What is Gynecomastia?
Gynaecomastia is the enlargement of male breast tissue. It’s a common, benign (not cancerous) condition that mainly affects teenage boys and older men, but it can affect men at any age. Normal developing pubertal males may be at risk for Gynecomastia that is part of the normal developmental process.
When do Male Breasts (Man Boobs) Happen?
When puberty starts in boys there’s a rise in the levels of the hormones oestrogen and testosterone. There’ll be times when there’s more oestrogen than testosterone in the body, which causes the ducts and lobules to grow and the breast(s) become larger and more noticeable. Other factors that contribute to male breast enlargement are:
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Aging
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Excessive Diet and weight
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Taking certain medications
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Alcohol
Most of the times there is no major hormonal imbalance. Just that the breast glands become more sensitive to normal levels of hormones and result in overgrowth of the male breasts and nipples.
When Does Gynecomastia Need Treatment
Gynecomastia or enlarged male breasts become troublesome when:
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The size of the male breasts in comparison to the rest of the body is big and noticeable.
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It causes embarrassment while wearing trunks, or body fitting closed, or going shirtless.
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Male breasts have pointy and big nipples that show through the clothing.
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It cause psychological trauma to the patient due to ridicule and bullying from peers.
Gynecomastia Treatment Through Surgery
Gynecomastia treatment or male breast reduction can be done through surgery, just like female breast reduction surgery.
The treatment surgery generally involves liposuction and mastectomy.
Liposuction: This surgery removes breast fat, but not the breast gland tissue itself.
Mastectomy: This type of surgery removes the breast gland tissue. The surgery is often done endoscopically, meaning only small incisions are used. This less invasive type of surgery involves less recovery time.
Sometimes the chast may become flat with liposuction alone, in which case the surgeon may not proceed with mastectomy.
The surgery can be done in couple of hours, under general or local anesthesia and patient is generally discharged on the same day.
Recovery from Gynecomastia Surgery
Recovery from surgery is fairly quick. For the first week you should take adequate rest and avoid much activity. You can starting working after a week and start jogging/mild exercise after couple of weeks. For upper body workouts, weight lifting you should wait for a month, when you fully recover.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will exercise and weight loss help me get rid of my man boobs?
True gynecomastia happens in men with normal weight also. So in such a case even if you exercise and lose some fat, the problem will persist and cosmetic surgery will be the only option for you. But if you are obese and your breasts are fatty, losing weight and building chest muscles will help you reduce your breast size to some extent. But the problem of prominent breasts may still persist.
Is Gynecomastia surgery safe?
Generally speaking this surgery is safe. However there are risks associated with male breast reduction surgery including numbness or reduced sensation in nipples, infection, fluid accumulation in breasts, bleeding, scarring and any adverse reaction to anesthesia.
Will my breasts grow back after surgery?
Surgery is a permanent solution for treating Gynecomastia. However in obese people if the surgery involves only liposuction there are chances that the breast may grow back in size if you don’t control your diet and lifestyle. That is why mastectomy is also done along with liposuction.
Will there be visible scars after the surgery?
At KIMS Plastic Surgery we make sure that we make incisions in natural curves and around areolas so that the scars, if any, get camouflaged and are not visible without close inspection. Also, in men, chest hair acts as a natural camouflage in hiding scars. So you should not really be worried about post operative scars.
Gynecomastia Treatment Surgery in Hyderabad
At KIMS hospital Hyderabad, Dr. Sharath Chandra Reddy and his team of plastic surgeons have decades of combined experience in all kinds of plastic and cosmetic surgery. Please fill out the form below to book your appointment now with Dr. Sharath and discuss your issue and understand the possible course of action.
