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Can You Build Muscle Normally After FTM/FTN Top Surgery?
FTM/FTN top surgery is a life-changing procedure that can significantly improve your physical, mental and emotional well-being. Because it is such an intensive procedure, physical restrictions are needed during the recovery period to allow for appropriate healing and to reduce the risks for complications and undesirable results. Consequently, exercising in the early postoperative period must be significantly limited.
But can you even build muscle normally after top surgery? This blog explores the recovery timeline, activity restrictions, scarring and whether muscle development is possible after FTM/FTN top surgery.
FTM/FTN Top Surgery Recovery Timeline
Before you can begin to build muscle again, you must allow your body to fully recover from your procedure. This timeline varies widely both from patient to patient and among plastic surgeons. Make sure that you are clear as to what your plastic surgeon’s guidelines are.
The following are some general guidelines, based on duration, that Dr. Turkeltaub recommends for his patients. Their purpose is to reduce the risk for certain postoperative complications such as bleeding (hematoma) and fluid accumulation (seroma), facilitate ideal healing and provide you with the best opportunity to realize the most ideal top surgery scars.
First Month After Surgery
It is strongly recommended that you are on a high protein diet to facilitate healing. This also includes multivitamins and high dose vitamin C – 1000 mg to 2000 mg/day. These should be started at least one month prior to surgery until at least one month after surgery. Adhering to this regimen even longer postoperatively is encouraged.
The compression garment is typically worn close to 24/7 during this period.
First Two Months After Surgery
Heavy lifting more than 15 pounds should be avoided for the first two months postoperatively. Repetitive, extensive arm movements should also be minimized during this period of time to reduce the risks for fluid accumulation and bleeding. Highly exertional aerobic activities should also be avoided.
You are absolutely encouraged to be up and around and not bed or chair-ridden. You can do a reasonable amount of walking but at a casual pace.
First Three Months After Surgery
Stretching and extensive reaching should be avoided/ minimized during the first three months after your top surgery. In particular, this can provide protection for the healing incisions, allowing for a greater likelihood of you realizing more narrow scars.
More Than Three Months After Surgery
In general, after three months following your top surgery, there are no restrictions with regard to activities. This includes sports, weight lifting and all other workout activities. It is during this period of time that you can build up your muscles.
The only caveat is that the scars should be protected from sun exposure for around two years.
How Will Scarring Be After FTM/FTN Top Surgery?
How you scar is dependent on many aspects, which include:
- Surgical method
- Compliance with instructions – including activity restrictions
- Adherence to scar treatment instructions
- Ethnicity
- Genetics
- Nutrition and diet
- General health
- Age
- Body weight
- Smoking and vaping history
- Surgeon’s techniques and skill level
While certain factors are out of your control when it comes to scar healing, like genetics, others, are completely dependent on you – like compliance with instructions and usage of the scar mitigating agents.
How FTM/FTN Top Surgery Affects Muscle Development
Gender affirming FTM and FTN top surgery does not involve or affect the muscles directly whatsoever. That is – nothing surgically is done to them.
You can work out up to the day of surgery. However, there will be significant limitations on working out and weight training postoperatively. For the chest muscles specifically, this will be three months of not doing chest exercises following your surgery. This will generally be at least two months for other areas of the body. Consequently, there can be some regression of muscle building, especially of the chest.
Once you can resume exercising, you should be able to re-attain your muscle development fairly quickly – and even more. You actually may see even greater muscle development of your chest by working out hard since there is no longer anything in front of them blocking this improvement.
Schedule Your Gender Affirming FTM/FTN Top Surgery Consultation Today in Phoenix
Dr. Steven Turkeltaub has been actively helping transgender and gender nonbinary individuals achieve their ideal chest in Phoenix, Scottsdale, throughout all of Arizona and elsewhere. Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, Dr. Turkeltaub and his staff provide thorough, compassionate, respectful and exacting care of his patients – both before AND after surgery – further helping them feel comfortable in their “new” bodies.
If you’re ready to pursue your gender affirming top surgery, you can schedule your consultation by calling us at (480) 451-3000 or filling out our online contact form.