How Many Cms Of Clavicle Lengthening Can Usually Be Achieved?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I’m interested in clavicle lengthening and would like your opinion on whether the amount of widening I need is surgically achievable. I’m a trans man and I’m trying to bring my shoulder width into a more masculine proportion relative to my hips. I’m 152 cm tall. My bicristal breadth is approximately 26.5 cm and my hip breadth is about 30.5 cm. My current biacromial breadth is around 32.5–33 cm. Based on these measurements, I’d like to know: 1. What shoulder width would be considered a realistic masculine proportion for someone my height and hip breadth? 2. How many centimeters of width increase are typically achievable and safe with clavicle lengthening? 3. Whether the amount of widening needed for a balanced masculine ratio is within the range that can be obtained surgically.

A:To properly answer the question as to whether you see what the shoulder widening effect may be based on the amount of clavicle length thing that is surgically possible requires seeing shoulder pictures and doing some imaging. Measurements and numbers alone do not really help answer that important question.

Dr. Barry Eppley

World-Renowned Plastic Surgeon