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RECONSTRUCTIVE

Assessing Quality of Life and Patient-Reported


Satisfaction with Masculinizing Top Surgery: A
Mixed-Methods Descriptive Survey Study
Grace Poudrier, B.A.
Background: Masculinizing top surgery (bilateral mastectomy with chest wall
Ian T. Nolan, B.M.
reconstruction) is an important gender-affirming procedure sought by many
Tiffany E. Cook, B.G.S.
transmasculine and nonbinary individuals. Current literature is focused pri-
Whitney Saia, F.N.P.-C. marily on details of surgical technique and complication rates, with limited
Catherine C. Motosko, B.S. data available on how top surgery affects subjective quality-of-life measures.
John T. Stranix, M.D. Methods: An anonymous online survey was distributed to 81 of the senior
Jennifer E. Thomson, B.S. author’s former top-surgery patients. The survey response rate was 72 percent
M. David Gothard, M.S.
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(58 respondents). Responses were analyzed to investigate quality of life, sexual


Alexes Hazen, M.D. confidence, mental health, satisfaction with top surgery, and patient attitudes
New York, N.Y.; and Canton, Ohio toward top surgery’s role in gender affirmation.
Results: Following top surgery, measures of quality of life and sexual confi-
dence improved significantly (p < 0.001). In addition, 86 percent reported
improvement in gender dysphoria–related mental health conditions. All but
one respondent reported that top surgery had an overall positive impact on
their life.
Conclusions: Top surgery had major positive effects on all mental health and
quality-of-life metrics. The authors’ findings contribute to a much-needed body
of evidence that top surgery markedly improves the daily lives and functioning
of transgender and nonbinary individuals who choose to undergo it.  (Plast.
Reconstr. Surg. 143: 272, 2019.)

T
ransgender, or trans, is a catch-all umbrella suicidality (attempts and ideation) compared with
term used to describe individuals whose gen- the general public.1,2 These higher rates of depres-
der identity and gender expression differ sion and suicidality are attributable to societal and
from their sex assigned at birth. In this article, the structural discrimination experienced by trans
term transmasculine refers to transgender people and nonbinary people.
who were assigned female at birth but who iden- Some trans individuals experience gender
tify more strongly with masculinity, which includes dysphoria, or distress related to the incongruence
but is not limited to transgender men. Nonbinary between their gender identity and body.3 This
individuals identify outside of the gender binary, incongruence, compounded by the aforemen-
either as not exclusively feminine or masculine, or tioned widespread societal discrimination, can be
as another gender entirely. It should be noted that associated with immense bodily and emotional
an individual may identity as both transmasculine distress.
and nonbinary. Gender-affirming surgery, defined as any surgi-
Transgender people living in the United States cal procedure that modifies an individual’s body to
report lower quality of life and routinely encounter reach congruence with their gender identity and
provider insensitivity and discriminatory practices expression, is one treatment option available for
when seeking health care. Transgender individu- gender dysphoria. Not all transmasculine individu-
als also have heightened rates of depression and als seek or need surgery; however, gender-affirming
surgery is a medically necessary standard-of-care
treatment, if in line with a patient’s goals.4
From the Hansjörg Wyss Department of Plastic Surgery, New
York Langone Health; and Biostats, Inc.
Received for publication November 24, 2017; accepted July
18, 2018. Disclosures: The authors have no financial interest
Copyright © 2018 by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons to declare in relation to the content of this article.
DOI: 10.1097/PRS.0000000000005113

272 www.PRSJournal.com
Copyright © 2018 American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.
Volume 143, Number 1 • Quality of Life after Male Top Surgery

Masculinizing top surgery (bilateral mastec- PATIENTS AND METHODS


tomy with chest wall reconstruction) is one form
of gender-affirming surgery commonly sought Survey Development and Design
by transmasculine and nonbinary patients. Cur- Survey questions were generated following
rently, it is often the first and only form of gen- a comprehensive literature review. Three matri-
der-affirming surgery they pursue.1,5 Obtaining ces from the BREAST-Q, a validated patient-
a male chest contour may allow transmasculine reported outcomes instrument used in cosmetic
and nonbinary individuals to inhabit their bodies and reconstructive breast surgery, were modified
more comfortably, improving self-confidence and to suit the unique psychosocial needs of trans-
conferring a greater sense of safety in public and masculine patients.11 As we rarely differentiate
private settings.6,7 between cisgender and transgender men and
Many transmasculine individuals who desire women in medical research, there are few, if
top surgery bind their chest as an interim mea- any, validated instruments for the transgender
sure until surgery can be obtained. Some trans- population, and there are none related to top
masculine individuals who do not desire surgery surgery satisfaction. Modified instruments have
also use chest binding as a means of masculine thus become the standard in transgender health
gender expression and/or to cope with gen- research, as there is an urgent need to build an
der dysphoria. Chest binding refers to any activ- evidence base for this underserved and marginal-
ity that involves the compression of breast tissue ized population.
to achieve the appearance of a flatter chest. For The preliminary survey was revised by the
many, chest binding markedly improves mental principal investigator (A.H.) and her colleagues,
and emotional health. However, long-term chest drawing from extensive clinical experience in
binding is associated with a host of negative health the field. As there is significant medical mis-
impacts, including but not limited to musculoskel- trust in the trans and nonbinary communities,
etal, neurologic, gastrointestinal, respiratory, and we also sought feedback from three transmascu-
dermatologic problems that may cause discomfort line individuals who had previously completed
and affect future surgical outcomes.8 Top surgery top surgery. They further revised our survey for
may facilitate relief from many of these negative appropriateness of terminology, structure, and
health impacts.9,10 content.
Relatively minimal research has been con- The final survey consisted of multiple-choice
ducted to evaluate how masculinizing top sur- questions, matrices, and short answer prompts
gery, independent of other gender-affirming for qualitative data collection. All multiple-choice
operations, affects patient-reported mental questions and matrices included additional space
health, quality of life, and sexual confidence. for comments and elaboration. The study was
Existing literature primarily evaluates surgical approved by the New York University School of
techniques, aesthetic results, and complication Medicine Institutional Review Board in August of
rates. Although technical and aesthetic outcomes 2016.
are critical to the success of this procedure, the
primary goal of top surgery, and gender-affirm- Survey Distribution
ing surgery more generally, is ultimately subjec- An invitation to participate in the research
tive: to alleviate symptoms of gender dysphoria study was e-mailed to 81 eligible subjects using the
experienced by individual patients and improve secure, Health Insurance Portability and Account-
quality of life. ability Act of 1996–compliant Qualtrics Survey
In this research study, an anonymous online Platform (Qualtrics, LLC, Provo, Utah). Eligible
survey was designed to examine the psychosocial individuals were those who (1) were assigned
effects of masculinizing top surgery for transmas- female at birth; (2) identified as transmasculine,
culine and nonbinary patients who underwent nonbinary, or as a trans man; (3) underwent top
surgery at New York University Langone Health surgery at New York University Langone Health
performed by a single surgeon. Primary outcome performed by the senior author (A.H.); (4) were
measures included patient-reported quality of life, at least 3 months postoperative; (5) were at least
mental health, and sexual confidence. Secondary 18 years old, and (6) had authorized New York
outcome measures included patient satisfaction University Langone Health to contact them by
with surgical outcomes, the role of top surgery in means of e-mail.
the gender-affirmation process, and incidence of Participation was voluntary and respondents
postoperative regret. did not receive any form of compensation for

273
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Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery • January 2019

survey completion. Responses were anonymous Table 1.   Patient Characteristics


and Internet Protocol addresses were not col-
Characteristics Value (%)
lected. All portions of the survey were optional
and could be left blank without penalty. Over a What is your gender identity?* (n = 58)
 Male 25 (43)
6-month period (November of 2016 through April  Female 0 (0)
of 2017), 58 surveys (response rate, 72 percent)  Trans male/trans man 38 (66)
were anonymously submitted.  Trans female/trans woman 0 (0)
 Genderqueer/gender nonconforming 13 (22)
 Other† 3 (5)
Data Analysis At what age did you undergo top surgery?
(n = 57)
Survey responses were summarized using fre-  Mean, yr 33
quencies and percentages for categorical data.  Range, yr 18–58
McNemar tests were conducted to compare  18–24 yr 10 (18)
 25–34 yr 31 (54)
paired preoperative and postoperative nominal  35–44 yr 10 (18)
data. Five-point Likert scales were grouped into  45–54 yr 2 (4 )
three categories for data analysis: “satisfied,”  54–66 yr 4 (7)
At what age did you first start considering
“neutral,” or “dissatisfied.” Additional explor- top surgery? (n = 58)
atory analysis was performed using exact linear  Mean, yr 25
association chi-square testing to detect relation-  Range, yr 8–55
  ≤13 yr 5 (9)
ships between surgical timing and surgical sat-  14–18 yr 9 (16)
isfaction. To do this, respondents were divided  19–30 yr 29 (52)
into two groups: those who underwent surgery  31–40 yr 6 (11)
 41–50 yr 4 (7)
less than 1 year ago (n = 36) and those who  >50 yr 3 (5)
underwent surgery 1 or more years ago (n = 22). About how long ago did you have top surgery?
Further analysis was undertaken to detect dif- (n = 58)
 <1 yr 33 (57)
ferences in surgical satisfaction and quality of  1–2 yr 13 (22)
life between the following groups: those who  3–4 yr 1 (2)
reported chest binding before top surgery com-  4–6 yr 5 (9)
 >6 yr 6 (10)
pared to their nonbinding counterparts, and Preoperative hormone therapy (n = 57)
those who reported preoperative hormone ther-  Yes 46 (81)
apy compared to those who did not. Statistical  No 11 (19)
Duration of preoperative hormone therapy
analyses were conducted using IBM SPSS Version (n = 46)
24.0 software (IBM Corp., Armonk, N.Y.), and  Mean, yr 2
 Range, yr 0.25–8
significance was held at p < 0.05.  <1 yr 17 (37)
 1–2 yr 17 (37)
 2.1–5 yr 7 (15)
RESULTS  >5 yr 5 (11)
Was top surgery your first gender-affirming
Patient Characteristics surgery? (n = 58)
 Yes 56 (97)
In nonexclusive gender identity categories,  No 2 (3)
respondents identified as male [n = 25 (43 per- Preoperatively, were you concerned about
cent)], trans male [n = 39 (66 percent)], gender- potential loss of nipple sensation? (n = 56)
 Yes 14 (25)
queer or nonbinary [n = 14 (22 percent)], and/  Unsure 7 (13)
or “different identity (please state)” [n = 3 (5 per-  No 35 (63)
cent)]. Respondents completed top surgery at a Preoperatively, did you fear later regretting
your decision? (n = 56)
mean age of 33 years (range, 18 to 58 years) and  Yes 6 (1)
were less than 1 year [n = 33 (57 percent)], 1 to 2   No 50 (89)
years [n = 13 (22 percent)], 3 to 4 years [n = 1 (2 *Selections were not mutually exclusive.
percent)], 4 to 6 years [n = 5 (9 percent)], and 6 †Participant wrote in gender identity.

or more years [n = 6 (10 percent)] postoperative.


Most respondents [n = 46 (81 percent)] reported for a mean duration of 5 years (range, 1 month to
preoperative hormone therapy for an average 20 years). Of these, 91 percent reported at least
duration of 1.9 years (range, 0.25 to 8 years) one negative health effect. Skin irritation (63 per-
(Table 1). cent), back pain (61 percent), difficulty breathing
Preoperative chest binding was reported by (49 percent), and chest pain (13 percent) were
the majority (n = 47 (81 percent)] of respondents the most common (Table 2).

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Volume 143, Number 1 • Quality of Life after Male Top Surgery

Table 2.  Self-Reported Negative Health Effects of were satisfied on any given measure that asked
Chest Binding about preoperative life. Following top surgery,
No. of All Effects
subjects’ quality of life and sexual confidence
Participants (%) Reported (%)* improved significantly in all domains (p < 0.001):
Total no. 41 135
feeling self-confident (91 percent reported
Negative effect improvement), confident in a social setting (85
 Respiratory† 21 (51.22) 57 (42.22) percent), attractive (83 percent), comfortable
 Musculoskeletal‡ 4 (9.76) 4 (2.96) in their clothes (96 percent), satisfied with their
 Skin§ 26 (63.41) 35 (25.93)
 Breast 1 (2.44) 1 (0.74) bodies (94 percent), less dissatisfied with their
 Pain║ 34 (82.93) 34 (82.93) bodies (96 percent), emotionally able to do the
 Psychosocial¶ 8 (19.51) 13 (9.63) things they wanted to do (83 percent), and emo-
*Participants reported multiple negative health effects. tionally healthy (78 percent) (Fig. 1). Similar
†Respiratory: difficulty breathing, difficulty taking deep breaths.
‡Musculoskeletal: poor posture, muscle atrophy, shoulder dislocation. improvements (76 to 94 percent) were observed
§Skin: scarring, swelling, acne, itching, redness/color changes, rash, in the context of sexuality: degree of sexual confi-
bruising, blistering, irritation, sweating/overheating. dence (77 percent reported improvement), satis-
║Pain: chest pain, shoulder pain, back pain, rib pain, muscle/gener-
alized soreness and discomfort, other. faction with sex life overall (76 percent), comfort
¶Psychosocial: concern for health, decreased job performance, dif- and ease during sexual activity (81 percent), feel-
ficulty engaging in physical activity, anxiety, irritability, financial bur- ing sexually attractive while clothed (91 percent),
den of buying multiple binders, decreased body image, sadness.
feeling sexually attractive unclothed (94 per-
cent), sexual confidence without a shirt on (91
percent), and likely to remove shirt for sex (85
Top surgery was the first gender-affirming percent) (Fig. 2).
surgery for all but two individuals [n = 56 (97 Preoperatively, approximately half [n = 30
percent)], both of whom reported prior hysterec- (53 percent) of participants characterized their
tomies. Only nine respondents (17 percent) had overall mental health as “poor,” and 46 (81
undergone additional gender-affirming surgery percent) reported depression, anxiety, and/
since their top surgery—eight had hysterectomies or another mental health condition related to
(with and without oophorectomies) and three gender dysphoria. Of the 49 respondents who
had phalloplasties. reported being on medication before top sur-
gery, 26 (46 percent) reported taking selective
Preoperative and Postoperative Quality of Life, serotonin reuptake inhibitors and benzodiaz-
Sexual Confidence, and Mental Health epines. In optional free response prompts that
Most respondents rated their quality of life corresponded with questions about preoperative
and sexual confidence before top surgery as very life, respondents’ recounted experiences with
low; no more than 30 percent of respondents depression, suicidal ideation, self-harm, ongoing

Fig. 1. Improvement in quality of life. Percentage of respondents who reported


preoperative-to-postoperative improvements in feeling emotionally healthy,
more satisfied with their body, less dissatisfied with their body, comfortable in
their clothes, attractive, confident in social settings, and self-confident.

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Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery • January 2019

Fig. 2. Improvement in sexual confidence. Percentage of respondents who


reported preoperative-to-postoperative improvements in feeling satisfied
with their sex life overall, sexually confident, comfortable and at ease during
sexual activity, likely to remove their shirt for sex, sexually confident without a
shirt on, sexually attractive when unclothed, and sexually attractive in clothes.

discomfort from chest binding, physical and loss of nipple sensation, only 13 (24 percent)
emotional bodily discomfort, stress headaches, expressed complete dissatisfaction with current
and anxiety in social settings. After top surgery, nipple sensation.
38 (86 percent) reported improvement in their Fears of postoperative regret were not sub-
mental health. Only one respondent character- stantiated in the six respondents (11 percent)
ized their mental health as “unchanged” since who indicated that fear of later regretting surgery
top surgery, and zero reported diminished men- hindered their surgical decision-making process.
tal health.
There were no statistically significant differ-
ences in postoperative quality of life, sexual con- Table 3.  Satisfaction with Top Surgery
fidence, or mental health detected based on time Measure No. (%)
elapsed since top surgery. Patients who had top
Total 54
surgery less than 1 year previously were at least as Feeling that top surgery changed your life
satisfied as respondents who had top surgery over for the better
1 year previously.  Agree 53 (98)
 Neutral 1 (2)
Satisfaction with Decision  Disagree 0 (0)
Impact of top surgery on life
Respondents were highly satisfied with the  Huge positive effect 46 (85)
decision to undergo top surgery (Table 3); 53  Moderate or minimal positive effect 6 (11)
(98 percent) said that top surgery positively  No positive effect 0 (0)
 Unsure or neutral 1 (2)
impacted their life, and 85 percent characterized  Other 1 (2)
that impact as “huge.” Almost universally, respon- Do you ever regret having top surgery?
dents reported that undergoing top surgery was  Never 52 (96)
 Occasionally 2 (4)
important in their public [n = 49 (91 percent)]  Always 0 (0)
and private [n = 50 (93 percent)] sphere gender- Feeling that a reconstructed chest is much
affirmation process, and that having a masculine better than the alternative (n = 53)
 Agree 50 (94)
chest was important in affirming their personal  Neutral 2 (4)
gender identity and expression [n = 52 (96 per-  Disagree 1 (2)
cent)] (Table 4). Willingness to encourage other people in
similar situations to have top surgery
Respondents were satisfied with how much  Agree 47 (87)
their reconstructed chest felt like a “natural” part  Neutral 7 (13)
of their body [n = 49 (91 percent)], how their  Disagree 0 (0)
Satisfied with your decision to undergo top
reconstructive chest felt now compared to before surgery
surgery [n = 50 (93 percent)], and the quality of  Agree 53 (98)
their scars [n = 40 (74 percent)]. Although most  Neutral 1 (2)
 Disagree 0
respondents [n = 53 (96 percent)] reported some

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Volume 143, Number 1 • Quality of Life after Male Top Surgery

Table 4.  Role of Top Surgery in Gender-Affirmation Our findings corroborate the stance that the
Process* primary goal of gender-affirming surgery is sub-
No. (%)
jective rather than technical. Although 96 percent
of respondents in this study reported some loss
Total 54 of nipple sensation, only 24 percent expressed
How important was the role that top surgery had
in affirming your gender in the public sphere? outright dissatisfaction with their current nipple
 Somewhat or very important 49 (91) sensation. It is generally normal to have acutely
 Neutral 1 (2) diminished nipple sensation during the healing
 Somewhat or very unimportant 4 (7)
How important was the role that top surgery had process, which is separate from “long-term” sen-
in affirming your gender in the private sphere? sation that never returns. Anecdotally, patients
 Somewhat or very important 50 (93) report that nipple sensation is different from their
 Neutral 2 (4)
 Somewhat or very unimportant 2 (4) sensation previously, but most are not bothered
Overall, how important is having a male chest to by the difference. For many patients, the potential
your personal gender identity? benefits of masculinizing top surgery far outweigh
 Somewhat or very important 52 (96)
 Neutral 1 (2) the potential for sensation loss, but it is neverthe-
 Somewhat or very unimportant 1 (2) less a crucial aspect of surgery that must be dis-
*Discrepancy in sum of percentages is caused by rounding. cussed preoperatively. Similarly, respondents who
expressed lower satisfaction with the appearance
and feel of their chest wall and/or the size, color,
Almost all (n = 52) respondents reported never and projection of their nipple-areola complex did
experiencing any postsurgical regret, two peo- not report decreased satisfaction with top surgery
ple (4 percent) reported occasional misgivings overall.
related to aesthetic outcomes, and zero reported It is notable that preoperative chest binding
complete regret. was a major source of physical and mental distress
for the vast majority (81 percent) of study partici-
DISCUSSION pants. On average, participants practiced binding
Existing research into transmasculine experi- for 5 years. At the extreme, patients reported hav-
ing endured a long list of negative health impacts
ences with gender-affirming surgery is dispropor-
for 15 to 20 years. Having top surgery likely facili-
tionately concerned with genital reconstruction
tated relief from many of these negative health
surgery (i.e., phalloplasty and metoidioplasty),
impacts.
despite the fact that, currently, few transgender
Although not all respondents expressed com-
men in the United States undergo these proce- plete satisfaction with their postsurgical bod-
dures.1,5,12,13 Relatively minimal research has evalu- ies, none completely regretted their decision to
ated how masculinizing top surgery, independent undergo top surgery. Gender dysphoria is a com-
of other gender-affirming procedures, affects plicated and multifactorial issue tied to numer-
patient-reported mental health, quality of life, ous factors beyond the appearance of the chest
and sexual confidence. wall. In this regard, top surgery alone cannot
The overwhelming majority of respondents be expected to completely alleviate gender dys-
in this study experienced statistically significant phoria and associated impairments to quality of
and clinically important improvements in quality life, mental health, and sexual confidence. One
of life, mental health, and/or sexual confidence. recurrent theme in qualitative analysis was that
In general, technical goals of top surgery include top surgery did not alleviate bottom dysphoria
removing breast tissue and excess skin, reposi- or dissatisfaction with genitalia, which can also
tioning and reshaping the nipple-areola complex, negatively impact quality of life. Furthermore,
and minimizing chest wall scars.14,15 Surgical tech- even the “ideal” surgical result does not address
nique is chosen based on patient characteristics— the systemic social discrimination that contribute
most notably breast size and body habitus—and to precipitating gender dysphoria. Despite these
may have important implications for aesthetic considerations, top surgery significantly improved
outcomes, postoperative nipple sensation, and overall quality of life for participants in this
patient satisfaction. Our data represent an aggre- research study.
gate of several surgical techniques, which could Our findings have several important limita-
not be parsed out because of an anonymous sur- tions. First, this was a retrospective survey study
vey design that precluded access to respondents’ comparing subjective feelings at two different
medical records. time points in the past, predisposing to error.

277
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Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery • January 2019

Because all survey questions were optional, some In our experience, positive results of this mag-
surveys were incomplete or missing data. The nitude are not typical of most plastic surgery oper-
respondents, who completed top surgery at a pri- ations. As public and private insurance coverage
vate academic medical center in New York City for top surgery remains inconsistent throughout
and agreed to complete an online survey, rep- the United States, our findings contribute to a
resent only a small sample of patients, and their much-needed body of evidence that top surgery
experiences are not representative of all transmas- improves the quality of life and mental health of
culine and/or nonbinary individuals. The study transmasculine individuals to a marked extent.
follow-up period was variable between subjects
Alexes Hazen, M.D.
and relatively short term (range, 3 months to ≥6 Hansjörg Wyss Department of Plastic Surgery
years). Although survey questions were designed New York University Langone Health
by a panel of experts and transmasculine patients 305 East 33rd Street
to address the issues being studied, they were New York, N.Y. 10016
alexes.hazen@nyumc.org
not themselves validated. Notably, no validated
patient-reported outcome instruments currently
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Volume 143, Number 1 • Quality of Life after Male Top Surgery

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