Not trans, but I'm disabled with a *ton* of chronic health conditions. I started getting more and more diagnoses in my twenties, and it is absolutely ridiculous how many times I was told that if the person I was talking to was diagnosed with one of my conditions (especially gastro food-eliminating ones), they'd unalive themselves. People REALLY need to stop saying this. One of the reasons is because at one of the times, I was having horrid depression, and bc so many different people told me that, I thought it was a sign and maybe I should finally do it. I'm not saying it was entirely my friends' (and others') fault that I got to that point, but it most definitely didn't help. People really need to think before they speak. So just wanted to throw that story out there in case anyone reading this has said this to others before, and hopefully realizes they should stop. Just because you don't think you could handle something doesn't mean you should put that on the person actually going through it.

Sometimes nipples aren’t twins or sisters or brothers. They’re just two homeboys vibing together without jewelry and that’s okay!👍

Im a cis man with blacked out nipples. My body is not symmetric. To keep the symmetry of the tattoo; one nipple is at the center of the design, and the other nipple is just on the edge, with the areola visible. My body is not symmetric in total either, my belly button is to my right, so the tattoo that bisects my body leaves it on one side. No one is 100% symmetric. Also I understand the difficulty with wanting a piercing and not having the anatomy for it; I can't have my septum pierced due to septoplasty; and it's the only facial piercing I wanted for so many years. Better to move on then to get hung up on it.

2:31 I stg I hate 13th reason comments so much at this point

I'm transfem, and before I went on hormones, my nipples were super flat lol, it's perfectly normal for cis bodies. This makes me very sad to hear though. A lot of the online conversation around gender-affirming surgeries, where people see someone else's body and say they want results exactly like their's, is super scary and unhealthy, which is why I avoid a lot of it even as someone pursuing surgery, but I'm really sad to hear you have to deal with those comments Lynn

This is such a compassionate discussion of a really nuanced issue. Thank you for displaying such kindness and vulnerability throughout, great video! ❤️

I'm so thrilled to hear you talk about top surgery! I'm currently in a very painful place where despite having a referral, a mere consultation is at least a year away, so far that I cannot schedule it. As a result, getting through each day has been difficult. But I enjoy all your videos, especially getting to hear about this stuff from such a knowledgeable piercer. I've also noticed tons of horrible, unsolicited comments about people's post top surgery bodies and I'm glad to hear you address it. Surgery and piercings can both be so complex and it's always important to consider how we talk about it.

Having too many expectations goes in the other direction of what you said too. I set myself up to expect no feeling/sensation after surgery because of everyone telling me how impossible it is to have sensation after grafts. Lo and behold, I have so much sensation the instant after surgery that I could feel them removing the stitches for my grafts 1 week post op. I wanted my nipples pierced after surgery because I expected that the sensation would be dulled for me since I have a low pain tolerance and it would be easier to do. But now I am not getting pierced because I have my original feeling in them again! Also, a lot of people not being happy with their results are coming from a place of post op depression that clouds their judgment and makes them more critical. Post op depression is not as discussed as it should be. I personally didn’t deal with it even tho one of my nipples is barely larger than the other because I was happy to just not have unwanted lumps of fat on me anymore.

Thanks for making the content that you do. I'm a trans man planning top surgery (will not be keeping the nips). I just appreciate you talking about this stuff and looking out for our community. I'm always happy when trans people are caring and protective over other trans people. Much love 🖤

I just wanted to say thank you for being so informative, as always. I can tell you're very passionate, and I really appreciate seeing that in a piercer. You're gonna look so rad once you get top surgery too!

I had top surgery with nipple grafts almost a year ago now. My nipples are not perfect. They are sort of diagonally placed (for lack of a better description), and they are not perfectly symmetrical. I was quite distressed at the beginning (although part of that might have just been anxiety around healing in general), but I have gotten used to them and I kind of love how unique they are. Everyone's body is different and as you said, cis peoples nipples aren't perfectly symmetrical either! I'm surpised that too flat nipples are an issue for people - mine protrude quite a bit and I was actually happy they got them as flat as they did. I guess that has to do with how they were pre-op. As for the extreme comments you talk about, honestly, I had no idea this was such a thing, I'm not on social media except for youtube. I agree that that's very concerning, and that it's important to have realistic expectations. However I don't think most surgeons will list not being able to get pierced as a potential risk (as you noted in another video, surgeons don't tend to be super knowledgeable about piercings). They do explain that results are variable and can't be guaranteed, but tbh I'm not sure that translates to "I might not be able to get pierced" for everyone. It's good that you're talking about this and I hope other piercing/bodymod creators will start doing the same. I personally had never even considered nipple piercings before surgery, but now I'm planning on getting them if possible. I'm glad I stumbled on your video about the topic (a while ago), so I can be properly prepared and find a studio that knows what they're doing with grafted nips (even if I have to make it a weekend trip). And if I can't get them, I'll get over that, too. Anyways, sorry for the long comment, thanks for the video!

14:11 there are some methods of top surgery where complete removal of the nipple doesn’t happen. When I learned of that I knew that when I do my consult to ask if I’d be eligible for something similar.

Thank you for this video! I wish I had known a few more things before top surgery; my problem was likely not even the grafts, but the the reshaping of the nipples (so, making the nipples themselves smaller, not just the areolas) , because at some point they kind of fell off with the scabs where they were sutured to the areola, so the area is almost completely flat now, and I'm thinking about reconstruction surgery. That being said, even with all that information beforehand, I still would have gotten top surgery because it relieved the dysphoria so much, and regardless of whether with or without piercings (or nipples, for that matter), it was so worth it! It is just nice to know what to expect beforehand, to be mentally prepared for it.

0:11 looking at the description I’m glad I didn’t see those comments cuz idk what you mean by what you said lol The most “extreme” I recall seeing from you on this is… waiting a minimum of 2 years before getting your nipples pierced?? To make sure recovery went well??? Like sure hearing 2 years as opposed to 1 sucks but after top how is one supposed to enjoy having cool piercings if their nipples fall off?? It seems fairly practical to me

My issue of standard top surgery isn't necessarily visual parts of grafts per se, it's the lack of nipple sensation because of the way that grafting is done. Which is why I'm opting for inverted T top surgery, because they don't graft, they keep the nipple stalk intact.

Rupaul said it best, "If you can't love yourself, how the hell are you gonna love somebody else?" as much as I love to talk frack about him, that is a great sentiment. I can't dislike parts about myself, it's so unhealthy not just for me but for my perception of others. When we go around saying things so negative about ourselves, those are qualities that other people have too. Why make other people feel hideous when they share those same qualities we hate so much? I would feel devastated if I talked so negatively about a body quality I had or could end up having, and then there's someone sharing that same quality yet they embrace and love that thing about themself. That is a beautiful trait that should be a goal for everyone to have for the sake of their own mental wellbeing. Also I think I don't want my nipples after surgery bc I wanna be different and hot in an alternative way ✨ more space and options for tattoos!

Sounds like the Docs haven't done a good job explaining stuff setting expectations yikes. We also could talk about how modesty expectations distorts ideas of what people really look like. And yes my nips (afab no surgery) are symmetrical but the areola are completely different shapes one circle one oval + a chicken pox scar on the right because I had it before the vaccine was invented

I got top surgery with the intention of getting piercings, and it didn’t end up being compatible with piercings. So my piercer and I were able to find a compromise of getting collarbone dermals (I am aware they may be temporary, and am fine with that) and I’ve also looked into getting my nipples tattood into hearts which also will be a fun compromise as well! Things don’t always go as planned, and that’s okay, you can always find other things as a compromise.

3:35 symmetrical nipples are POSSIBLE?! I had no idea! I haven’t had surgery yet but as they are now mine are…. Not too symmetrical I don’t think?? But as a child I came to accept that cuz the body is littered with all sorts of asymmetry

12:22 my nipples are naturally flat so ngl my expectations for nipples after top is that… mine will be naturally flat. It’s really the only reason I want nipples piercings anyway cuz I prefer the look of extroverted nipples

i got top surgery a year ago and went without nipples and i'm really glad i did. i finally feel like myself. it still hasn't been ideal in ways though. i planned on getting a chest tattoo, but my nerves are damaged and my skin feels pain just from being brushed. if i get a pimple, it feels as painful as recovery from the liposuction did lol. i still want to try getting a tattoo but it might end up being a big ordeal if i can't take the pain. even if you (general you) love your results visually, there are tons of ways things might not turn out how you expected, and it's really important to realize that and be able to accept it, imo. otherwise you're quite possibly setting yourself up for some intense emotional trauma.

Hey Lynn! Just wondering if someone has fully healed nipple piercings before the operation, would they be able to still use them post op? Or does that depend on how the surgeon does the grafting? Not sure if uve answered this question before but i would love to know :) thanks

Hi Lynn, I'm so sorry about what I'm going to ask you because it is so off topic but KZfaq is the way I have to communicate with you, I don't know if my message can get lost among many on IG for example, let me go to the point, I saw your reviews on Invictus body jewelry and body candy, is there any way you could review mid spark gems? I'd love to hear your opinion, they're really loved by people, lots of people say it's really good quality, some say it's implant grade, I've seen some people saying it's not and I'd like to hear your opinion as a professional, thank you very much in advance and keep up the great content!