If you have chosen to undergo male breast reduction surgery to correct enlarged male breasts, it is understandable that you may have questions regarding the procedure. Understanding what to expect after gynecomastia surgery can help to ease anxiety and make you feel more comfortable about the experience.
The goal of this procedure, of course, is to correct gynecomastia, reduce the size of the male breast and to leave a masculine-contoured chest. Removing too much breast tissue may result in a “crater deformity” and may necessitate further surgery. If not enough excess tissue is removed, additional surgery may also be needed. It is important to choose a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon who specializes in gynecomastia to ensure you see the best possible results.
What to Expect After Your Male Breast Reduction Procedure
After surgery, you will most likely be wearing a compression garment to help support the new chest contour and avoid complications. You will also have drains in place. After two or three days the drains will be removed. The sutures are usually removed after one week. The compression vest is to be worn 24/7 for six weeks and is only to be removed when showering. Showering is allowed when the drain incisions have completely closed in about two to three days after removal. When the vest is removed, men need to understand what they see is not the final result of their male breast reduction. The incisions around the bottom half of the areola are evident, but when they have healed, they are almost invisible due to the change in skin texture.
The drain incision, which is very small, can leave a visible scar on the side of the chest. However, sensitive to men’s comments about the drain scar, Dr. Miguel Delgado now positions the drain incision high in the armpit area and is well hidden. Viewing the chest at the early healing stage can be very disconcerting for many patients.
Swelling is normal after any cosmetic or plastic surgery procedure and is part of the natural healing process, it can last for several weeks, and some residual swelling can last several months. Swelling occurs to increase blood supply to the surgical area; this is to bring extra nutrients that promote healing. The inflammation also helps fight off infections. However, excess swelling and inflammation need to be watched closely for a possible hematoma, an abnormal collection of blood outside of a blood vessel.
When viewing your surgical results a few days after surgery, do not be alarmed if your chest still looks full. As the swelling subsides, the true contour of the chest will become evident, and the ability to go shirtless will finally be a reality. According to many postings on the website RealSelf.com, it is clear that many men are concerned about their puffy nipples after surgery. This has the potential of becoming a problem if all the swelling has subsided. Usually, if puffy nipples remain, it is an indication that not enough breast tissue was removed from behind the nipple, especially if liposuction alone was performed and there wasn’t any excision of breast tissue. This can be corrected but entails another surgery. Choose your gynecomastia surgeon carefully!
Schedule a Consultation
If you are interested in learning more about gynecomastia surgery in San Francisco, please contact Dr. Delgado’s office today. Your first step will be to schedule a one on one consultation to determine the best plan of action for you to achieve the desired result.
Gynecomastia San Francisco FAQs
What can I expect during my initial consultation?
During your consultation appointment with Dr. Delgado, you will discuss your medical history and any current medical conditions, and a physical exam may be performed. He will then speak with you regarding which surgical procedure is right for you to achieve optimal results.
What causes gynecomastia in males?
There are an array of possible causes of gynecomastia. The most common cause is a hormonal imbalance between estrogen and testosterone. However, anabolic steroids and certain medications can also cause excess breast tissue and glandular tissue in males.
What is false gynecomastia?
False gynecomastia, also called pseudo gynecomastia, is a term used to describe enlarged breasts in males due to weight gain. This condition can commonly be corrected with weight loss from a healthy diet and exercise.
Gynecomastia and Parabens, For many years it was believed that parabens as a preservative were safe. Manufacturers loved parabens because they are cheap, stable, and effective. Parabens have been used for decades and give products a long shelf life. They have been used extensively in toiletries and in food. In the late 1990’s new data was beginning to surface showing negative reactions to parabens.
Parabens mimic estrogen, the female hormone. Men who get high concentrations of parabens may find their muscle mass is lower, and that they gain more body fat, and develop breasts. Research in Japan has shown damage to men’s reproductive system, low sperm count, and a reduction in testosterone levels. More disturbing is that damage was noted at doses much lower than the accepted daily intake.
Scientists in Denmark discovered that propylparaben and butylparaben have estrogenic properties as potent as bisphenol-A, a petrochemical that is used in making plastics.
In 2006, Europe outlawed the use of parabens in food, on the other hand, it is found today in over 50 snacks in the United States.
Reading labels for what you put in your body is important, but also what you put on your
body, such as deodorants, lotions, shampoo, shaving cream, anything that is applied to the skin.
Parabens are easy to identify when reading labels, all of them end in “paraben” some of them are:
• Methylparaben
• Propylparaben
• Ethylparaben
• Butylparaben
• Benzylparaben
To avoid exposure, one of the easiest steps you can take is to read the labels of all personal products and choose all-natural toiletries. A little more difficult to avoid are parabens in food. Whenever possible, you should select whole foods and reduce the amount of processed food like cured meat and packaged pastries.
Gynecomastia, Body Builders, and Performance Enhancing Drugs. Body builders have almost no fat or excess skin, and therefore gynecomastia surgery takes a different approach than men with “true gynecomastia.” Their chest muscles are highly developed with increased blood flow, and therefore they have a higher risk of bleeding complications. All patients are warned to stop taking blood thinners before surgery and body builders need to be aware that they need to stop, protein shakes, fish oil and vitamin E, among many other products.
Developing muscle mass is so important to some men they are willing to take dangerous risks that can severely affect their health. It is illegal to use anabolic steroids for performance enhancement, but body builders have been using them for years. Steroids have many side effects such as lower sperm count, painful erections, impotence, and the development of breasts or gynecomastia.
To block estrogen, many men resort to taking estrogen blockers such as Tamoxifen. Tamoxifen will stop the development of breasts, but there is a price to pay. Tamoxifen is a prescription drug used for cancer treatment of the breasts, and although it is illegal to be prescribed as a performance enhancement drug, men can get it online and through social media. Estrogen blockers come with their own side effects including, leg cramps, hot flashes, blurred vision, depression, and more.
When seeking gynecomastia surgery, many competitive body builders request that their entire breast gland is removed to avoid regrowth of male breasts, allowing them to continue the use of steroids. Dr. Delgado discourages his patients with this practice in order for men to have a more normal looking chest; some breast gland is needed for sculpting and to give the chest natural contours.
Dr. Delgado encourages his patients to stop taking dangerous performance enhancing drugs and enjoy a healthy lifestyle.
Should I Worry About my Male Breasts? Dr. Miguel Delgado, M.D. recommends that men seek a professional evaluation from a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon who specializes in gynecomastia if they feel tenderness, pain or have swelling of their breasts. If it is determined that the patient has gynecomastia, caused by fat and breast tissue, no treatment will be required unless the condition is causing psychological distress, in which case surgery may be recommended.
When the surgeon is trying to find the cause of male breast abnormalities some questions asked will be:
• What age did your breasts first develop?
• Are your breasts tender or painful?
• What, if any, supplements do you take?
• Are you now or ever have been on steroids?
• How much alcohol do you consume per day?
• Are you taking any legal or illegal drugs?
Further questioning might be:
• Does anyone in your family have or had breast cancer?
• Do you have Hodgkin’s Lymphoma or Klinefelter’s Syndrome?
• Do you have prostate cancer being treated with estrogen?
Depending on your surgeon’s assessment, he/she might want you to see an endocrinologist for further testing.
Both men and women have male and female hormones with their own gender dominate. However, if men should have an increase in estrogen throwing their hormones out of balance, they might start to develop breasts.
The incidence of breast cancer in men is about 1 out of 1,000, and while it is rare, it can occur. The onset of breast cancer in men is usually between the ages of 60 and 70. Symptoms you need to watch for are:
• A lump or fast growing mass on either breast
• Nipple discharge
• Rash on either nipple
If breast cancer is not detected early enough, it can spread to the lymph nodes. Men are less likely than women to get an early diagnosis and therefore when it is discovered it usually is much more advanced and serious.
The Silent Condition Gynecomastia, and I think that’s the biggest challenge. Those who suffer from it often hide it from the rest of the world, even from their closest family members. The symptoms can start as early as puberty. This leaves young men, maybe as young as adolescents, battling the condition on their own without much knowledge of what it is and how it can be treated.
The Silent Condition Gynecomastia: Silent Symptoms
In some cases, gynecomastia can be accompanied by mild breast pain and discomfort, but more often the symptoms are silent. Gynecomastia, on its own, it’s not life threatening unless it’s connected with other underlying health issues.
However, living with gynecomastia can have a strong, and often dangerous, psychological effect on the individual. This could be living with an unhealthy body image and the extreme measures that accompany it, social alienation and, in most cases, depression.
The Silent Condition Gynecomastia: Seeking Treatment
I can only treat those who walk into my clinic, but I hope to take my reach further and help other men suffering from gynecomastia. I hope when they search for advice online, these type of blogs help answer their questions. Ultimately I want to empower them to contact a doctor and ask about treatment options.
I know men with gynecomastia dread the idea of walking into a clinic for a gynecomastia consultation. It’s often the one thing that keeps them from seeking treatment – the idea of speaking to someone else about their condition.
What Happens During a Gynecomastia Consultation
The first goal is to confirm whether or not you have gynecomastia and try to pinpoint the cause. It’s a relaxed and confidential chat with the surgeon, at the clinic. After that, we will talk you through the treatment options, what to expect, recovery time and aftercare.
For personalized information about gynecomastia plastic surgery procedures, please complete Dr. Delgado’s inquiry form.
