Body contouring can be a meaningful part of a gender-affirming journey. For many transgender and non-binary patients, refining the shape of the torso, waist, hips, or thighs helps the body better reflect who they have always been. At Transgender Surgery Institute of Southern California, we understand that these decisions are personal, layered, and deserving of thoughtful guidance — not a sales pitch.
While our practice focuses primarily on top surgery and chest procedures, we recognize that body contouring is often part of a broader vision for gender congruence. This page is here to help you understand what gender-affirming body contouring involves, how it may fit into your path, and how we can help connect you with trusted specialists when a procedure falls outside our core scope.
What Gender-Affirming Body Contouring Can Include
Body contouring is a broad term that covers a range of procedures designed to reshape the body in ways that support a person’s gender identity. Depending on individual goals, these may include:
- Masculinizing body contouring — procedures that may emphasize a flatter, more angular silhouette through targeted fat reduction in the hips, thighs, or chest wall, and definition of the abdomen or shoulders.
- Feminizing body contouring — procedures that may soften the waist, add volume or curvature to the hips and buttocks, or refine the proportions of the thighs through fat transfer or liposculpting.
- Non-binary and customized contouring — individualized approaches for patients whose goals don’t align with traditional binary outcomes, focused on the silhouette that feels most authentic to them.
Every body is different, and the right combination of techniques depends on anatomy, health history, and personal goals.
Our Focus and Our Partnerships
Dr. Youssef and our team specialize in top surgery and chest reconstruction. Body contouring procedures of the torso, hips, and lower body are typically performed by affiliated specialists whose practices are dedicated to this area of gender-affirming care.
One of those trusted partners is Align Surgical (opens in new tab), a respected group whose surgeons offer a broad spectrum of gender-affirming procedures, including body contouring. When body contouring is the right next step for you, we are glad to point you toward providers we believe deliver thoughtful, expert care.
How We Help Guide Your Path
We see our role as helping you understand your options — not as the coordinator of every procedure on your journey. If you are exploring body contouring alongside top surgery, or considering it as a separate step, we can talk through:
- How body contouring may complement chest or other gender-affirming procedures
- General timing considerations between surgeries
- What questions to ask when evaluating a body contouring specialist
- Trusted partners who focus on these procedures, including Align Surgical
Our goal is simple: to make sure you have clear, honest information so you can make decisions that feel right for you.
A Supportive Place to Start
Gender-affirming care is deeply personal, and the right plan looks different for every patient. Whether you are early in your exploration or already mapping out specific procedures, you deserve a space that feels safe, calm, and respectful of your pace.