MALE BREAST REDUCTION GYNECOMASTIA SURGERY

This plastic surgery, reserved just for the gentlemen, involves removing excess breast tissue, fat and skin in order to reduce the size of the breasts and achieve firm and nicely defined chest contour.

Enlarged male breasts can cause a lot of emotional distress and impact the patient’s self-esteem. The patient might consider his breast to look overly feminine and lose his self-confidence. The surgery can help the patient to achieve a more masculine-looking chest and to feel good in his body again.

Procedure info at a glance

Will I be awake or asleep during the surgery? Local anesthesia with sedation or general anesthesia can be used
Do I stay in hospital after surgery? Might be needed to stay for 1 night
What is the recovery time? When can I return to work/exercise? back to work in 1-2 weeks, back to exercise in 3-6 weeks
How long will the surgery last? 1-3 hours
How long until the final results of surgery are visible? 12 months after the surgery

WHAT IS GYNECOMASTIA?

It is a medical term for male breast enlargement. It can happen at any age and it’s not always clear why. Some of the usual causes of this condition include hormonal changes, obesity, certain medications and other medical issues.

Both males and females have testosterone and estrogen hormones in their bodies. When these hormones are balanced the body works properly. When men have an imbalance of these hormones, they can develop gynecomastia-excess breast tissue. To be more precise, when the level of estrogen is too high in men’s bodies, the body increases the size of breast tissue.

The hormonal imbalance can be a common issue in puberty, and as the patient matures the size of the breast decreases. But when grown-up men experience a major drop in testosterone and develop gynecomastia, they can solve this condition with male breast reduction surgery.

WHAT IS PSEUDO-GYNAECOMASTIA?

Sometimes, men get enlarged breasts not because of the hormones, but because of excess fat. In this case, there is no excess breast tissue but breasts are still enlarged because of stored fat. This condition is called pseudo-gynaecomastia. In some cases, losing weight can solve the issue of enlarged male breasts. But if that doesn’t help, breast reduction surgery can be a suitable alternative.

BENEFITS OF MALE BREAST REDUCTION SURGERY

After seeing the results of the surgery which include a flatter, more defined chest most men increase their self-esteem and feel much better about their bodies. They can wear more flattering clothes and feel more confident in social interactions.

Once they eliminate the excess fat and breast tissue, men find it easier to do various physical activities. They feel more comfortable when doing some sports like running for example. This can keep men motivated to stay fit and maintain their firmer and nicely shaped figures.

The surgery can improve men’s posture because the removal of excess fat and breast tissue helps them to keep their spine straight and shoulders back. This way they can reduce the chronic neck and back pain they might have had before the surgery.

Perhaps the most important benefit of male breast reduction surgery is improved quality of life and mental and emotional relief. The surgery helps men feel like men again.

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    FREQUENT QUESTIONS

    • WHO IS A GOOD CANDIDATE FOR MALE BREAST REDUCTION SURGERY?

      Men who are unhappy with the look of their chest due to gynecomastia can be good candidates for this surgery. It is important that they are in good general health, don’t suffer from serious medical issues, have a stable breast size before surgery and have a BMI of less than 30.

      If the patient tried to reduce the size of his breast by losing weight and couldn’t succeed, he can improve this condition with surgery.

      Men who desire to reduce the size of their breasts in a safe and effective way can really benefit from this procedure -it’s just important to keep realistic expectations.

      Adolescent men can be good candidates for this surgery if they have developed this condition. However, they are at the age where their body could still be developing so they might need more than one breast reduction surgery.

      Before the surgery, the patients must exclude the possibility of hormonal disbalance or testicular cancer as a cause of their breast enlargement. Therefore it is recommended to do a testicular sonogram and endocrinological examination.

    • WHAT DOES THE MALE BREAST REDUCTION SURGERY INVOLVE?

      When the patient arrives at Lucia Clinic, he has his first consultation with Lucia’s plastic surgeon. They talk together about the patient’s needs and expectations from the surgery. The surgeon examines the patient to see to what extent the patient’s breasts are enlarged and to check the quality and quantity of the surrounding skin.

      The surgeon asks the patient about the current medications that he is taking and can suggest some adjustments. Also, the patient talks about the previous medical history and explains what kind of results he is expecting to achieve with the surgery.

      It is very important that the patient is completely open with the surgeon - this way the surgeon can understand exactly what the patient wishes to achieve from the procedure. Also, this helps the surgeon to create a customized treatment plan that will address the patient’s needs. The plan includes the type of incision that the surgeon uses during surgery, which depends on the degree of excess fat, breast tissue and skin.

    • BEFORE THE SURGERY

      The patient should arrange for someone to drive him home after the procedure and preferably stay with him for the first24 hours in case of complications.

      Also, the patient won’t be able to drive himself for at least a week after the surgery, but the surgeon will inform him when he can start driving again.

    • THE ACTUAL SURGERY

      Before the patient goes to the operating room, the surgeon draws lines on the patient’s chest to show the goals of the surgery.

      Then the patient receives anesthesia - either local or general, but usually it’s general.

      The surgery starts with the surgeon making the incision. According to the amount of breast enlargement, the surgeon can use a breast tissue removal technique, liposuction or both. If the enlargement isn’t too big the surgeon can use just liposuction to remove the fat. Also, the size of the incision depends on the level of excess breast tissue and skin.

      If the surgeon performs just liposuction, he/she creates small incisions under the patient armpit and below the breast. If the patient has a large amount of breast tissue and skin, the surgeon can use a so-called Anchor-T incision to remove it.

      When the surgeon has performed the reduction he/she closes the incisions with stitches. If the surgery involved the removal of a large amount of excess fat and breast tissue the surgeon might place a drainage tube under the patient’s skin to reduce the bruising and swelling in the treated area.

      The surgery generally lasts for 1 to 3 hours.

      The patient can return home the same day after the surgery unless they are advised to spend the night in the hospital.

      Before the patient leaves the hospital, he should arrange an appointment with the surgeon, two weeks after the surgery. During this appointment, the surgeon examines the patient to see if he is recovering properly and removes the stitches.

    • WHAT TO EXPECT DURING THE RECOVERY PERIOD?

      It is very important that the patient follows a strict post-operative protocol that the surgeon explains to him. Every patient is different and the protocol rules may vary. Some of the rules include the following:

      ● The patient may receive a post-operative garment to wear day and night for a few weeks after the surgery. The patient’s breast will be sensitive for the next couple of weeks so the compression garment will speed up the recovery and ease the discomfort.

      ● The patient might not be able to shower or take a bath for a few days after the procedure and should also avoid hot baths, swimming pools and saunas for 2 to 3 weeks.

      ● Regarding returning to work, this will greatly depend on the type of work the patient does. The patient will have to take time off work to properly recover. If the patient does physically demanding work, he will need to take at least 2 weeks off. If the patient does a less strenuous job he can take 7 to 10 days off.

      ● The patient should avoid doing household chores for 2 to 4 weeks.

      ● When it comes to exercising, the patient should take short walks around the house to lower the risk of blood clots. However, he must avoid all sports and exercises for the first 3 weeks, in order not to increase the swelling in the breasts. After 3 weeks, he can take some light exercises like cycling for example. After 6 weeks post-surgery, the patient can start with all sports and activities.

      ● It is important to keep a healthy diet post-surgery and eat food rich in proteins and low in sugar and salt. The patient should also drink plenty of water.

      ● The patient might find it more comfortable to sleep on his back and propped up after the surgery because his breasts will be sensitive.

    • WHAT ARE THE RISKS AND COMPLICATIONS CONNECTED TO MALE BREAST REDUCTION SURGERY?

      As with any other surgery, there are some side effects that might occur after a male breast reduction procedure. The surgeon will explain to the patient everything regarding risks and complications during the consultation.

      Some of the risks include:

      ● Bleeding and bruising - this is a normal thing after surgery and settles down over time.

      ● Infection - this may occur around the incision wound, and if it’s only mild the surgeon can treat it with antibiotics. In rare cases, the infection may become serious and provoke high temperature, swelling and major redness around the wound and huge pain that can’t be relieved with medications. Should this happen, the patient must inform the surgeon immediately.

      ● Seroma - this represents an accumulated fluid under the skin, around the incisions. The surgeon can treat it by draining the fluid.

      ● Changes in breasts sensation -this is also normal after the surgery. It resolves over time and shouldn’t affect the outcomes of the procedure.

      ● Scars - as with any invasive procedure, scars are unavoidable. If only liposuction was used the scars will be minimal. However, if the removal of breast tissue was included in the surgery, there will be more scars. The patient will receive instructions on how to look after scars. After 12 to 18months the scars become what they will look like forever.

      ● Keloid or hypertrophic scars -there is a risk of developing these kinds of scars that remain raised. There are various treatments to solve this issue.

    • THE RESULTS OF MALE BREAST REDUCTION SURGERY

      Right after the surgery, the patient will notice a big difference in the size and shape of his chest. But the full recovery and the full results might be visible after up to 12 months.

      If the surgery involved major liposuction, the skin might need 12 months to contract and tighten to the new breast shape. But, usually, excess skin removal is also included in the surgery.

      The patient should follow all the instructions given by the surgeon regarding the recovery period, because this may speed up the process. Also, this way the patient can achieve the best results from the procedure.

      The results should last for a long period of time. With healthy lifestyle habits, the patient will avoid major weight gain and therefore the size of his breasts won’t increase again.