Have you ever heard of the term “man boobs”? Many people who use this term are not aware that there is often a real medical condition connected to it. Gynecomastia is a fairly common condition that causes males to experience excess breast tissue. It can affect males of all ages and can occur in one or both breasts. While some may notice their gynecomastia symptoms resolve on their own during adolescence, some men live with this condition into adulthood. In these cases,male breast reduction surgery is often required to achieve the masculine chest contours that are desired. Gynecomastia surgery is an effective treatment for those who wish to eliminate their excess breast tissue.
What is Gynecomastia Surgery?
Gynecomastia surgery, also known as male breast reduction surgery, is an effective solution to male breast enlargement due to gynecomastia. For the majority of males, this procedure is performed under light general anesthesia. During this procedure, excess glandular tissue is excised and liposuction employed to eliminate excess fat and excess breast tissue from the chest area for a more masculine chest appearance. However, there are an array oftechniques that can be employed during this procedure depending on the patient and desired outcomes. As an outpatient procedure in most cases, patients are free to return home during the healing process. This surgical procedure should be performed by a board-certified plastic surgeon for optimal results.
The Lateral Pull Through Technique
The Lateral Pull Through technique is an alternative to treatment of the large majority of patients with gynecomastia. In Dr. Delgado’s experience, it routinely includes traditional liposuction, ultrasonic-assisted liposuction, and direct excision all through a 4-millimeter opening along the lateral areola placed on the side of the chest. It avoids the use of a lower peri-areolar scar. (Not that there is anything wrong with a peri-areolar scar, for in fact the vast majority of surgeons still use them today.) He believes the advantage is that there is a smaller scar with the lateral pull-through because there is less direct cutting.
While peri-areolar scars generally heal very well, the scars that sometimes show near the nipple could make the patient feel a little self-conscious if visible.
Also similar to peri-areolar techniques, the Lateral Pull-through technique has a quick and relatively easy recovery. In the end, the technique that the surgeon is most comfortable with, and can deliver consistent, predictable results is the one that should be used.
Schedule a Consultation in the San Francisco Bay Area
If you are interested in learning more about gynecomastia surgery and if it is right for you, pleasecontact Dr. Delgado in San Francisco or Novato today. During your one-on-one consultation, Dr. Delgado will discuss your medical history and perform a physical exam to determine the best surgical technique for your case.
Gynecomastia Surgery San Francisco FAQs
What are some of the most common causes of gynecomastia?
There is not just one cause of gynecomastia. Hormonal imbalance, anabolic steroids, certain drugs, and some medications can all lead to the formation of gynecomastia. Moderate breast enlargement in males can occur at any age.
What is false gynecomastia?
False gynecomastia, also calledpseudogynecomastia, is characterized by enlarged male breasts due to excess fatty tissue in the chest. This is common in males who are overweight or have experienced significant weight gain. Weight loss is often an effective solution. An initial consultation with Dr. Delgado can help determine if you have false gynecomastia and what your treatment options are.
What is a compression garment?
Following surgical correction of gynecomastia, patients will need to wear a compression garment to reduce swelling in the treatment area. It is imperative that you wear this garment as instructed by your surgeon for optimal results.
Is gynecomastia surgery safe?
As with any plastic surgery procedure, there are some risks involved with gynecomastia surgery. However, when performed by a skilled board-certified plastic surgeon, these risks are diminished. Some risks may include visible scarring, breast shape and contour irregularities, bleeding, and more.
Beauty authority, Allure magazine noted recently that male breast reduction surgery is on the rise. The magazine quoted the statistics on male breast reduction surgery from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) as we did in our previous blog.
Allure magazine highlights the latest in fashion, beauty products, and newest trends in cosmetic plastic surgery. The magazine noted that according to ASPS statistics for 2015 of the 68,106 breast reduction procedures that were performed, over 40% were for men. This is the first time that the numbers have been so high for men. Allure cites past president of ASPS, Scot Glasberg that the stigma for cosmetic surgery for men has been lifted, and attributes that to reality shows and social media.
The motivation for breast reduction surgery is quite different for men and women. Women have been seeking breast reduction surgery for decades. Most women are looking for relief from heavy breasts that cause back, neck and shoulder pain, and the desire to be able to buy clothes off the rack. Men, however, find female type breasts humiliating and will wear clothing that best hides their chest.
There are varying degrees of gynecomastia for men; the mild cases are usually men who work out and want a more toned appearance with their pecs more prominent not hidden behind breast tissue and fat. The men with more moderate to severe male breasts want to look normal and feel confident if they are in a situation where they might want to remove their shirt such as the beach, pool, sports, or intimate situations. Previously, most men were not aware that there was a surgical solution to their condition. Apparently as more men are becoming aware of male breast reduction surgery, the numbers are climbing rapidly!
Also, men are encouraged to pursue surgery as they learn the recovery period is short and will allow them to return to work in just a few days. The compression vest that needs to be worn for about six weeks is easily hidden under their shirts.
American Society of Plastic Surgeons Report 2015 Statistics, Each year the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) reports statistics on the amount of cosmetic and reconstructive surgeries performed. ASPS have over 7,000 surgeons which make them the most prominent group of Board Certified Plastic Surgeons, and the leading experts of information on aesthetic and reconstructive surgery.
Recently, the statistics for 2015 were published and reflect an overall increase of 2% over 2014. There were 15.9 million procedures performed in 2015; this is a combination of surgical and minimally invasive treatments. Of the surgical procedures, breast reduction surgery was at an all-time high of 68,106. Surprisingly, for the first time, male breast reduction represented more than 40% of this total with 27,456 performed. This is an increase of 5% over 2014!
Gynecomastia specialist, Miguel Delgado, M.D. reports that he has seen an increase in his gynecomastia practice each year. Dr. Delgado attributes the rise of surgery to the diminished stigma of men seeking cosmetic surgery. Additionally, now there is an abundant amount of information available to men via the internet (and in particular on this site!) Be sure to check out the tab on Gynecomastia 101 for information on such topics as:
• Adolescent gynecomastia
• Adult gynecomastia
• Steroid-induced gynecomastia
• Pseudogynecomastia
• And much more!
For personalized information about gynecomastia plastic surgery procedures, please complete Dr. Delgado’s inquiry form.
You may be aware by reading the forums on this site that some patients have complications with their gynecomastia surgery. There are several precautions that male breast reduction patients can take to minimize their risk factors. Why Smoking Threatens the Gynecomastia Patient?
Probably the most important step for a successful surgery is to pick the right surgeon. Be sure to select a surgeon that is not only Board Certified in Plastic Surgery, but one who also specializes in gynecomastia surgery. Get more than one consultation, be sure to look at multiple before and after pictures of the surgeon’s patients, and read online reviews of each doctor.
The surgeon that you select will most likely have extensive pre and post-operative instructions for you to follow. For example, there will be many supplements, herbs, medications and vitamins that you need to avoid for two weeks before and two weeks after surgery. The reason you need to discontinue these items is because they contain blood thinners. If the blood is too thin and does not clot easily, you may end up with a bleeding problem or a hematoma which may require an additional procedure to get it under control.
If gynecomastia patients understands the reason for certain precautions, they may be more likely to follow the surgeon’s warning. Cigarette smoking can be dangerous to patients. Most surgeons will not perform surgery until the patient has stopped smoking for a minimum of two weeks before and two weeks after surgery. Smoking is extremely addictive and trying to quit can be quite challenging, patients may be tempted to have just one cigarette here and there. Unfortunately, all it takes is just one cigarette to put a patient in jeopardy.
Hopefully by explaining how smoking interferes with surgery and healing, patients will be motivated to abstain or postpone surgery until smoking is not an issue.
Cigarettes contain hundreds of ingredients, many of which are poisonous. Along with nicotine, there is carbon monoxide, nitric oxide, and hydrogen cyanide, just to name a few. Oxygen is the basis for wound healing by repairing and building cells; oxygen also carries medications and antibiotics to the affected area. Smoking will deprive the body of oxygen by narrowing the blood vessels.
WebMD offers different approaches to help smokers to quit. Talk to your surgeon who may have suggestions such as; prescription medications like Chantix. The goal of gynecomastia surgery could be a great reward for yourself once you have stopped smoking.
Reasons for Gynecomastia Revision Surgery, Men who have made the decision to have male breast reduction surgery have found it can be a life changing event. They no longer have to try to hide their chest in loose fitting clothing or hunch their shoulders together. Social events are broadened to include all types of beach, pool and sports activities that may require a man to remove his shirt.
This new lease on life can be dashed if the surgical outcome is not what was expected. Some post-operative results are so disappointing that they will require a revision or “redo” surgery. Needing a revision can be complicated as now there is scar tissue the surgeon must contend with, and the elasticity of the skin may be somewhat compromised. Additionally, the patient will be faced with more surgical fees and another recovery period.
The most common cause of gynecomastia revision surgery is the repeated error of surgeons attempting to reduce the male breast with liposuction alone. True gynecomastia is a combination of fat and breast tissue, removing only the fat by liposuction will leave the breast tissue looking, even more, pronounced. There are many fancy names for “new” liposuction machines, but breast tissue is just too dense to be effectively removed through the cannula of the liposuction machine.
My gynecomastia practice is now at 40% revision surgery, most of the cases are where liposuction alone was done. Some fat must be left to be a buffer to allow the skin to move over the muscle, if too much fat and tissue are removed, it will lead to the second cause of gynecomastia revision surgery, the crater deformity.
The crater deformity is where there is a depression (or crater) under the nipple/areola complex from over resection of the fat and gland. To correct the crater deformity, the surgeon needs to do a fat transfer or a fat flap.
Other revisions include asymmetry, scar revisions, etc., to avoid the necessity of male breast reduction revision surgery choose your gynecomastia surgeon very carefully, do your homework! It takes a skilled gynecomastia specialist to shape and contour the male breast for a pleasing result. Make sure your surgeon is Board Certified in Plastic Surgery and specializes in gynecomastia. Ask to see before and after pictures of the surgeon’s patients.
For personalized information about gynecomastia plastic surgery procedures, please complete Dr. Delgado’s inquiry form.
