I underwent the surgery (with a different surgeon) for the same reason and the same background. My result is clear, however I have since been fighting with a ton of difficulties almost three years later..

Disclaimer; Before I continue please be aware that this is my personal experience and mine alone.

When I went in I knew what I was in for (including all the risks). I had both of my clavicles done at the same time and that was my first mistake. This made me extremely dependent on external help. I could barely move or do stuff on my own the first two weeks. It got a lot better a month in though.

Half a year later, during the next check-up, my x-ray showed that one of my shoulders hasn't reconnected and that there now was a gap between my bones. That's called pseudarthrosis. (I was 20 back then and really healthy.)

We tried "sound-wave-therapy", but that didn't help. Long story short I had to get another surgery to re-break my bone, get a bone donor from my hip area transplanted into my shoulder, and everything replated. That didn't add any extra length to my shoulders, but it left a big scar on my hips.

Just after the second surgery the other shoulder broke. They told me that they didn't see it back then on the xray, but the bone was still too fragile and just snapped after making a rapid move.

So now I am almost three years after the initial surgery, one shoulder broken and not plated, the other shoulder re-plated + a hip bone transplant, and my hip has a big scar on it and the missing bone thing feels weird when touching it.

I am way less mobile than I was before, I experience pain daily and will probably have to undergo at least two to three future surgeries to fix everything up again... if that's even possible at this point.

Not going to lie, I long for this as well and the predicted outcome is enticing - your experience before and after you make any decisions is helpful to me. The procedure is very dangerous however.

Has Dr Eppley got any patient data by way of complication rates vs success?

How does he deal with complications?

What is his mortality rate?

How has he brought his own innovations to this surgery (what has he learned in his time doing it?) and what measures does he take to ensure it heals reliably?

Have you spoken to any of his previous clients? - u/Throw72away777777722 seems to have been through something similar.

Lastly, beware of charisma without data when it comes to surgeons and, if the deposit is non-refundable, get your answers and guarantees in writing.

I haven't had surgery with him yet, but my impression in the consultation for this surgery was extremely positive. He was 100% up front and knowledgeable. I felt like I could ask literally anything and he'd give me his objective take on it without any rose-colored marketing BS.

A lot of the negatives I've heard around him are 2 things:

1. He doesn't care about inclusive language. When talking to a trans woman he'll freely use terms like, "male body" etc without any attempt to be more tactful. He's happy to help us, but I get the sense that he doesn't really care how we identify. It's more of, "It's your body, and IDGAF what you want changed, I'm happy to help."
2. He's not an artist, he's a technician. He'll do exactly what you ask him to do. This is why I went elsewhere for my BBL-- I wanted someone who could apply their own aesthetic eye to create the right curves for me. For this procedure though, that's completely irrelevant. It's 100% technical skill.

That’s a pretty lengthy list of concerns and possible risks for a minimal outcome. I support any surgery that provides a level of comfort and security while allowing us to enjoy our lives more but PLEASE think this through and don’t allow them to pressure u into paying a deposit if u r not 150% sure u want this… I’ve seen results in person and it was barely noticeable besides the shoulders hanging lower on the particular individual. Best of luck 🤞

Oh boy. So I’m agender (and afab) and I struggle with having extremely broad shoulders. From the front they are about 17 in. wide while my hips are about 13.5 in.

I really want a straight and narrow, neutral frame (best examples I can think of are emma chamberlain/ zendaya) but these shoulders are fairly ridiculous and getting in the way. So I’d like to have the somewhat experimental shoulder narrowing/ clavicle reduction surgery done with Dr. Eppley as well as type 3 forehead contouring.

I had a consultation a couple days ago but scheduling is moving fast and they want a hefty non-refundable deposit… And I’ve only just seen some of the more extreme negative reviews and allegations against Eppley which is making me hesitate.

I had a breast reduction already, and it was life changing. I think I’m willing to go through this more difficult surgery, but of course it is scary to not be able to effectively weigh the risks and benefits with so little information on the procedure available and only having limited before and after photos that aren’t shot well to work with.

My biggest hang ups are the potential for a huge medical hassle and chronic pain if something goes wrong with fixation, and the fact that I don’t feel like I have an amazing gauge of what results actually look like. In all the photos I have seen, the people are never standing in the same position or the same distance from the camera and are usually wearing something that obscures the results without meaning to.

Regardless, I liked how much detail Eppley went into during our consultation, he elaborated well and that was extremely reassuring. He answered alllll of my questions and appeared very competent to me. Overall, he left a good impression. I’ll include some key take aways from our conversation here.

//////// Info on the risks+ outcomes of the procedure itself that Eppley claimed in the consult:

The biggest risk one could face is if the fixations don’t hold/ become loose for whatever reason. He said the fixation holds 95% of the time. (Really hope that number is accurate!)

Generally if something was ‘going to go wrong’ with the fixation it would happen in the first month of healing. After that you are likely in the clear.

Generally he will take out 2.5 cm of bone per side, or up to 3cm if you are tall (over 6 ft). His understanding is that the removal of an inch of bone will translate to about 0.9 inches off your total visual width per side. So if I understand correctly, removing 2 in. of the clavicle will look like 1.8 inches from the outside.

He has been doing this procedure for 5-6 years and I read on here that he has performed it less than 100 times.

The amount of fixation plates and screws he uses will depended on the patients life style, if they are more active he will use more plates and screws to be safe and if someone is sedentary he will use less.

Total cost is $22k + $7,115 surgery center fees (fees were quoted w type 3 forehead contour though so not sure if it would be less otherwise) , with 1-2 months of intense recovery time.

If you want the rundown of how the surgery works you can check out this page on his website https://www.eppleyplasticsurgery.com/shoulder-narrowing-widening/ —————

Above are the images Eppley edited of what I can potentially expect to look like after surgery. The hip to shoulder ratio looks promising from the front. Less so from the back. I’m assuming my shoulder/hip ratio will be around 15.2in /13.5 in. afterwards if I understand correctly. That sounds like a pretty reasonable improvement but again, hard to tell. Also these edited images seem a little strange/off to me the way my arms aren’t really accounted for in his projection. That is rather troubling.

Mostly I’m curious to hear thoughts on these edited images, on shoulder narrowing surgery, and on Dr. Eppley himself. Especially if you have personal experience with him, or this surgery. (Should I be afraid of him…?)

I feel like this is way too much risk for very little reward.

Yeah, that's a ridiculously expensive procedure for the work involved - removing a 1.5cm chunk of clavicle from each side, which is more typical. Frankly, it's predatory. That surgeon can go fuck himself - greedy bastard.

I am researching the same - but in the other direction! I want mine broadened! Do you know how much you paid for all? It was all out of pocket, correct?

With all due respect i dont notice a difference even in the "good result" photo that OP posted....

If im only looking at the first one and switch my attention just to the second... it doesnt look any different to me. Im sorry to say this but her shoulders are still broad

If i look at them side by side i can see a difference, but when i look side by side for too long and too much the difference disappears its weird

I dont think its worth the risk or money or pain and suffering and inability to use your arms and waste of your life recovering from this when it may not even be the last time...youre supposed to be making the most of your transition not ageing away recovering and getting tired out over and over again. Please only have the surgeries you really need. I never said her shoulders were broad in a bad way, broad shoulders are still amazing

However there is a not-widely-known non surgical alternative. Its called trapezius botox, i had it in September 2023 and it made my shoulders LOOK like the before and after when they didnt actually change size . It gave the illusion i had slimmer shoulders by reducing the unwantedness around my neck. Like there was alot of emphasis on my shoulders and this botox lowered the emphasis if you know what i mean. It also heightened my neck which added to the illusion. A short neck gives a wide fat look like you're hunching

There is risks with botox as well and its not an instant result but try it before/if youre considering clavicle reduction first, it does make a difference but there are sacrifices you have to make, its less than $1000 and lasts 6 ish months, though you have to keep paying $1000 twice a year.

Also it helped mentally as i felt more awake and held my head high (pun intended!) as the botox is originally intended to relieve headaches. However like clavicle shortening, i couldnt carry anything heavy and couldnt clean my house. Actually ill rephrase that, with CS surgery its impossible to but when i say i couldn't with the botox, i meant it was extremely hard, but not impossible. You dont lose the ability to function its just tiring

Oh and make sure its botox you're getting i went to someone who charged less but was a botox alternative. It has to be Botox™

Did he show you what to expect in terms of how this will look from the side or 3/4 view?

There is some rotation of the shoulders and it's impossible to tell how bad it is from frontal photos alone. No one ever shows it from the side or other angles.

Wait, this exists, guess I didn’t look too hard into it, there’s hope for me after all!

Hi looking into getting this myself, how much did he charge you?

Be safe love!

Wow that's amazing

Oh yeah . I’m most definitely getting this now . Great results !!!

Considerable 💯

may i ask how broad your shoulders are? and how much surgery can reduce it?

Do you have any pictures from the side? Is your back curve after the procedure (for example shoulders curve inwords looking like you have a bad posture)?