Detransitioner, 28, who had her breasts removed at 20 is having boob job to reclaim her femininity – as she warns other trans teens: ‘Being a woman is hard but rushing into surgery isn’t the answer’
A woman who underwent a double mastectomy while living as a trans man is now planning to undergo surgery to get her breasts back.
Alia Ismail, now 28, came out as a transgender man when she was 18 and began a medical transition that required her to take hormones and have her breasts removed at the age of 20.
But in February 2021, Alia, a hairdresser from Detroit, Michigan, decided to make the transition after realizing that her new identity as a trans man did not represent who she was.
“Now, at 28, I finally feel like a woman,” she said. “I feel so empowered by the struggles I’ve faced as a woman. Being a woman is hard and you have to be resilient and strong. I am strong.’
“The best advice I can give about transitioning is to really listen to yourself and follow your intuition, heart and gut feeling,” said Alia, pictured after quitting testosterone.
A 28-year-old woman, who came out as a transgender man at the age of 18, has revealed she will ‘transition’ back to being a woman. She is depicted as a transgender man (left) and after stopping testosterone use (right)
Alia Ismail, from Detroit, was born a biological female. When she was 18, she announced that she was transgender and began transitioning to a man. She is depicted after her transition
Reflecting on why she chose to transition, Alia, who suffered major trauma as a young woman, said, “I thought it was better to be a man. I felt safe for a while. I no longer had to worry about other men tormenting me so much.”
The 28-year-old shared her advice for anyone considering gender confirmation surgery such as a double mastectomy.
She said: ‘Looking back, I wish I had waited longer to have the surgery, but then I felt comfortable in my body.
“I would advise anyone considering this to remind themselves that it’s okay to not be so rigid and embrace the stereotypes about what it means to have a certain gender identity and how to express yourself.”
‘I switched over ten years ago and it was not clear to me at the time that gender could be made more fluid.’
After transitioning, Alia said she “began to feel more uncomfortable without breasts.”
‘It was just a series of moments where I got frustrated because I couldn’t wear certain clothes and just didn’t like the way my body looked. The procedure is about achieving my original shape in my body.”
Her first step on her detransition journey was to stop taking testosterone. She made the choice to live as a woman without breasts, but two years later she decided to undergo a fat graft to create breasts after becoming ‘frustrated’ with her body.
After six years of taking hormones, she decided she was unhappy and wanted to return to female life – so she started ‘de-transitioning’. She is depicted after the ‘de-transition’
Alia said she was a ‘tomboy’ until she was 12. During her teenage years, she said she became “hyper-feminine.” She is depicted as a teenager, before coming out as a trans man
She took testosterone for six years – and it completely changed the way she looked. She also had her breasts surgically removed. She is depicted during her transition
A 2022 study found that the number of gender reassignment surgeries performed on American children has increased thirteenfold over the past decade.
The researchers, from a large healthcare system in California, found that children as young as 12 were offered irreversible surgeries between 2013 and 2020.
And as gender-affirming care becomes more popular among children, more and more patients are coming forward to regret the irreversible procedure, claiming they weren’t challenged enough as children.
Meanwhile, Republican states are seeing a wave of restrictions on access to gender-affirming care.
In total, 19 states have laws that limit gender-affirming care to those under the age of 18. Some laws may even punish healthcare professionals who provide gender-affirming care to minors with jail time.
Alia is waiting to see if her insurance company will cover the procedure, which involves taking fat from her abdomen or thighs and injecting it to create breasts.
She says she also plans to use a breast enlargement device to stretch her skin and allow more blood flow to her breasts, which could be beneficial before surgery.
Alia explained, “Fat grafting is the least invasive option. I didn’t want to put anything into my body that wasn’t the most natural process. There are many health problems with implants.
She recalled feeling immediate “relief” when she decided to stop taking testosterone, saying she knew she had to “listen to herself.” She is depicted as a transgender man
‘Fat transfer involves taking fat from another part of your body, such as your abdomen or thighs, and then injecting it into the breasts or other area of your choice.’
Alia said she finally feels like a woman on social media, explaining that whenever she decides to do something, she always gives it 100 percent, and her medical transition to a trans man was no exception.
She said she has moves while wishing she had never had her double mastectomy.
“I’m here now and all I can do is figure out how to move forward. It was part of my path,” she said.
‘I have hope for my upcoming surgery. It’s something I’ve thought about deeply over the past two and a half years, and I’ve come to accept that it’s the best option for myself.
‘I’ve also accepted that if it doesn’t work, I’m fine with my breasts the way they are, but I’m confident this will work.
Alia previously said that overall, she has no regrets about her transition as it has made her the person she is today.
She said: ‘It was a key moment in my life where I discovered myself to be the person I am today.’
Breast repair surgery is usually performed on cancer patients after a mastectomy.
But it can also be done for detransitioners who decide to reverse their mastectomy.
This ideally occurs long after the mastectomy incisions have healed, usually months or even years after the original breast removal surgery.
There are different techniques for breast reconstruction surgery.
One involves extracting fat from other parts of the body and injecting it into the breast.
Implants can also be used in combination with fat grafting or on their own.
The surgeon makes incisions in the breast and places silicone or saline implants under the breast tissue.