Let’s say I, a middle aged cis man went to my doctor, wanting gender affirming care, and my doctor wanted to provide - what, if anything, would the treatment/care consist of? Just making sure my testosterone level was up to Hegseth-approved standards?
We call it “hormonal treatment” around here, my mom is doing it.
“Low T” treatment, hair loss drugs, little blue
pullspills (in some situations), etc.Are hair loss drugs really gender “affirming” care?like what man out there is going bald and thinking “this looks too feminine”
I guess it could be gender affirming care for women
I am not thinking about it from a binary gender standpoint. I think of it more like “what I am naturally looking like is not how I believe I am supposed to look”.
penis enlargment surgery, even if its extremely risky and somewhat botchable. leg legthening surgery, is probably extreme, even with modern techniques. now looksmaxxing, people are obsessed or trying to consider JAWS SURGERY, probably for both jaws for seeing problems that arnt actually there, seems its thier first go-to for extreme rather than even plastic surgery.
Oh yea, there are even more than I thought of but those definitely fit the bill.
You mean like masturbating smurfs?
Oh you meant little blue pills
LOL, yes, fixed that.
I had breast cancer. The chemo and mastectomy were cancer care. The reconstruction of my breast is not cancer care, it is gender affirming care, having two breasts affirms my gender as a cis woman.
Reconstruction is not necessary at all for cancer care and in fact causes more surgeries than if I was to just have the cancer removed and go on the rest of my life with one boob.
They just don’t call it “gender affirming” care if you are cis, they just call it healthcare.
I have some many questions… feel free to answer as many as you want, if any at all:
- Where does the breast tissue come from?
- How does one sculpt a nipple?
- Are they as sensitive as before? I mean, on the receiving end of stimuli, does it feel like an organically grown whole grain breast, or is it more like… uh… elbow skin? I have no idea how the neuroplastics would work…
- Does having breast cancer on one side automatically increase the chances of cancer on the other side? I would think symmetry isn’t a given?
- Were you allowed to choose size and shape? (If so, did you go for the tried and true original, or somethingelse entirely?)
- Hope you’re doing well today. Not a question, I just wanted to say (write) it. Live long and prosper.
Sorry for the stupid questions, but of all places I feel this is a safe space for them…
There is a lot of different answers to these questions, I’ll give you the jist, then my specific answer.
Where does the breast tissue come from?
There is two main ways to do reconstruction - the most comment is breast implant. In this case they remove all of the breast tissue and leave just the skin. The remaining space is filled with a implant and the size of the implant is determined by how much skin you have. The second way it can be done is to transplant tissue from another part of your body to the breast area, it is usually from either the belly area (DEIP Flap) or from the back area (TRAM Flap). This type of surgery requires the surgery match up the tissue transplant on a vascular level (vein by vein) to make sure the transplanted tissue does not die.
I had a DEIP flap reconstruction - it requires almost a week hospital stay due to how complex the surgery is and recovery is 6-8 weeks, but honestly its been just about a two years and I am still recovering and also I have an additional revision surgery that I still need because - no I am not even close to being even.
How does one sculpt a nipple?
They typically do not. Normally the nipple is removed entirely. In the reconstruction I have heard of the nipple being rebuild but, its not nipple tissue, so its not the right color and it cannot react to environmental stimuli and from what I’ve seen, gets stuck sort of “hard”. When the nipple is removed most people will opt for a tattoo replacement. They look very very real and you don’t have the issue permanently smuggling raisins around. I was able to keep my nipple, visually it looks like a nipple, but I can no longer feel it.
Are they as sensitive as before?
No they lose all sensation, can’t even feel the skin, so not even like elbow skin, totally numb. They had to rebuild my stomach and belly button, so I also cannot feel anything across my lower abdomen either.
Does having breast cancer on one side automatically increase the chances of cancer on the other side? I would think symmetry isn’t a given?
No, the risk of recurrence is the same. If I was to have the same type of cancer in my other breast it would be a recurrence, not new cancer and after treatment my risk of recurrence is lower than my chance of getting a totally new type of cancer.
Were you able or allowed to choose size and shape? (If so, did you go for the tried and true original?)
Short answer no, long answer I was not very well endowed to begin with and my reconstruction was limited by the amount of tissue I could use for transplanting. So, again no and also they aren’t both the same size anymore, the reconstructed one is quite a bit smaller and not really the right shape, which is what I am going back in for more surgery to fix. If you had way more breast tissue than I did, there is more options for reconstruction, but from the woman I have talked to, most people end up going smaller or staying the same. Going up larger brings in a lot of complication and can only happen if you get a implant reconstruction and not a transplant.
Hope you’re doing well today. Not a question, I just wanted to say (write) it. Live long and prosper.
Thanks I plan on it 🖖
Just want to also point out for readers that this entire comment is only about gender affirming care and has nothing to do with medically treating cancer, but because we are affirming my breasts for my gender as a cis woman, its just healthcare.
Thank you for this. I still have many questions but at least they’re fewer now.
Also, “smuggling raisins around” is a new favorite term of mine
breast implants to rectify the disfigurement from breast cancer is pretty valid. most of the time, its for “i need bigger boobs, is because men like it”
Hey so, I get you are trying to sound supportive, but let me offer some constructive feed back. (1) referring to someone’s reconstruction as correcting “disfigurement” is tone deaf at best and out right rude at worst. Read the room. (2) You don’t get to decide if a surgery is valid, be it cosmetic or otherwise. Only the person being operated on gets to make that call. You are looking from the outside in with 1% of the information the patient is working with. Your judgement on other peoples medical care is not needed or appreciated.
Not the OP, but knowing someone who’s been through something similar I can answer a few of your questions. She had this surgery nearly two decades ago, so modern procedures may be completely different:
- Adipose tissue and skin from the belly was moved to the breast. The tissue was left completely intact, including nerves and blood vessels.
- A nipple was tattooed onto her skin, no tissue sculpting, etc.
- Since all the nerves and vascular system was intact, any sensation on her new ‘breast’ was still mapped to her belly.
- Her new breast was sculpted to be the same size and shape as the healthy one.
- Since her new breast was made with belly tissue, any weight gain/loss may be uneven compared to her other breast.
Yep. They also have implants for those who have had their testicles removed due to testicular cancer. I would say that is more gender affirming because you could make the argument that replacing a breast will have cosmetic effects.
Sure. I am past menopause and take low dose hormones (more to avoid migraines and stay healthy than to be more ‘feminine’ but could take more, a lot of doctors do try to reach some level, mine does MHT not HRT ).
Middle-aged guys, yes, I think testosterone is certainly gender-affirming care, and there is no MHT equivalent for men, testosterone requires blood tests, you can’t just find the lowest dose that relieves symptoms, they always aim for some level in the blood. The Viagra/Cialis I think is more to correct for a problem. Or for recreation.
For men: hair plugs, Rogaine, testosterone replacement therapy, those compression vests Inget advertised on YouTube.
For women: botox, breast enlargement, Brazilian butt lift, laser hair removal, hormone replacement therapy,
That’s a shirt list off the top of my head.
Men can also need a mastectomy if they start developing breasts due to some medical condition or hormodal issues. Something called gynecomastia .
This one is very common is cis-het men. Know people in Trump country that have had it done.
Penis enlargement, testicular implants, implants to look more muscular
menopause = hrt.
all for the crime of being born with ovaries and daring to age out of the use of them.
Well, yeah. I’m a cis woman who takes oestrogen because they removed my ovaries; I do so for gendered reasons, there’s a reason why I don’t take testosterone instead which would be an equally valid way of replacing my missing hormones from a physiological perspective. I also shave my face for gendered reasons, because people are a lot more judgemental about women having facial hair than men. Cis men who are born with penises but lose them get phalloplasty. And so on.
I have a testosterone gel I apply daily and get regular blood tests to monitor my hormones.
Gave me chest hair, thicker facial hair, and decent erections.
I thought those gels were a scam. Do you apply it where you want (more) hair growth?
I’m sure the internet is full of scam gels. In the US, I’m pretty sure you need a doctor’s prescription for the real thing.
Just a heads up so you’re sure you’re both talking about the same thing here.
They’re real and absolutely do need a prescription. Because T is an anabolic steroid by nature anything that actually has testosterone in it is explicitly prescription
Possibly, my impression is 100% based on internet advertising and what I’ve seen for sale at US gas stations. I’m thankful I don’t need it, I just wasn’t aware that non-scam versions of creams like that existed.
I rub it into my underarms where the skin is thinnest. It just increases your T levels so more body hair starts growing, it’s not like rogain.
It definitely works, I go into a 3rd party lab for a blood test every three months so I can see exactly where my hormone levels are at, they also test liver, blood numbers, and look for any cancer signifiers.
These was perscribed to me by one of those online telehealth deals, they also do boner pills and hair loss stuff.
Glad it works for you. Remote tele health is an actual doctor, right? As in, all the credentials, just not in-person appointment? That makes it immediately more legit than the banner ads I saw on shad6 websites eons ago…
Yeah it’s a real doctor, but it’s definitely a bit of a pillmill. They’re very eager to give you whatever you want.
Is this a joke question? Like others have pointed out, gender affirming care is even more popular among cis people than trans.
On an absolute scale sure, because most people are cis. But on a per person scale is it more popular for cis people? This is purely anecdotally speaking, but the only people I personally know who’ve had gender affirming care are trans
This is definitely because a lot of cis ppl don’t even know that what they are doing is gender affirming care.
Getting Viagra is GAC. Cis men don’t love talking about how they got out on Viagra or need T shots or gels.
Women going through menopause and being given HRT to manage the symptoms are getting GAC. They don’t call it that, but that’s what it is.
Your argument is deeply flawed, like people who insist that autism didn’t exist 100 years ago. It definitely did! We just didn’t call it that. Just because you don’t call it that, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.
I sincerely doubt that. Almost every plastic surgery that’s not a result of a disfiguring accident is gender affirming care. Viagra is gender affirming care. From hair plugs to Corvette is gender affirming care.
Never heard of viagra, penis enlargement surgery, breast enlargement surgery, lip filler, botox etc?
People take hormones for non-transition reasons too.
I’d also like to affirm my gender as “a guy with a 12” penis." I need to be living my best life.
why stop at 12 when you can have 14, 16".
I want shock, not fear.
Very relevant username.
This too sounds like “gender affirming self care”
Self care is important for one’s mental health
Sure, a lot of it is exactly the same. Hormone treatments for men with low-T, hair removal or replacement, plastic surgery, etc. We don’t trend to call it gender affirming care in cisgender people, but that’s exactly what it is.
Yea. Most cosmetic procedures would count. I don’t see how a woman getting breast implants is one iota different than a trans woman getting top surgery.
yes. from as small as hair transplants to blue chews. heck even the mil will give low t soldiers shots.
Most gender affirming care is for cis people, they just don’t want to admit it 😂
Are you stating that care that affirms your gender is gender affirming care?!?
What’s the difference, my opinion, the definition of gender affirming care is.
Treatment to allow your external body to match the characteristics that you feel your body should be.
Which would include, boob jobs, hair transplants. hormones, anything to build up muscle, anything to fix erectile dysfunction etc…
of course not, it would expose thier hyprocisy, of denying transgender people thier surgeries.
