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MTF Breasts

How Do Transgender Women
Develop Female Breasts?

Breast development is a biological process inherent to female individuals.

For transgender people, you can achieve this feminine characteristic by getting male to female MtF breasts through hormone therapy and MTF breast augmentation surgery.

This guide will go through various processes to help you develop MTF breasts via transgender woman breast augmentation.

But first, it’s essential to know how breast development happens among cis-females and how it differs from breast development among MTF transgender people.

Dr Gary Rosenbaum MD

Dr. Gary J. Rosenbaum is a board-certified plastic surgeon with extensive experience in breast-related surgeries.

If you’re looking for a doctor who understands your needs and can help you with how to detransition MTF through breast restoration, schedule a consultation here.

CONTACT DR. ROSENBAUM
How Do Breasts Develop Among Biological Females?

Breast development occurs at various stages in a woman’s life—in the womb before birth, during puberty, and after her childbearing years.

Let’s look at how the breasts develop at each stage of life.

Before Birth

While the fetus is in the mother’s womb, the breasts begin to develop with a thickening in the chest area. This forms the mammary ridge or milk line.  When a female infant is born, the nipples are visible, and the milk-duct system is formed.

Puberty

During puberty, the ovaries release estrogen. This hormone allows the fat in the milk duct system’s tissues to be collected.  It also activates the growth of lobes. Lobes are a subdivision of the breast tissue. The development of lobes and accumulated fats makes the breasts appear more prominent. And when a woman starts menstruating and ovulating, she starts forming secretory glands at the end of her milk ducts. As the breasts mature, so does the development of many glands and lobules. Breast development during puberty can be divided into five stages:
  1. Stage 1: The tips of the nipples are raised.
  2. Stage 2: Buds appear, so both the breast and the nipples are lifted. The areola also gets larger.
  3. Stage 3: Now that the breasts contain glandular breast tissue, the breasts appear slightly larger.
  4. Stage 4: The areolae and nipples are raised, forming a second mound above the rest of the breasts.
  5. Stage 5: The breasts become rounded, and only the nipples are raised. The breasts are finally mature.

Post-Childbearing Years

Around the age of 35, the final stage of breast development occurs.  Women may notice shrinkage of the milk ducts. The breasts decline in size, and visible sagging can occur.
Stages of MTF Breasts Development Among Transgender Females

Breasts are a traditional indicator of femininity. As such, transgender people may consider undergoing various procedures to achieve this bodily feature.

One process that allows transgender people to achieve MTF breasts is hormonal therapy. If you’re taking hormones and wondering at what rate you’ll start seeing the development of your breast MTF, see this breakdown of development stages.
  1. First stage: The first stage occurs after 3-6 months of hormonal therapy. During this stage, you’ll notice raised nipples.
  2. Second stage: There is a visible increase in the size of the areolas. Breast buds also start to appear. The enlargement of both nipples and breasts occurs after 6-12 months of hormonal thera py.
  3. Third stage: The breasts grow in size after a year to 16 months.
  4. Fourth stage: Elevation of the nipple, increased size of the areola, and continuous enlargement of the breasts occur after two to three years of hormonal therapy.
After the fourth stage of hormonal therapy, you’ll see a growth of one to two inches among transgender individuals.  It is important to note that the rate of breast development varies from one person to another.
Tips On How to Grow MTF Breasts on Your Own
Aside from relying on hormonal therapy, there are other things you can do to replicate the feel, look, and experience of female breasts. Check them out below:

Quick and DIY Solutions

  • Wear a bra that is one size larger than what you need. There are instances where wearing two bras at a time can help. If you don’t want to feel uncomfortable, you can use padded bras or bras with silicone inserts.
  • Try makeup. Makeup is a great option to create the illusion of bigger breasts and appealing cleavage. It’s inexpensive and non-invasive.
  • Wear flattering clothes. If showing skin doesn’t appeal much to your taste, you can always create the illusion of bigger breasts with clothing. You can try V-neck tees, shirts with plunging necklines, or polo-neck shirts.
  • Use shapewear. Another hack you can try is the use of shapewear. Shapewear defines your body’s natural shape and provides a push for your breasts. Many shapewear manufacturers use advanced technology to create products that highlight a woman’s curves without being obvious. 
  • Correct your posture. One underrated yet effective trick is to correct your posture. Slumping or slouching makes your chest look smaller. Stand and sit straight to highlight your breasts’ appeal.

MTF Breasts Exercises

Exercising helps you tone muscles and highlight the appearance of body contours. 

Chest exercises such as chest fly, chest press, pushups, and planks strengthen chest muscles. Combine them with hormone therapy to help your breasts appear bigger and perkier.

Diets

Although there are no diets that guarantee increased breast size, some still do it depending on the results they want to achieve.

Some transgender individuals would like to highlight their MTF breasts and try to lose weight, especially around the waist. 

For others, they do the opposite. They try to gain weight to increase the size of their chests.

If the mentioned tips and tricks above don’t provide the results you want, you may consider breast augmentation surgery.

Transgender Breast Augmentation Surgery

Also known as MTF top surgery, breast augmentation aims to increase the size and fullness of the breasts. MtF transgender breast augmentation.

For persons assigned as females at birth, the breasts are already present. But it’s also great for males wanting to transition and are not yet satisfied with hormone therapy.

How MTF Breast Augmentation Surgery is Done

Though the principles of the operation are the same as cisgender women, the anatomy is different for breast augmentation transgender.

Transgender women have broader chests and thicker pectoral muscles than biological females. They also have smaller nipples and areolae, with shorter distances between the nipples.

Because of these, it’s normal for transgender women to have a wider space between their breasts even if they’re using larger implants.

During the transgender breast enlargement, MTF breast augmentation surgery, the surgeon creates incisions. These can be around the areola, near the armpit, or at the level of the breast crease. The saline or silicone implants are inserted under the breast tissues through these incisions. The surgeon closes the incisions with stitches, bandages, and surgical tape.

In some cases, you might need to have tissue expanders inserted first in front of your chest muscles. Your surgeon will insert a small amount of saline into these tissue expanders every few weeks to stretch your chest skin and tissues and make room for breast implants.

After this, you can have MTF breast augmentation surgery to remove the expanders and place the implants.

Choosing a Healthcare Provider

Because breast augmentation and restoration is an intimate yet life-changing procedure that can impact your well-being, it is crucial to choose a medical practitioner that will guide you throughout the process and perform the surgery according to your needs.

Here are some of the things you need to look for in a healthcare provider:

  • Board-certified
  • Specializes in MTF breast augmentation surgery
  • Extends empathy and understanding in transgender patients
  • Capable of thorough physical, emotional, and psychological screening for fitness of procedure to the wellness of the patient

Getting MTF breast augmentation surgery is a viable option. If it helps you achieve fulfillment and brings harmony to your gender issues, it’s worth looking into.

Similarly, getting hormone therapy and top surgery reversed through detransitioning surgery is nothing to be ashamed of.

To help you make an informed and sound decision, Dr. Gary Rosenbaum is available to answer your queries and concerns about detransitioning surgery and breast restoration. Schedule a consultation with him today.
References:
  1. Christel Josefa Maria de Blok, Maartje Klaver, Chantal Maria Wiepjes, Nienke Marije Nota, Annemieke Corine Heijboer, Alessandra Daphne Fisher, Thomas Schreiner, Guy T’Sjoen, Martin den Heijer, Breast Development in Transwomen After 1 Year of Cross-Sex Hormone Therapy: Results of a Prospective Multicenter Study, The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, Volume 103, Issue 2, February 2018, Pages 532–538, https://doi.org/10.1210/jc.2017-01927

  2. Rapaport, Lisa. “Transgender women may get small breasts with hormones.” Reuters, 14 December 2017, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-lgbt-breasts-hormones-idUSKBN1E82UT. Accessed 14 May 2022.

  3. Javed, Asma, and Aida Lteif. “Development of the human breast.” Seminars in plastic surgery vol. 27,1 (2013): 5-12. https://doi:10.1055/s-0033-1343989

  4. Sarnataro, Barbara Russi. “Chest Exercises to Help Tone and More.” WebMD, 1 December 2005, http://webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/chest-exercises-help-tone. Accessed 14 May 2022.

  5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3706056/
  6. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-lgbt-breasts-hormones-idUSKBN1E82UT
  7. https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article/103/2/532/4642966
  8. Breast Procedures – Dr. Gary J. Rosenbaum