— Verve Patient
Male Breast Reduction/Gynecomastia
What Is Gynecomastia?
Gynecomastia is a term used to describe enlarged male breasts. It may be the result of hormone imbalance, certain medications or obesity.
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What Causes Gynecomastia?
- There are many underlying causes that can contribute to male breast formation, for that reason we request that you have a complete hormonal work-up performed by your primary care physician.
- This helps to rule out other causes which would require alternative treatment to surgery.
- Labs that should be performed prior to your surgical consultation include:
- Serum total testosterone
- Free testosterone and luteinizing hormone (LH)
- Human chorionic gonadotropin
- Serum estradiol
- Liver function (LFTs)
- These test results will help us rule out other medical conditions such as: drug use, cirrhosis, hypogonadism, tumors, hyperthyroidism, chronic kidney disease, or other rare causes.
Who Is a Good Candidate?
- Men with excessive glandular breast tissue.
- You should be at or close to your ideal weight, with a BMI less than 35.
BMI
- The best candidates are non-smokers. Smoking increases the chance of complications including nipple and skin death.
- You have completed your Hormonal workup and have no underlying medical conditions contributing to gynecomastia.
- You do not use recreational drugs as they can also contribute to male breast development.
The Procedures
- This is an outpatient surgery performed at either the hospital or a surgery center. You will be asleep, under general anesthesia.
- Prior to surgery, Dr. Gupta will draw his incision on your chest according to his surgical plan.
- Surgery will last 1-2 hours.
- The excess breast tissue will be removed through either a peri areolar or inframammary incision. Liposuction will also be performed utilizing the same incision to provide the optimum contour to the chest.
- The incision will be closed in multiple layers.
- 1 surgical drain will be used per side.
- Incisions and drains will be covered with waterproof dressings.
- You will be placed in a compression vest and will continue to wear some compression on the chest for 4-6 weeks.
The Incisions
- A peri areolar incision is the most common, if there as excessive skin, skin excision may also be required resulting in an inverted T incision, or an incision under the breast.
- Liposuction is also recommended to further contour the chest beyond simply removing the breast tissue. Liposuction can be performed utilizing the incision required for excision.
Procedure Video
[Title screen for Procedure – Gynecomastia]
[Dr. Gupta speaking to the camera like an interview]
Gynecomastia or male breasts
[Image of male breasts]
are actually more common than what many people think. Male breast has a component of excess fat, but it also does have a component of actual breast glandular tissue.
[Dr. Gupta speaking to the camera like an interview]
Some patients will have more fatty component while others will have more glandular component.
[Illustration showing what normal vs gynecomastia breasts look like]
The gland part of the breast can be removed by directly excising it, whereas we perform liposuction to remove most of the fat from the breast area.
[Dr. Gupta in the operating room performing a gynecomastia]
Breast removal for guys is actually a very simple procedure. In most cases it takes only a one inch incision right under the areola.
[Dr. Gupta speaking to the camera like an interview]
The procedure takes about 90 minutes and patients will go home the same day and typical recovery is only about one or two weeks.
[Before and after photos of gynecomastia patients]
The correction is very noticeable for almost all of the patients. There was definitely an excess breast tissue that they were concerned with, but after the correction typically all of the breast tissue has been removed and they get a completely flat chest. They feel a lot more self-confident and they are able to wear tight t-shirts and be proud of showing their chest. One great thing about the gynecomastia correction surgery is that the results are permanent so they can enjoy the results for years to come.
[Closing title screen with Verve Plastic Surgery logo]
[On-screen text: Call today (760) 436-7600]
3D Animation
FAQs
- Yes. Surgical drains will be required to prevent excess fluid accumulation in your newly shaped chest.
- They typically stay in place 5-10 days depending on the fluid output.
- Typically, the results are long term however weight gain, steroid use, drugs use or hormonal fluctuations may lead to a recurrence.
Request an Appointment
Call (760) 436-7600 or fill out the form to schedule an appointment to discuss your needs in detail