Gynecomastia is a condition that causes excess breast tissue in males as well as othersymptoms, which can have a negative impact on an individual’s self-esteem and mental health. For cases of true gynecomastia, gynecomastia surgery is the most effective treatment option for permanent results. However, before choosing to undergo any form of surgery, it is important to understand what to expect post-op. Read on for an overview of what to expect following gynecomastia surgery and how to manage any discomfort.
What to Expect After Gynecomastia Surgery
Ultimately, the recovery time following surgery depends on the individual patient, the invasiveness of the surgery, and how well the patient adheres to aftercare instructions. However, the typical recovery time for most patients is 4-6 weeks.
For the first few days directly after surgery, you may experience discomfort, tenderness, and tightness in the chest area. Some people may also experience some nausea from the anesthesia used during the procedure. Swelling of the chest area is also to be expected, which can be reduced with the use of a chest compression garment.
By weeks 3-4, compression garments may no longer be required. The majority of swelling and bruising should be resolved, revealing more accurate visual results of the procedure.
By week 6 the recovery process should be near or at completion. Most patients will be able to freely return to most forms of exercise, including movements that put a strain on the chest area. Some mild swelling may still be noticeable in the pectoralis majors, which will naturally resolve over the next couple of weeks.
Pain Management
Mild to moderate pain or discomfort is to be expected following any type of surgery, especially during the first few days. Over-the-counter or prescription pain medication can help with this. Pain severity will depend on the individual and their tolerance level. While some discomfort is to be expected, please do not hesitate to reach out to Dr. Delgado if you are experiencing severe pain or are unsure if you are healing properly.
Tips For a Quick Gynecomastia Surgery Recovery
The healing process following gynecomastia surgery is usually quite easy. While Dr. Delgado will provide you with specific post-surgery instructions, here are some basic tips to help ensure a speedy recovery.
Wear your compression garment as directed. You will be required to wear a compression garment to ensure proper healing of the chest for the best possible outcomes.
Attend all post-op appointments with Dr. Delgado, which are imperative to ensure proper healing.
Cold compresses can be applied to the chest to help reduce swelling and discomfort. However, you should never apply an ice pack directly to the skin! Instead, place an ice pack in a cloth or towel and then place it against your skin.
Stay hydrated by drinking at least 64 ounces of water a day.
Sleep on your back. Propping yourself up with pillows can help this position feel more comfortable after your male breast reduction surgery.
Limit any physical activity until you are cleared by Dr. Delgado. For one month following surgery, you should avoid chest and arm exercises. Full body training can often be resumed about one month following surgery. An inability to follow these guidelines may delay healing.
Gynecomastia Specialist in San Francisco
If you are considering gynecomastia surgery or would like to learn more about this treatment option, pleasecontact Dr. Delgado today. A highly skilled board-certified plastic surgeon,Dr. Delgado has been treating patients with gynecomastia for over 30 years and is committed to providing natural-looking surgical outcomes for his patients.
Gynecomastia FAQs
Are there other procedures that can be combined with gynecomastia surgery?
Gynecomastia can be caused by hormonal imbalance, specific medicines, drugs, or anabolic steroid use.
What are some common complications associated with gynecomastia surgery?
As with any form of surgery, there is a risk of complications with gynecomastia surgery. These may include but are not limited to, bruising, bleeding, wound infections, allergic reactions, asymmetries, loose breast skin, and more. However, when performed by a skilled, board-certified plastic surgeon such as Dr. Delgado, these risks are greatly reduced.
Note: If you ever experience trouble breathing, chest pain, or rapid blood loss following any type of surgical procedure, it is deemed a medical emergency and you should seek medical attention immediately.
What are the most common symptoms of gynecomastia?
Gynecomastia is often characterized by the following symptoms:
Enlarged or excess tissue in the breast area
Puffiness beneath the nipple
Nipple discomfort/pain
Nipple discharge
Are all cases of gynecomastia treated the same?
Overall treatment depends on your individual symptoms, your desired outcomes, and your overall health. For example, severe cases of gynecomastia may be treated differently than mild cases.
How do I prepare for gynecomastia surgery?
Prior to your surgery, Dr. Delgado may have you adjust or stop certain medications such as blood thinners, stop smoking, and more. Preparation steps can be discussed during your consultation appointment.
The primary concern regardinggynecomastia surgery is often the longevity of the results. Patients want to know whether or not gynecomastia surgery will provide them with permanent relief from gynecomastia symptoms, such as excess male breast tissue. Fortunately, the results of gynecomastia surgery are permanent, and below, we’ll tell you exactly why.
What is Gynecomastia?
First, let’s begin by touching ongynecomastia. This condition causes excess male breast tissue, resulting in enlarged breasts, or “man boobs”. It is often caused by an imbalance in hormone levels, which often occurs during puberty. However, gynecomastia can affect males of any age.
The Gynecomastia Surgery Procedure
Unlike most body contouring procedures, which target stubborn fat, gynecomastia surgery is actually removing glandular tissue. When fat cells are removed, fat can easily reaccumulate if a patient doesn’t maintain healthy lifestyle habits. But the tissue that is removed will not grow back. The appearance of “man boobs” is caused by excess breast tissue in the chest, not the presence of fat cells. So, when this tissue is removed via gynecomastia surgery, it permanently removes it from the body, along with excess skin, and provides a long-lasting sculpted appearance.
After Your Gynecomastia Surgery
Keep in mind that the results from your gynecomastia surgery will largely be reliant on how you handle your recovery period and your lifestyle following treatment. While gynecomastia can permanently eliminate excess breast tissue, it cannot prevent the accumulation of fat in the chest and surrounding areas. You need to be aware that future weight gain may cause body fat accumulation in the chest where gynecomastia once affected you. Fortunately, as this is just fat-related weight gain, it can be more easily eliminated with diet andgynecomastia exercise when necessary.
Do I Need Gynecomastia Surgery?
The first step in determining if you need gynecomastia surgery is determining whether your symptoms are actually gynecomastia-related. If so, you’ve probably noticed that your chest remains unchanged despite diet and exercise habits. If you merely have stubborn fat in the chest, there may be other treatment options, including non-surgical ones, that will be more suitable than gynecomastia surgery. In cases where the appearance of man boobs is a result of gynecomastia and the buildup of fatty tissue and glandular tissue in the chest, gynecomastia surgery is often the best course of treatment to produce the desired chest contours.
Schedule a Consultation
Are you ready to treat your enlarged male breast tissue once and for all? If you are interested in learning more about male breast reduction surgery, pleasecontact Dr. Delgado today. As a board-certified plastic surgeon, he is highly skilled in performing male breast reduction surgery on patients of all backgrounds to help improve their quality of life.Dr. Delgado has two convenient locations in Novato, CA, and San Francisco, CA.
When undergoing any type of surgical procedure, anesthesia will be used to keep the patient comfortable and allow for a safe procedure. Read on to learn more about the anesthesia options used for male breast surgery.
What is Gynecomastia?
Gynecomastia is a condition that causes enlarged male breasts in both boys and men. Male breast enlargement can be caused by a range of factors, including hormonal imbalance, certain medications, illegal drugs, and more.
It is important to understand the difference between truegynecomastia and pseudo-gynecomastia. While true gynecomastia is caused by an increase in glandular tissue and breast tissue, pseudo-gynecomastia is primarily caused by excess fatty tissue to weight gain.
The most effective solution for true gynecomastia isgynecomastia surgery, or male breast reduction surgery. This procedure can be performed under a number of different types of anesthesia. Read on to learn more.
General anesthesia causes patients to fall into a sleep-like state with the use of a combination of medicines. This type of anesthesia is performed with an endotracheal tube or a laryngeal mask, also called an LMA. This is a lighter form of general anesthesia. It is considered a safe form of anesthesia for those without serious health conditions.
Local Anesthesia
This type of anesthesia is used to numb a specific area of the body and contains an infiltration of lidocaine, marcaine, epinephrine, and bicarbonate. Unlike general anesthesia, local anesthetics do not cause you to lose consciousness. Because of this, they are generally safer, and are associated with quicker recovery.
IV (Intravenous) Sedation
IV sedation refers to the administering of medication through the blood. Sedation relaxes you and sometimes makes you fall asleep. This type of sedation is often used for shorter, less complex procedures.
Determining Your Anesthesia for Male Breast Reduction Surgery
Dr. Delgado performs the majority of male breast reduction surgery under light general anesthesia. This is because it gives him total control during surgery and keeps the patient comfortable, as well as avoids excess bleeding for the best outcomes.
The best way to determine which anesthesia option is best for you is to discuss your procedure with a board-certified plastic surgeon such as Dr. Delgado during a consultation appointment.
Schedule Your Consultation
If you are tired of living with gynecomastia and are seeking male breast reduction treatment, please contact Dr. Delgado in San Francisco, CA today! You can give us a call or fill out ouronline contact form to get started.
When men are looking into gynecomastia surgery for a more masculine-looking chest, one of the most common concerns is what their scar might look like following the procedure. In many cases, incisions are necessary to adequately remove glandular tissue, skin, and fat that might be contributing to enlarged breast shape. However, this doesn’t mean that your incisions will lead to unsightly scars, especially if you know how to take care of them in the days, weeks, and months following your procedure.
Causes of Surgical Scars
Not all surgeries necessarily result in scars that others notice when they see the place where it was performed. At the same time, whenever the skin is damaged, it heals in particular ways, often creating fine lines of scar tissue, red lines, or other markers of is history. This is because your skin does one of several things when it heals: it creates extra collagen – supportive proteins that provide internal structure between skin cells – and responds to your body’s wound-healing process, involving the immune system, platelets, and inflammation. These all contribute to the final long-lasting appearance of any wound, from a scraped knee to a surgical scar.
When it comes to surgery, scarring is influenced by three major things:
The surgeon’s skill
The location of the incision
The type of surgery
With precise incision markings, creation, and sealing, surgeries don’t have to result in deep scars. An experienced gynecomastia surgeon like Dr. Miguel Delgado makes precise incisions with minimal invasiveness to prevent excess scarring. There are additional risk factors, however, that can contribute to unsightly wounds after surgery.
Risk Factors for Adverse Scarring
Not everyone is an ideal candidate for gynecomastia surgery with little scarring. Risk factors like age, lifestyle habits, or other unchangeable scenarios can change your reaction to the surgery.
Lifestyle Habits
One of the most commonly instructed preparation steps before surgery of any kind is to stop smoking if you currently do. Smoking inhibits the immune system to the point where the skin doesn’t heal as quickly or effectively as non-smokers. Other behaviors, such as frequent sun exposure without protection or exposure to certain environmental pollutants can also hinder the skin’s ability to heal, resulting in worse scars after gynecomastia surgery.
Age
Older people have less collagen throughout their body, meaning their skin isn’t as tight, resilient, or elastic, which plays into how they heal after surgery. The older you have surgery, the less likely it is that your results will be unnoticeable.
Genetics
Finally, at the end of the day, some people simply heal better following wounds or surgery because of their genetics. The healing process is complicated but involves more than just surface-level factors. Some people literally have thicker, more resilient skin that doesn’t produce visible scars no matter how invasive the procedure or where it’s performed.
Preventing Adverse Scarring
Besides eliminating habits like smoking, there may be a few things you can do to help prevent persistent scar tissue from forming after gynecomastia surgery. Research shows that eating plenty of protein along with a balanced diet provides the nutrients your skin needs to heal effectively following gynecomastia surgery.
Not only for scarring, but also for complete, quick recovery, it’s important to follow all of your doctor’s directions for recovering from your specific male breast reduction surgery. You should clean your wound as instructed, follow care guidelines, and change any bandages as necessary.
Finally, keep pressure and tension off your incision sites as much as physically possible. This means refraining from lifting anything but light objects, avoiding strenuous activities, and performing therapeutic exercises to prevent undue stress on the vulnerable site.
Gynecomastia Scar Treatment
There may be additional ways beyond minimizing risk factors for extensive scarring to help you enjoy the most benefits from your male breast reduction surgery. By consulting with a highly experienced gynecomastia expert like Dr. Miguel Delgado, you can find out what your ideal surgery might look like, especially after the procedure itself. Learn more about gynecomastia and your options for treatment by browsing our leading gynecomastia forum.
Followinggynecomastia surgery, a compression vest may be part of your post-surgery recovery. Compression vests are specially designed garments that compress and support the chest area following a surgical procedure in order to reduce swelling and support the new body contour. Read on to learn more about the importance of compression vests and what role they play in the healing process.
The Importance of the Compression Vest
Not all surgeons require a compression vest after surgery, and some for only a short time. Dr. Delgado has hisgynecomastia patients wear a compression vest 24/7 for 6 weeks after surgery. Two vests are provided, one at the time of surgery, which is heavier with an elastic-velcro strap to reduce bleeding. The second is applied after the drains are out and is lighter, shorter, and easy to camouflage under a shirt. The vests may be a little uncomfortable but is necessary for the healing process. They should be worn snugly, but not tight.
Dr. Miguel Delgado recommends the vest be worn 24/7 for 4 to 6 weeks, depending on how the patient is healing. The vest should only be removed when showering.
The purpose of the vest is to aid the skin to contract. The vest helps increase the flow of blood and prevent the collection of excessfluid. Additionally, the compression vest controls the amount of swelling and aids in binding the chest tissues, all while decreasing post-op pain.
After initial healing, Dr. Delgado has his patients graduate to a second vest that is thinner and has a lining of soft T-shirt material with compression in the chest area only. Men who wear dress shirts state that these vests are not visible and more comfortable.
Schedule a Gynecomastia Surgery Consultation
Patients in San Francisco and the Bay Area who are seeking a permanent solution to their gynecomastia can trustDr. Delgado to provide natural-looking and optimal results. If you are interested in learning more about gynecomastia, male breast reduction, what to expect post-surgery regarding male compression vests, and more, pleasecontact Dr. Delgado today to schedule a consultation appointment in Novato or San Francisco, CA.
Compression Vest FAQs
How tight should the compression vest be after gynecomastia surgery?
The garment should fit snugly but not so tight that you have trouble breathing or you develop wounds or blisters from the compression.
What happens if I don’t wear a compression vest after gynecomastia surgery?
Wearing a compression vest after surgery is recommended to minimize swelling and bruising, which can result in a shorterwound healing time. Compression vests also help to prevent hematomas.
Can I take my compression vest off for a few hours?
While you are free to take your compression vest off to bathe or wash, it is essential that you wear it as directed by Dr. Delgado. For questions regarding compression vests, please contact our office today.
What will happen if I stop wearing my compression garment?
Not wearing your compression garment can greatly increase the risk of noticeable scarring, prolonged swelling, and bruising.
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.
