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Dr. Walter Lin
Fellowship-Trained Top Surgery Surgeon in San Francisco
Dr. Walter Lin, MD is a fellowship-trained Plastic Surgeon in San Francisco who performs Top Surgery. His expertise in microsurgical breast reconstruction has shaped his approach to gender-affirming care and led to the co-development of a novel nerve transfer technique designed to preserve chest sensation after Top Surgery. Dr. Lin performs the Double Incision, Peri-Areolar, and Keyhole methods of Top Surgery.
Dr. Lin obtained his undergraduate degree in Neuroscience at MIT and his medical degree at Harvard Medical School, in the Health Sciences & Technology program (Harvard-MIT HST). He subsequently completed his residency in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at UCSF) and a year-long fellowship in Hand, Microvascular, and Transgender Surgery at the Buncke Clinic, widely considered to be microsurgery's place of origin. Dr. Lin joined the staff of Buncke Clinic and the San Francisco Transgender Institute in 2017. He is affiliated with California Pacific Medical Center and Saint Francis Memorial Hospital in San Francisco.
Dr. Lin's full credentials and surgical offerings are available on his TransHealthCare.org surgeon profile.
Dr. Lin is board-certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS) and is a member of:
- American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS)
- American Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery (ASRM)
- American Society of Gender Surgeons
- World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH)
Surgery Requirements:
- One referral letter from a qualified mental health professional (unless otherwise specified by insurance.)
Insurance & Medicaid: Dr. Lin accepts insurance from a wide number of insurance companies, including Blue Shield, Blue Cross Blue Shield, United Healthcare, Cigna, Kaiser and Health Net, as well as Medicaid (Medi-Cal). A cash pay rate can also be requested.
Booking a Consultation: Dr. Lin is available for phone and in-person consultations. To book a consult, contact his office by clicking the Send Inquiry button and you'll hear back with more details.
Current wait list: Four weeks for a consultation and four weeks for a surgery date after your consultation.