Gynecomastia.org Blog

One major cause for gynecomastia revision surgery is when too much of the male breast tissue has been removed leaving what is known as a “crater deformity”. A crater deformity is as it sounds a crater or depression under the nipple/areola complex with inadequate blending of surrounding tissue for a firm smooth contour.

Fortunately there are procedures that can correct the crater deformity. First, the patient must wait until he has completely healed from the original surgery. In general the fat flap is the best choice and has become the most predictable; this is where the skin is elevated and the fat that surrounds the crater is sewn together filling in the depression. Sometimes the use of fat injections also known as fat transfer or fat grafting can take place but it all depends on the architecture of the defect.

Gynecomastia is an overgrowth of tissue on the male chest which is a combination of fatty tissue as well as the normal glandular tissue found in men and women. Obesity can lead to a predominance of the fatty portion of gynecomastia whereas other causes can lead to an overgrowth of the normal glandular breast tissue found in both genders. There are numerous causes of gynecomastia. Anabolic steroid use including those found over the counter without a prescription and legally sold in health food stores such as GNC, multiple prescription medications for unrelated conditions, marijuana usage, but most commonly there is no identifiable cause. Heavy alcohol use and liver conditions can also lead to gynecomastia. Gynecomastia is extremely common at the onset of puberty, and the majority of these cases reverse themselves within a year and a half.