Around 50% of teenage boys experience enlarged breasts, but the condition, called gynecomastia in medical circles, almost always disappears over time. In adult men, excess breast tissue can grow when too much of the hormone estrogen is present. Here at MilfordMD Cosmetic Dermatology Surgery & Laser Center in Milford, PA, we understand that enlarged breasts can be damaging to our patients’ self-esteem, so we offer treatment to affected men.
Breast reduction surgery is a great way to reduce both the fat and the glandular tissue in your chest. It is an outpatient procedure, so you won’t undergo general anesthesia, and you can go home on the same day. What’s more, the results are considered permanent, which means that you don’t have to come back to the clinic and have the procedure repeated. Today, let’s have a closer look at male breast reduction surgery and how it could help you.
How Is Gynecomastia Treated?
For many men, it’s hard to speak about a cosmetic concern related to their chest. Although this issue affects hundreds of thousands of people, it is often stigmatized. But if you’ve been suffering from enlarged breast tissue for a long time, you shouldn’t hesitate to reach out to your local clinic. We will invite you for an initial consultation and discuss your condition. Your doctor can tell you what is causing your enlarged breasts and whether you can have them treated.
In some cases, for instance, if your problem is related to a disease like cancer, medication is required. However, a simple, one-off surgical procedure is often enough to remove the excess tissue and achieve the sculpted look you desire. During male breast reduction surgery, your doctor extracts the fat and glands that are causing the problem, so you will notice immediate relief.
What Is the Condition?
In the US, around two-thirds of the population are overweight, and one-third are obese. Many people, both men and women, who carry excess weight also have a lot of fat tissue in their chest. When they lose weight, their breasts shrink. But this isn’t the case with patients who suffer from enlarged breasts due to a hormonal condition.
If you have tried losing weight the holistic way and your breasts aren’t shrinking, you might be suffering from a medical condition called gynecomastia. This can occur for several reasons, and it doesn’t usually resolve itself. The easiest way to get rid of the extra tissue is to visit your clinic and have breast reduction surgery. After this one-off treatment, you’re unlikely to suffer from enlarged breasts again.
Why Does It Develop?
The number one reason why people develop extra fat and glandular tissue in their breasts is a hormonal imbalance. When you gain a lot of weight, the levels of estrogen in your body may increase, in which case your breasts begin to grow. Once this happens, it’s hard to achieve a flat chest on your own, and dietary changes or increased levels of exercise often don’t help.
Even if you’ve never been overweight or obese, you could suffer from enlarged breasts if you take certain medications, such as Valium, cimetidine, or Lipitor. The condition is also common in bodybuilders, who frequently take steroids. When you come to the clinic, your doctor can examine you and figure out why you have developed enlarged breasts.
How Does Breast Reduction Surgery Work?
Getting rid of the excess tissue is easier than you might think. You will start by visiting our clinic and speaking to your surgeon about your concerns and your treatment options. Then, we will book you in for your operation. It will only take a few hours, and you can leave the clinic on the same day.
After one or two days, you can resume your normal activities, and you may be able to go back to work. Because the results of breast reduction surgery are considered permanent, you most likely won’t have to come back to the clinic for another treatment in the future.
The Consultation
Your first meeting with your doctor serves to determine why you have enlarged breasts and whether you are a good candidate for surgery. To make sure your condition is caused by genetic factors or hormonal changes, we might run some blood tests or scan your chest. In some cases, excess tissue in the breasts can be caused by a disease such as cancer or a breast abscess. Patients with these problems will need a different kind of treatment.
Once we’ve figured out the cause of your issue, we can tell you more about surgery and book you in. Before your appointment, you will need to stop taking blood-thinning medications and supplements because they could interfere with your treatment and compromise your safety. What’s more, we recommend that you stop smoking and minimize your alcohol intake to speed up the healing process.
The Treatment
On the day of your operation, you will come to the clinic at the appointed time. Your doctor will numb the treatment area to make sure you don’t feel pain during your surgery, then they will start by liposculpting away your excess fatty tissue. Next, the surgeon will make small incisions in your areolas, which are the pigmented parts of your breasts.
Through these incisions, the glandular tissue can be pulled out. When the process is complete and your chest has taken on the desired shape, your doctor will close the incisions. Once you have recovered from the surgery, they will hardly be visible because your areolas will hide them.
The Recovery and Results
You will leave the clinic after your surgery is done and recover at home. Most men are advised to wear an elastic chest binder for one or two weeks, which keeps the tissue in place and speeds up healing. If you have a job that requires physical activity such as lifting, you might need to stay home in the first weeks, but if your work doesn’t involve exercise, you can return to it within 1-2 days.
The vast majority of our patients are extremely relieved after gynecomastia surgery, and they report increased self-confidence and overall happiness levels. Unless patients gain a significant amount of weight, they shouldn’t experience enlarged breasts again because the tissue responsible for the condition has been removed.
Am I a Good Candidate?
Almost everyone who has enlarged breasts because of a hormonal issue is a good candidate for male breast reduction surgery. However, this is not meant as a weight-loss treatment. If your condition is caused by excess weight, you will need to try traditional methods, such as improving your diet and increasing your exercise levels, first. We can only help you if you’re close to your target weight and your enlarged breasts are still present.
The Appearance of Your Chest
When you come to MilfordMD for your initial consultation, we will evaluate the appearance of your chest to determine whether surgery is sensible. Patients who have struggled with enlarged tissue for several years and have tried other measures, such as losing weight, are usually approved for the operation.
However, we want to make sure you are safe, so we will recommend you to a specialist if we suspect that another condition, such as cancer or an abscess, is causing your tissue growth. Breast reduction surgery is only an option for people who have extra tissue because of a genetic predisposition or a hormonal imbalance.
Your Overall Health
As discussed, the surgery simply requires local anesthesia, so it is appropriate for the majority of men. Nevertheless, we ask all new patients to provide us with a detailed medical history, so we can make sure the treatment is safe for them. If you have a severe condition, such as heart disease or an active infection in the treatment area, you might not be a good candidate.
Achieve the Sculpted Chest You’ve Always Dreamed Of
Gynecomastia occurs when there is too much estrogen in your body and you develop enlarged breasts. It can be extremely disruptive to your life and significantly reduce your self-confidence. But fortunately, there is a simple and permanent treatment available. Male breast reduction surgery is a great way to get rid of the excess fat and glandular tissue and achieve the chest shape you desire.
You can undergo this procedure at your local clinic, and you won’t need to stay in a hospital overnight. Instead, you will be in and out of your doctor’s office within a few hours. Get in touch with us today at MilfordMD Cosmetic Dermatology Surgery & Laser Center in Milford, PA to book an initial appointment with our specialists and find out whether you’re a good candidate for breast reduction surgery.
