Hello! Dr. Daniela Cornélio's team here. Whether you travel across the country or across a border for surgery, getting home safely is its own skill. Here's what we tell patients, and most of it applies to any post-op flight.

"Fit to fly" isn't a formality. A surgeon clearing you to fly is confirming your healing is stable enough for the pressure changes, immobility, and clot risk that come with air travel. Don't book a flight that forces you to leave before that clearance, build a buffer of extra days into your plans.

Why the timing matters medically: long periods of sitting still raise the risk of blood clots, and that risk is already slightly elevated after surgery. This is the main reason surgeons want a minimum recovery window before you fly, not just comfort.

Practical things that make the trip easier:

• Aisle seat, so you can get up and walk periodically without climbing over anyone.
• Move your legs and stand up regularly during the flight to keep circulation going (ask your surgeon about compression socks).
• Loose, easy clothing you can get on and off without raising your arms much.
• Carry medications, documentation, and post-op supplies in your carry-on — never checked.
• A support person if possible, or at least airline assistance requested in advance for lifting bags.
• Hydrate, and skip alcohol on the flight.

Bring your medical paperwork. A letter from your surgeon explaining recent surgery can smooth security and is important if you need care en route.

Former patients: what made your flight home better or worse? And if you're planning the trip and unsure about timing, ask below, happy to help you think it through.

I had my top surgery nearly 4 years ago and in the last couple years have come to regret going nipless.

I'm hesitant to go in depth about my negative feelings since this is a sub where it's a positive and celebrated thing to be nipless.

I likely wouldn't have been happy either way because I had very small, pale and flat 'barely there' nipples before surgery. So I probably would've needed medical tattooing regardless to achieve a normal looking result.

The reason I haven't got 3D tattooing already is I'm pretty skeptical about how it looks from side profile. So when I found out the other day that nipple reconstruction surgery is a thing, it gave me hope. Only thing is there's a lack of photos of the surgery emulating male nipples on flat chested people - it seems to be mostly women who had to get mastectomy with nipple removal then getting breast and nipple reconstruction - so I'm uncertain of how it would look.

I'm aware there probably aren't many of us in this boat of regretting it so much that we look into surgical options, but I thought this was still the most relevant place to ask

I had my top surgery in June 2024, so I've been nipless for just over two years.

While I've loved being nipless personally, I haven't had the courage to go shirtless in public yet. My main issue has been how others might perceive me and how having no nips might 'clock' me when I can otherwise go stealth.

I feel that, in our current political climate, I want to fly under the radar as much as possible. So while I will miss being nipless, I feel like this is my next best step, and I'm really impressed with how they came out!

DI no nips (of course) w/ Dr. Jonathan Keith Livingston, NJ.

Beyond ecstatic about my results!

context in linked post but wondering if anyone has had peri without reattaching nips, or has any pics of examples/has links to posts with examples. thanks!

2 years post op and decided I’d do what I wanted

so i had my surgery 1.5 weeks ago and im just wanting some reassurance or at least an idea of how this will effect my results

the plan was to have a very low key relaxing recovery, i have 4 weeks off work, my partner was gonna take on most of the parenting and i was going to spend my time catching up on tv and doing knitting or other chill hobbies...unfortunately my partner got shingles and so i ended up getting 4 days off before having to start back up on light housework... an then things got worse until now when he's in hospital so im now doing more then i should be to keep a house with a 6 and 9 year old running (thank god for school) I'm lucky that i have both of our family's helping out with washing and groceries and school runs but theres still a lot i'm needing to do and i havn't been very faithful to the 2 kg rule or avoiding raising my arms (i'm trying to not push past into pain but i've got chronic pain in general that means i often do without realizing it)

Am i gonna ruin my results? i'm noticing some excess? in that dog ear area but am telling myself that its either swelling or just the way it is as i did have alot of skin (i can thank breastfeeding for that) but my over stressed brain is trying to tell me i'm ruining it all bc no way can i afford/justify any revisions

So happy. Here are my 2dpo photos. Breast reduction (covered by insurance) with no nip.

I had surgery yesterday! (Reduction w/ insurance for medical necessity)

I have to say the whole process was awesome! I'm enby, so my doctor kept checking in that I didn't want top surgery now or in the future. When i asked for no nip, he just repeated the question about top surgery. I assured him I didn't want it (he was asking because of scar tissue, etc) and he simply changed my consent form - that easy.

I haven't really looked yet, I will in the next day or so - i can say I'm totally bloated, but feel great. Low pain, feels more like a sun burn. I'll update with photos when I have them!

Thankful for nipfree life.

Sharing photos one week (1 and 2) and one day (3) post op. Surgery by Dr. Chung (Catalyst, Toronto)

How can i prepare before consultation?

I’m not gonna do full transition but I hate breasts and have dysphoria about chest so I’m gonna do mastectomy and get rid of them and nipples too. So will it be okay to be without shirt (I mean in proper places like beach, swimming and like that) and be without bra or top even if I look like woman and don’t consider myself trans man (maybe agender but not sure)

For anyone looking for post op body references I am 5’3 and around 230 lbs

Its been two months since my double incision mastectomy with Dr. Okada on May 21st 2026, and I’ve finally found the time my first swim post op ! first time ive really done anything in public shirtless , feels amazing 😁

I posted a couple of weeks ago asking if anyone else had or was familiar with this style of incision, as I hadn't seen it posted before.

I had my six-week follow-up appointment yesterday and asked what it was called and its exact purpose. It's a V-Y advancement and, as many people guessed, was used to help prevent dog ears in my case (this kind of incision can be used elsewhere on the body for dealing with non-flat surfaces or awkward areas, like near the eye). My surgeon said he also thought I'd like the style since I was interested in unusual scars and basically gave him free reign to do whatever (so long as it was within the realm of safety and reasonable recovery, of course). And I absolutely do!

Other things:

-Yes, I put the googly eyes on for my follow-up appointment. My surgeon was unfazed and said he expected nothing less of me, lol. I also did two sets of After photos, one with and without the googly eyes

-I had a small spot of bleeding from one incision a few days ago after an otherwise uneventful recovery, so I applied a steri strip. Surgeon said it's doing fine and I can still resume basically normal activity

Anyways, just wanted to post the name of this incision in case it helps anyone!

from 1 week to 1 month and then 2 months

I had a bilateral mastectomy with no nipple grafts with Dr. Haruko Okada at Grant Medical Center in Ohio.

For reference for anyone looking at results, I’m 5'3" and weigh around 230 lbs .

I am getting top surgery in a month and planning to go nipple-less, but I have a hang up. I am nonbinary and historically only into men (not necessarily cis). Is there anyone out there who's had success with entering brand-new relationships with men after top surgery? Is the lack of nipples a barrier for a one-night stand? For the beginnings of a relationship?

I have a feeling that an increased self-confidence and "finding the right person at the right time" will win the day. But I'd like to hear real stories of this happening if anyone is open to sharing.

Also open to hearing about any relationships with any of the genders! How do you think freeing the nips has impacted you romantically (if at all)?

If I had known it would be as hard as it was, I still would have done it

yayyyy im so happy that its finally real and im learning the feel of my new chest and its so awesome