A guide to lower surgery for trans men - Gender Identity Research ...

Sequence and approximate timing of surgical procedures
1. Radial forearm flap phalloplasty (combined with chest reconstruction) (UK)
Operation
Radial forearm flap
Operation time Hospital stay Recovery time
hysterectomy
Chest
six to eight hours seven days six weeks
reconstruction 17,18
Hook-up
urethroplasty
Vaginectomy
Glans, testes and
reservoir
Penile implant
two hours
one hour
two hours
one to three days
23 hours
23 hours
two weeks
one week
one week
Although the immediate recovery time for phalloplasty is given as six weeks, many
people continue to feel rather fragile for a lot longer. You may need to consider
more time off work, depending on the nature of your job. A desk job will clearly be
easier than, say, a gardening job. As mentioned earlier, your recovery time will be
partly dependent on your health before surgery.
Some surgical teams outside the UK prefer to do most of the surgical procedures
in two operations. In Belgium, for instance, vaginectomy and pelvic floor
reconstruction are done in the same procedure as the phalloplasty (using forearm
flap), urethroplasty, scrotoplasty and glans sculpting. There are obvious
advantages in terms of time off work, however, the operation itself takes eight to
ten hours, slightly longer than the UK where the procedures may be a little more
spread out. In both Belgium and the UK, erectile prostheses are fitted about 12
17 The issue of chest reconstruction has not been dealt with in this booklet, but surgeons may do
this surgery together with some stages of phalloplasty (See Chest reconstruction for female to male
trans people (2002) FtM London, published in conjunction with consultant surgeon Mr Dai Davies. This
booklet gives comprehensive advice on all aspects of chest surgery. For further information contact
info@ftmlondon.org.uk or contact Mr Davies at enquiries@plasticsurgerypart.org.uk or via the website
at www.cosmeticsurgeryuk.com
18 Some trans men, especially those who are heavy-breasted may have this surgery before
meeting the eligibility criteria for genital surgery. (See Feldman, JL, Goldberg, JM.
(2006).Transgender primary medical care, International Journal of Transgenderism, 9(3/4):3–34)
© GIRES A GUIDE TO LOWER SURGERY FOR TRANS MEN
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