Steven Teitelbaum MD

Gynecomastia surgery is the fastest growing of all plastic surgical procedures. Unlike women who talk to one another about their breast augmentation or liposuction, men do not talk to one another about gynecomastia! They treat it as a closely guarded secret, and tend to hide their gynecomastia under clothing – until they get it fixed. And once it is fixed, they go forward with their life as if they never had it, closing that chapter and putting it behind themselves forever. In the past, men did not know where to turn or who to ask to get something done. Thanks to the Internet, men can now learn that there is a solution to this constant source of consternation and embarrassment. Psychology of Gynecomastia Like starting to shave, the lowering of one’s voice, or developing an Adam’s Apple, a flat and strong looking chest is seen as a sign of masculinity. It is humiliating to have a chest that looks even the slightest bit feminine. It is very common that even men with the mildest forms of gynecomastia never want to take their shirt off, wear loose clothes over a tight undershirt, and spend time in front of a mirror pushing their chest back to make it look flatter. Men are also much more hesitant than women to undergo plastic surgery in general, and gynecomastia surgery in particular. Perhaps they still believe in stereotypes that have long since been abandoned about plastic surgery not really being for men. Or they remain in some degree of denial about their gynecomastia, privately hiding their embarrassment, but not wanting to look the problem squarely in the eye.