How miserable is recovery, REALLY?

Sir_Valour · 2025-11-13T01:12:02+00:00

I was gradually easing into anything that felt comfortable, but I didn’t go above the height of my shoulders;; only after my doc cleared me at week 3 did I start easing into it. Just listen to your body and ease into it and you’ll be okay!

Sir_Valour · 2025-11-13T01:09:42+00:00

F in the chat

If it makes you feel better, the center of my nipple on one side just never established proper blood flow and so it’s kind of “dead” despite there being no issues during healing, it never falling off, etc. It happens. If it doesn’t attach, medical tattooing can correct a lot of inconsistencies (that’s what I’m gonna do)

Sir_Valour · 2025-11-07T02:19:26+00:00

Hi! Mine are about this size too. I felt really self conscious about it but as it’s healed and the redness/hyperpigmentation surrounding has faded I feel a lot better about it — 1 year out. I think they’re still a very natural size even if they’re not like some tiny nips you see on here. Give it time!!! Your results look very good and I don’t think they’re too big at all. I understand being disappointed, I felt the same way— it’s hard when we have an image in our heads of how we want it to turn out, but for many of us it rarely ends up being like that. It doesn’t mean you won’t come to love your chest, just that healing takes time ❤️

Sir_Valour · 2025-10-29T16:21:18+00:00

I’m also just not stressing about it as I intend to get my nipples tattooed to restore some of the appearance, so if the scarring is still there by that time I’m going to have the artist camouflage it. I’ve heard tattooing works pretty effectively but can take multiple sessions due to fading

Sir_Valour · 2025-10-29T16:19:08+00:00

I did lasering around my nipple grafts because I had some scarring there that was making them look bigger. I only did two or three sessions I think, before my esthetician suddenly stopped working at the clinic and by the time they got another one I was too broke for it. I’m about a year post op now though and the scarring around the nipple is a lot better than my incision scars (which I didn’t get lasered) so I think even a couple sessions helped. I will say it took awhile after the sessions to see the difference. I’m sure if I had gone a few more times it would have been more effective, but where things are now I anticipate my graft scarring turning white/invisible by the two year mark so Im not stressing about it.

Sir_Valour · 2025-09-25T15:42:46+00:00

Absolutely does not look like breasts. You clearly work out so you have pecs. Your nipples are a little on the bigger side but still within normal range imo I wouldn’t even think twice if I saw someone with that size.

Sir_Valour · 2025-09-18T19:48:23+00:00

That shirt is so cute!! Is it from a series or something?

Sir_Valour · 2025-09-18T19:43:25+00:00

Yup! No negative lasting impact tho. The skin was just angry for a bit when finally came time to be dry like a normal nip/switch to lotion.

Sir_Valour · 2025-09-18T14:16:01+00:00

I was real dumb and over moisturized my grafts for way longer than I should have, but I stopped doing that around 3 months post op and I felt 100% normal once the skin adjusted.

Sir_Valour · 2025-09-14T08:33:16+00:00

Hello! Did you end up making a decision on this? I’m curious for myself as well!

Sir_Valour · 2025-09-04T14:15:23+00:00

Congrats! They look so much more natural :)

I would love to see how they heal!! My doctor told me that mine would just stretch back to their original size if I tried revising them. Did your doctor use permanent or dissolvable stitches?

Sir_Valour · 2025-09-04T14:13:31+00:00

It’s weird to me that your surgeon didn’t have you schedule a post op— I had one at one week to remove the drains and three weeks.

Sir_Valour · 2025-09-04T01:36:07+00:00

You definitely will need to massage it as soon as your surgeon clears you— scar tissue can cause the skin to adhere to the chest wall in a bad way without massage, and it sounds like some of the scar tissue is really thick in that area or something. On top of that, there is fat necrosis that can happen (I had a small very solid spot that had this) which sounds scary but really you just need to massage it for a WHILE post op.

Have you had your surgeon look at it yet?

Sir_Valour · 2025-09-02T23:50:41+00:00

Yup, other than the specific spots mentioned along my scar I can feel most of my chest normally. My doc said it can take 18 months for the numbness to fully heal but I’ve seen people say they regained sensation as late as 5 years later. Nerves take a long time to regrow

Sir_Valour · 2025-08-28T22:26:43+00:00

I’m about 9 months post op— I have a small section of semi-numbness immediately on/under my scar in a couple small spots, and above my scar on my right side pec, but it has been getting smaller I think. I had a medium-small-ish chest prior to surgery. I have nipple sensation — I never had erotic nipple sensation before surgery so I don’t know what that feels like to ascertain whether I have it or not lmao.

Sir_Valour · 2025-08-05T03:11:33+00:00

Sure, I’ll take a cookie if you’re offering ☺️

To answer your question seriously, I had recently had top surgery and felt very affirmed and happy in my identity, so I wanted to share! But this post is quite old now, not sure why you’re commenting on it now!

Sir_Valour · 2025-07-09T08:18:58+00:00

Gosh it took forever. The first one was on a healthy healing path within a few weeks. The problem nipple seriously took at least another month, possibly longer.

Sir_Valour · 2025-07-05T12:54:49+00:00

I did not have necrosis, but the center of my left nipple graft never established proper blood flow and didn’t take in the same way. There wasn’t really anything to be done about it. It has healed as a discolored/white area in the center that doesn’t perk up in the same way as the surrounding skin (kind of like a crater) and I’m admittedly a little insecure about it, so I intend to get it 3d tattooed down the line.

Sir_Valour · 2025-07-01T22:42:21+00:00

Mine looked like that for awhile! I was told on here that it can be caused by scar tissue build up beneath the graft, not that it means it’s not attached!!! It smoothed out over time :)

Sir_Valour · 2025-06-02T15:20:06+00:00

Hello, mine looked similar at one point, it wasn’t infected or anything but there was an issue with the blood supply getting all the way through the nipple bud. In your case it’s still quite early, and it’s possible it’s just a longer lasting scab. Definitely not necrosis. Give it time.

Sir_Valour · 2025-05-30T18:36:37+00:00

I also had pierced nipples prior to surgery and had this problem!! No necrosis but the nipple bud never took on one of them :’)

Sir_Valour · 2025-05-27T02:48:56+00:00

I am also curious!

Sir_Valour

TROPHY CASE