how this would unfold as a self-pay option. The cost is between $8,000-$12,000 depending on the type of operation desired or required.
Insurance Preapproval
While many insurance companies are covering this now, it does take a little time to navigate the preapproval process. Even when they say this is not required, there is paperwork we have to submit to be sure it will be a covered benefit. The insurance specialist at the office will help you in this step.
Male-to-Female Transgender
For our patients that are MTF, there are many implant options available and I like to say we have new technology: There are so many implant sizes, profiles, and gel types available that we can individualize the plan for each patient. When the patient has some skin laxity, we can accommodate a larger implant. For our patients with a tighter skin envelope, we sometimes have to place the largest size possible—and then after a period of time for the skin to stretch, do it again and place a larger implant. This is actually the same situation faced by non-trans patients who just do not have much skin looseness.
Female-to-Male Patients
The situation for FTM involves a range of breast procedures, some smaller if the cup size is smaller, involving only an incision around the areola to remove the tissue. For medium cases, often liposuction is added to contour the chest and side body. For larger cases, a simple mastectomy with a nipple graft with the scar placed in the inframammary fold works. This again has to be individualized—and that is what the A-team does so well.
Get the Party Started
The first step is to come into the office for an exam, and for starting the paperwork. We call this part “Get the party started!” and it does take a few weeks for this process. During this time, we are happy to consult with you about our other services that are often combined: body contouring of the arms and abdomen, laser hair removal, fillers, miraDry® for armpits, and CoolSculpting®.
All of these treatments are used to make the patient feel their very best.
Other Services Offered at Aesthetica
Many of our MTF patients have utilized our other services, especially the hair reduction laser for facial hair and other bothersome body hair. This is done with our LightSheer® diode laser and it works very well. It does take at least 4 treatments to reduce hair growth. The injectables are another service that is popular as we can plump up the face in the area needed with the fillers. For the FTM patients, the fillers can be used to create a stronger jawline and forehead contour. For the MTF, the fillers are used to soften and round out an angular face.
As a board-certified plastic surgeon, I can advise you on the best approach. After 23 years of practice, I have seen gimmicks come and go—and I want to make sure each patient treated by the A-team is a happy patient.
The A-team is like that best friend you had in school—here to chat, here to offer advice, and here to help you be your best!
Leave a Reply