This is footage from an actual case to treat gynecomastia (aka male breasts). This video actually shows you the immediate post operative results. As you can see, it is an amazingly transformative procedure and our patient was extremely pleased with the outcome. We complete almost all of these cases in our office, under local anesthesia, with you awake and with BodyTite assistance. It takes about an hour to complete and the recovery is very manageable.
Here are a few things you should know about gynecomastia and male breast surgery:
- Gynecomastia is the medical term for enlarged male breasts and it is a surprisingly common condition, affecting more than half of all men in the US. It is a real problem that can impact you physically and mentally. Whether your problem is excess fat alone or excess fat with breast tissue in the form of breast buds, male breast surgery removes everything you don’t want, leaving a more sculpted and masculine appearing chest.
- The real benefit of male breast surgery comes from the debulking effect. Specifically, this procedure removes all of your unwanted fat and breast tissue (in the primary form of breast buds), so that your chest has a much better contour. It is this bulkiness that can wreak havoc on your appearance. So you can feel confident that male breast surgery will absolutely make your chest appear smaller and more sculpted.
- A common question is how long are the scars with this surgery? The length of the scars can vary and will depend on the size and shape of your breast and body type. For those of you who only have excess fat and minimal palpable breast tissue, aka pseudogynecomastia, the treatment will often be liposuction alone. In these cases, the scars will be extremely small, barely visible and hidden. If palpable breast tissue is present, the scar will be placed around your areola and the length of the scar will depend on the amount of breast tissue that is present. In most cases this scar will be less than 1 inch in length. From there, the scar length increases dramatically with more severe cases of droopiness, including those of you with massive weight loss.
- Some patients ask, are there any ways to reduce male breast tissue without surgery? Diet and exercise can drastically reduce the size of enlarged male breasts, especially in those of you who are obese. Discontinuing recreational drug use can also help. You may also have hormonal imbalances that have led to this condition. Therefore, in instances of potential hormone imbalances, a workup and treatment by a hormone specialist can sometimes avoid the need for corrective surgery. But, if you have male breast and the options above have offered little improvement, surgery is the definitive answer.
- It is important to remove the breast buds if they are present. True gynecomastia refers to the development of male breast which by definition consists of enlarged breast buds. Without removing these breast buds completely, you run the risk of only having a partial treatment and/or having the breast re grow after surgery. Liposuction alone is an adequate treatment if the enlarged male breast only consists of extra fat and the breast buds are not palpable.
- You can expect this surgery to last a long time, especially if you maintain a healthy lifestyle and healthy weight after surgery. With that said, some sagginess can return over time, depending on how you age. Also, if a large amount of weight loss occurs after gynecomastia surgery, the appearance of the chest can change. Therefore, it is best to be at a manageable weight before considering this surgery.
- Although it is not a requirement to be at your goal weight before gynecomastia surgery, it is recommended. Losing or gaining a substantial amount of weight after having gynecomastia surgery can drastically change your results. Therefore, it is recommended that you work toward a manageable and safe weight pre-surgery. You should feel confident that your current weight can be maintained after surgery to ensure that your results are long lasting.
- Recovery times vary from person to person but in general, it takes up to 1 week to get back on your feet and return to non physical work duties, around 2 weeks to return to normal daily activities and 4-6 weeks to return to your normal workout schedule. Discomfort after this surgery is usually less than expected and we have many tricks to help you feel more comfortable during recovery. This includes the use of local anesthesia during surgery and pain medications, muscle relaxants and compression garments after surgery.