Quantifying Nipple-Areolar Complex Shape and Location After Transmasculine Top Surgery: A Study of Postoperative Photographs Posted on Social Media and Surgeons' Professional Websites

Lingga Adidharma; Widya Adidharma; Kyle R Latack; Dominic Moog; Shane D Morrison; Edwin G Wilkins

doi:10.1089/trgh.2021.0094

Quantifying Nipple-Areolar Complex Shape and Location After Transmasculine Top Surgery: A Study of Postoperative Photographs Posted on Social Media and Surgeons' Professional Websites

Transgend Health. 2024 Jan 31;9(1):83-91. doi: 10.1089/trgh.2021.0094. eCollection 2024 Feb.

Authors

Lingga Adidharma¹, Widya Adidharma², Kyle R Latack³, Dominic Moog⁴, Shane D Morrison², Edwin G Wilkins²

Affiliations

¹ University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, USA.
² Section of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
³ Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA.
⁴ School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA.

PMID: 38312453
PMCID: PMC10835154 (available on 2025-01-31)
DOI: 10.1089/trgh.2021.0094

Abstract

Purpose: The transgender community utilizes online platforms to view and share postoperative masculinizing top surgery photographs. However, the quantitative and qualitative nature of these photographs is unknown. We aimed to conduct an analysis of postoperative online photographs for nipple-areolar complex (NAC) shape and location, and compare social media platforms to World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) surgeons' websites and published cis-male chest proportions.

Methods: In a cross-sectional analysis (April to May 2019), social media (Instagram and Reddit) and WPATH surgeon website postoperative top surgery photographs were analyzed. Areola height (AH):areola width (AW), NAC horizontal (inter-nipple distance [IND]:chest width [CW]) and vertical placement (sternal notch to nipple line [SN-NL]:sternal notch to umbilicus [SN-U]), and vertical scar placement (sternal notch to scar line [SN-SL]:SN-U) ratios were assessed on MATLAB. Data were compared to published cis-male proportions. Photograph skin color, soft tissue redundancy, and scar location were also analyzed.

Results: We analyzed 304 social media and 192 surgeons' website photographs qualitatively, and 139 social media and 189 surgeons' photographs quantitatively. Means (standard deviation) for postoperative photographs were AH:AW 1.12±0.24, IND:CW 0.68±0.07, SN-NL:SN-U 0.37±0.06. Most ratios significantly differed from published cis-male ratios (p<0.001). Photographs from WPATH surgeons' websites differed from social media platforms in SN-NL:SN-U and SN-SL:SN-U (p<0.001), and in scar location and soft tissue redundancy (p=0.012).

Conclusion: Postoperative top surgery photographs on online platforms showed more vertically oval, caudally positioned, and in many cases wider-spaced NACs than cis-male proportions. Our study highlights variability in results of masculinizing top surgery as it relates to an emerging source of information; online photographs.

Keywords: gender affirming surgery; nipple-areolar complex; social media; transmasculine mastectomies.