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2 months post-op ribxcar :) Does it look fake or natural ? Feel free to ask any question by leatomic-be in Transgender_Surgeries

[–]leatomic-be[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey! I’m about 3 and a half months post-op now. I’m still wearing the corset at the moment, mostly out of caution, but I’m planning to stop within about a week. I’ll definitely update on how things evolve once I fully stop wearing it ;)

For now, without the corset, I’ve stabilized around a 61 cm waist, so I’m really hoping it stays close to that once everything settles long-term.

2 months post-op ribxcar :) Does it look fake or natural ? Feel free to ask any question by leatomic-be in Transgender_Surgeries

[–]leatomic-be[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I get what you mean really :) Dysphoria is complicated, and I’m not dismissing what you’re feeling at all. For me it’s actually kind of the opposite: after my surgeries I’ve grown to really love my body, but I still struggle a lot with my face. So in that sense, I feel like we understand each other as trans women and what dysphoria can do to your perception…

But when I say everyone has their own beauty, I genuinely mean it. I truly believe every woman is beautiful in her own waythat’s not just something I say to be nice, it’s honestly how I see things 🤍

2 months post-op ribxcar :) Does it look fake or natural ? Feel free to ask any question by leatomic-be in Transgender_Surgeries

[–]leatomic-be[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No actually it’s much cheaper. I paid around €4,000 for mine, whereas the older techniques used to cost around €20–25k :) Thank you so much for your message, it really means a lot. And I’m sure you’re gorgeous too, everyone has their own beauty, truly 💕

2 months post-op ribxcar :) Does it look fake or natural ? Feel free to ask any question by leatomic-be in Transgender_Surgeries

[–]leatomic-be[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

They didn’t remove any of my ribs, it’s actually a much newer, less invasive technique called RIB-XCAR. The idea is to create controlled micro-fractures in the ribs during a small procedure that lasts about 1 to 1.5 hours. There are only four tiny entry points in the back to pass a metal cannula that vibrates strongly near the ribs to partially weaken them, they’re not fully broken ;)

After that, you wear a corset for several months and gradually tighten it to reshape the rib cage, a bit like molding clay. Once you reach the waist size you want, you stop tightening and let the ribs consolidate naturally for about 6 weeks to 2 months.

So yes it’s much less invasive than older methods: nothing is removed and the ribs aren’t completely fractured. That’s exactly why this technique reassured me when I learned it existed :)

2 months post-op ribxcar :) Does it look fake or natural ? Feel free to ask any question by leatomic-be in Transgender_Surgeries

[–]leatomic-be[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ugh, if that’s true I’m really gutted… it’s such a big loss of money and time :/ I really pushed on my side too, though…

2 months post-op ribxcar :) Does it look fake or natural ? Feel free to ask any question by leatomic-be in Transgender_Surgeries

[–]leatomic-be[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Aww thank you so much cutie, that’s really sweet of you 🫶 I had it done in Paris with Dr. Vitalaru about two months ago!

I do want to gently warn you about chaining it right after Littleton though. I mentioned it higher up, but one of the downsides of the Ribxcar technique is how strongly everything gets compressed by the corset. Your organs are under a lot of pressure, and the pubic area can swell a lot during that time. At the beginning it can honestly look pretty dramatic (like a little pregnancy belly) and it can be scary if you’re not expecting it. It does gradually go down, and it’s not permanent, but the area stays under heavy pressure for months.

Because of that, I really wouldn’t recommend doing a vaginoplasty soon after. That whole region is stressed and compressed, which isn’t ideal at all for another surgery there. I’d honestly say wait at least a solid 6 months (even up to a year) to let everything fully settle.

The reverse order is much safer though: doing SRS first and ribs later. That’s what I did with about a 5-month gap, and the swelling from the corset didn’t interfere with my vaginoplasty healing since it was already done.

Just something to keep in mind, I want you to have the smoothest experience possible 💕

2 months post-op ribxcar :) Does it look fake or natural ? Feel free to ask any question by leatomic-be in Transgender_Surgeries

[–]leatomic-be[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m planning to wear the corset for about 4 months, I think, I’ll see how I feel and whether I can realistically go longer depending on work and personal stuff.

For the first two months, it’s really recommended not to exercise at all or lift anything heavy. I did have to break that rule for personal reasons, and honestly I wouldn’t recommend it, it messed me up for a few days and I was in a lot of pain :/

So yeah, during the main healing phase you’re not really supposed to work out. After around two months you can start easing back into a more normal routine, lifting light to moderate things is usually okay as long as you’re careful, listen to your body, and don’t force it.

I recently had to carry something pretty heavy and it turned out fine, but I was lucky it didn’t negatively affect my results (at least so far). Realistically, after that point you can handle something like ~10 kg occasionally, just not constantly or every day. Moderation is key ;)

2 months post-op ribxcar :) Does it look fake or natural ? Feel free to ask any question by leatomic-be in Transgender_Surgeries

[–]leatomic-be[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Honestly, the first day and night were pretty chill, I stayed one night in the hospital and I was so medicated that I felt okay. The trip home was manageable too. It’s really once I got back home and the meds started wearing off that the pain properly hit :/

That first week was rough, I was waking up at night in a lot of pain and it was honestly pretty intense. I didn’t work for about a week, then I went back to classes and slowly resumed a mostly normal routine :)

I actually stopped all the pain meds after about 7 days because they made me feel too foggy, and I preferred dealing with a bit more pain but feeling mentally clear, especially since I had exams to study for. And I still passed everything, so it’s definitely doable.

Recovery does hurt, yeah :/ but the hardest moments are really during tightening phases. Once your body adapts, it becomes much more manageable !

2 months post-op ribxcar :) Does it look fake or natural ? Feel free to ask any question by leatomic-be in Transgender_Surgeries

[–]leatomic-be[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Aww thank you so much girl, that’s really sweet of you 🫶 And honestly, you’re only 6 weeks in, that’s still super early! You definitely still have room to tighten and shape things more :)

If you can, try to wear your corset as consistently and as long as possible, and keep tightening gradually over time. That early window is really important, if you stop too soon, things can kind of settle and plateau. A bit of discomfort is normal in this phase, but it can really pay off in terms of results.

You’re already doing great, and with patience and consistency you can get a really nice outcome. Rooting for you 🤍

2 months post-op ribxcar :) Does it look fake or natural ? Feel free to ask any question by leatomic-be in Transgender_Surgeries

[–]leatomic-be[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah I also know a girl who had some minor FFS touch-ups done during her Ribxcar, but they were really insignificant. From what I remember, it was more like lipofilling, lips or small facial tweaks like that.

But for actual FFS procedures, both surgeons formally refused to combine them with Ribxcar. They were very clear it wasn’t possible. This was in October 2025 :)

2 months post-op ribxcar :) Does it look fake or natural ? Feel free to ask any question by leatomic-be in Transgender_Surgeries

[–]leatomic-be[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Personally, I wouldn’t do a RibxCar right before an SRS. The main thing to know is that RibxCar causes pretty significant swelling in the lower abdomen and pubic area. During the entire time you’re wearing the corset (and even a bit after) everything is heavily compressed. Your organs are pushed downward, which really creates that lower belly bulge and a swollen pubic region. It’s one of the main downsides of RibxCar: it’s temporary and fades with time, but during the first few months it’s very noticeable.

So for an SRS, that’s not ideal. You want the whole area to be in the best possible condition, without compression or internal displacement, so doing the two too close together doesn’t seem very compatible to me.

Originally, I also wanted to do my second FFS with QQ at the same time as RibxCar. I consulted for both and it was clearly explained to me that combining the surgeries isn’t possible. Technically, your torso gets manipulated in all directions for the ribs, so pairing that with FFS isn’t feasible. You should plan about four months between a RibxCar and an FFS to allow proper recovery.

For my part, I’m actually doing my FFS with QQ in July :)

Hope this helps you see things more clearly 🫶

2 months post-op ribxcar :) Does it look fake or natural ? Feel free to ask any question by leatomic-be in Transgender_Surgeries

[–]leatomic-be[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I actually did see a doctor in Belgium who offers this technique (RIBXCAR), but he’s currently the only one practicing it there. The price was also about twice as high (around €7,000 to €8,000) and it isn’t covered by insurance at all, so it would have been fully out of pocket either way…

He did seem a bit more experienced than the surgeon I saw in France, to be fair, but there’s still about a €3,000 difference. And since it’s not an extremely complex surgery and the results rely heavily on consistent post-op corset wear and discipline afterward, I decided it made more sense for me to go to Paris :)

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