Gender Affirming Surgery Sydney

Surgical care planned around your goals, not a template.

MOT Plastic Surgery provides gender affirming surgery in Sydney for transgender and non-binary people, in three areas: facial feminisation surgery, gender affirming breast augmentation, and gender affirming chest surgery, also called top surgery.

Which procedure suits you depends on your goals, your anatomy and where you are in your care. Some people want to know what each operation can and cannot change before committing to anything. Nothing needs to be decided in one appointment.

Dr Maryam Seyedabadi is a Specialist Plastic Surgeon, MBBS FRACS, and a female surgeon. Consultations are private and one to one, and you are welcome to bring a support person.

Who it may suit

• You are transgender, transmasculine, transfeminine or non-binary and are considering surgery as part of gender affirming care.
• You already work with a GP, endocrinologist or psychologist and want a surgical opinion to add to that.
• You have had gender affirming hormone therapy, or are considering it, and want to know how it affects timing and results.
• You want a written plan and an itemised estimate before booking a date.
• You are in reasonable general health, and either do not smoke or are willing to stop well before surgery.

Procedures we offer

Facial Feminisation Surgery

A staged group of procedures that shift facial proportions towards features more often read as feminine. It may include brow and forehead reshaping, hairline advancement, rhinoplasty, cheek augmentation, lip procedures, jaw and chin contouring, and tracheal shave. What is achievable is limited by your underlying bone structure.

Gender Affirming Breast Augmentation

Implant based augmentation planned for transfeminine and non-binary anatomy, where the chest wall is wider, breast tissue sits lower and further apart, and the skin envelope is tighter than in cosmetic augmentation. Prior gender affirming hormone therapy affects breast development and implant choice. Implants are not lifetime devices.

Gender Affirming Chest Surgery

Top surgery for transmasculine and non-binary people: breast tissue is removed and the skin and nipple position reshaped for a flatter contour. Chest size, skin elasticity and nipple position decide between double incision with free nipple grafts and a periareolar or keyhole approach.

Recovery

Recovery varies by procedure and the guide below is approximate. These operations are done under general anaesthetic, as a day case or with one or two nights in hospital.

• Bruising and oedema are usually most noticeable in the first one to two weeks, then settle over following months.
• Around two weeks away from desk work is common, and longer for physical work or staged facial surgery.
• Lifting and gym work are generally restricted for about four to six weeks after breast or chest surgery.
• Altered sensation in the operated area is common early, often improves, and can be lasting in patches.

Risks and considerations

Every operation here carries risk of bleeding, haematoma, infection, delayed wound healing, scars that widen or thicken, asymmetry, nerve injury with numbness or weakness, and the risks of general anaesthetic including blood clots. Revision surgery is a genuine possibility and is a separate operation with its own recovery and cost.

Each procedure also carries specific risks: nerve injury and hairline scarring with facial surgery; capsular contracture, implant rupture and, rarely, BIA-ALCL with breast implants; partial or complete nipple graft loss and reduced or absent nipple sensation with chest surgery. These are set out on each procedure page and again in writing before consent. No result can be promised in advance.

Your consultation with Dr Maryam

Consultations are private and held at the rooms at 2c Heeley Street, Paddington. Assessment in line with recognised standards of care is part of the pathway and is worked through with you at consultation. If you already have letters from a GP, endocrinologist or psychologist involved in your care, bring them. For some procedures a period of gender affirming hormone therapy is relevant to the surgical result, and timing is discussed.

Where a procedure is classified as cosmetic surgery, a referral from a registered medical practitioner is required before consultation, and a cooling off period of at least seven days applies, or at least three months with an additional assessment for patients under 18. Funding differs by procedure: some gender affirming procedures may attract Medicare item numbers and others do not, so out of pocket costs vary. Surgery is performed at St Luke’s Hospital in Potts Point, East Sydney Private Hospital, Sydney Day Hospital, The Skin Hospital in Darlinghurst or Double Bay Day Hospital. Call 1300 067 668.