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Dr. Laurel Chandler
Fellowship-Trained Surgeon for Top Surgery in Connecticut
Dr. Laurel Chandler, MD is a Harvard fellowship-trained and board-certified plastic surgeon who has received specialty training in Top Surgery from some of the best experts in the field. Based in Fairfield County, Connecticut, Dr. Chandler provides personalized care for transmasculine, transfeminine and nonbinary patients with a practice that is over 90% Top Surgery.
Education and Training:
- M.D., University of Vermont College of Medicine in Burlington, Vermont
- Six-year plastic surgery residency, Rutgers – New Jersey Medical School
- Fellowship training in aesthetic surgery and top surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess - Harvard Medical School
Professional Memberships:
- American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery
- American Society of Plastic Surgeons
Specialty Training in Top Surgery
During her residency at Rutgers, Dr. Chandler had the opportunity to work on countless cases of gender-affirming surgery through her training with Dr. Jonathan Keith, founder of the Rutgers Center for Transgender Health. Focused on mastering the aesthetic nuances of Top Surgery, Dr. Chandler also received training at Harvard with two of the leading Top Surgery surgeons in Boston, Dr. Richard Bartlett and Dr. Adam Tobias. In 2019, Dr. Chandler lectured on Top Surgery during a special session on Gender Affirming Surgery at a plastic surgery conference in Israel.
Dr. Chandler's full credentials and surgical offerings are available on her TransHealthCare.org surgeon profile.
Dr. Chandler offers multiple Top Surgery techniques and has developed refinements to improve both aesthetic and gender-affirming outcomes. She involves her patients in a detailed discussion of the pros and cons of each method to determine the best approach for you, and will omit nipple grafts if you desire a more nonbinary result.
She also spends focused time talking about Double Incision Top Surgery scar shapes and how anatomy influences the final result. As she describes in her in-depth guide to Double Incision Top Surgery scar shapes, this conversation can help you refine your Top Surgery goals and better align your scars with your gender expression. Dr. Chandler explains the full range of possible scar shapes, how anatomy plays a role, and how she customizes scar placement to match your goals.
Dr. Chandler has her patients wear a compression vest for three weeks post-op, except while showering. If you have free nipple grafts, showering will be restricted for the first week until the dressings are removed. Dr. Chandler usually uses drains, which are removed at 1 week. She recommends that all strenuous activity should be avoided for 3-4 weeks, during which time most swelling will subside. The result is considered final at one year after surgery.
To ensure that all patients feel welcomed, Dr. Chandler's practice has a gender-affirming intake form and staff have received sensitivity training. She operates at Norwalk Hospital, Stamford Hospital and Norwalk Ambulatory Surgery Center.
Top Surgery Cost & Insurance
The cost of Top Surgery with Dr. Chandler ranges and depends on insurance coverage. Exact pricing can only be determined following a consultation. Pricing includes surgeon's fee, anesthesia fee and facility fee. Dr. Chandler accepts cash, credit card, check, medical financing (ex. CareCredit) and insurance, including Connecticut Medicaid. Patients with Connecticut Medicaid are covered at 100% with no out of pocket cost. Patients with commercial insurance who have no out-of-network coverage or HMO insurance plans may also get full coverage ($0 out of pocket) through a single case agreement, which the office can assist with setting up through insurance.
Patient Testimonials
Callahan, Top Surgery patient. Source: Google Reviews.
"I had a great experience with getting Top Surgery with Dr. Chandler, she and her team are very kind and easy to communicate with! I'm only about 2 1/2 weeks post-op but I'm healing nicely and already love the results. I appreciate that I was able to set up a payment plan directly with them as opposed to having to sign up for something like a CareCredit card. It made the process much more convenient!"
Say, Top Surgery patient. Source: Google Reviews.
Surgery Requirements
- One support letter from a qualified mental health professional is required if using insurance. If you're paying out-of-pocket and 18+, the letter is not required.
- Smoking cessation
- No BMI requirement – Dr. Chandler does not use BMI as a strict cutoff for surgery and evaluates each person as an individual.
Dr. Chandler recognizes that BMI is a blunt tool that doesn’t reflect your actual health, support system, or how urgently you need surgery. Rather than denying care based on a number, she focuses on overall risk, honest discussion of possible complications, and how to make surgery as safe as possible for people at a wide range of body sizes. As she explains in an in-depth article on BMI and Top Surgery, if she truly feels someone is at high risk for anesthesia she will say so, but she does not require weight loss first when dysphoria and quality of life are suffering.
Booking a Consultation
Dr. Chandler offers phone, virtual and in-person consultations for a fee of $200. Surgery dates are booked 2-3 months after consultation. Dr. Chandler offers a truly customized approach with the goal of helping to improve self-image and confidence, and she looks forward to speaking with you.
If you’re still figuring out where to begin, Dr. Chandler is featured in our step-by-step guide, “How To Get Started With Top Surgery”. In it, she shares detailed insight about paying out-of-pocket vs. using insurance, what to expect from the consultation process, meeting surgery requirements, and preparing for surgery.