Gynecomastia (male breasts)
Gynecomastia is a medical term that emerges in Ancient Greece, and means female-type breasts. Gynecomastia affects around forty to sixty percent of men, in one or both breasts, and to varying degrees. Although certain drugs (marijuana, anabolic steroids, alcohol) and certain diseases are relied on by an excessive increase in breasts in men, in most cases the cause is not clearly identifiable. For men who feel a detriment to their physical appearance, breast reduction will be highly useful. The procedure consists of a removal of the fat or glandular tissue of the breasts, and in extreme cases the excess skin must also be removed, which will result in a flatter, firmer and better-shaped chest.
The best candidates
The best candidates for breast reduction surgery in men are healthy, psychologically stable men of any age. The best candidates for this surgery are men with firm and elastic skin, which will adapt to the new body shape they will have after surgery.
Planning your surgery
In the initial consultation we will make a complete clinical history, then we will examine your breasts and ask you questions to try to identify the cause of gynecomastia, so we will evaluate your hepatic function, if you have taken medications that contain estrogen or anabolic steroids. In some cases we can indicate the realization of a mammography, which will indicate the composition of your breasts, which may be predominantly fat, or glandular, or mixed, and will influence the possibilities of treatment.
Getting ready for your surgery
We will give you a guide to specific instructions for presurgical preparation, including a guide to meals, drinks, smoking, taking or not taking certain vitamins and medications. It is very important to note that very smokers often have less ability to make good scars and a greater predisposition to infections. While making the preparations, make sure that someone accompanies you to your home after surgery, and that you can help for a few days, as well as make the necessary arrangements to avoid social and work commitments during the first days of the postoperative period.
Where will your surgery be done?
The surgery is performed in the clinic, which has all the necessary medical equipment and the greatest comfort for you. You should arrive about 30 minutes before the scheduled time, to make the entry procedures, make a complete medical history, and take preoperative photographs. In your room you can change clothes. After the surgery, you will stay in the clinic for three to four hours, until you make sure everything is in order and you can return to your home, where you will continue to rest.
Types of anesthesia
Male breast reduction surgery can be performed with local or general anesthesia. We prefer local anesthesia, since it has many advantages with respect to general anesthesia, such as less bleeding, good collaboration on your part, rapid recovery, and much less risk than general anesthesia. With local anesthesia, you will be with a mild sedation, and your chest and the area around it will be asleep, you will be awake and quiet throughout the surgery, relaxed and insensitive to pain.
Surgery
If your gynecomastia is primarily due to an excess of fatty tissue, it will preferably be treated by means of liposculpture. A very small incision (approximately 1mm) will be made in the axial region and another in the region near the sternum, through which a very thin tube (technically called a cannula) will be inserted through which a volume of solution will be instilled. anesthetic (lidocaine, saline and adrenaline), which will numb the area to be treated (hence the name Tumescent Liposculpture), and will make the fat can be extracted easily and without bleeding, because the anesthetic solution contains vasoconstrictive substances. For the same insitions made previously, a thin cannula connected to a machine that produces vacuum will then be inserted, and liposuction will be carried out.
If your gynecomastia is due to an excess of glandular tissue, it should be removed by other techniques. In a typical procedure, an inset is made at the boundary between the areola (skin of the nipple) and the rest of the breast. Work is then done, through that insicion, removing excess glandular tissue, fat and skin around the areola and the rest of the chest. It must be taken into account that in the case of needing a large reduction, which involves the resection of a large amount of skin, large inscriptions may be necessary and inevitable, which will leave great scars. At the end of the surgery, a compressive elastic dress will be placed, which will help the skin to adapt to its new figure, and to reduce the postoperative swelling.
After surgery
Whether you have required a large resection or a liposuction, you will feel a slight discomfort for a few days, which can be controlled by analgesic medication that we will prescribe. You should also take antibiotics for seven days. You will be walking the day after surgery, and you can return to work the next day or two days after surgery. You will be swollen and bruised for a few days. To help reduce swelling, you should wear a compressive elastic garment continuously for the first two weeks, and then two weeks more even at night.
Getting back to normal
Most of the swelling will disappear in the first weeks, but it can take around three months until you can see the final result. We will give you detailed instructions about the normal activities that you can develop. You should avoid sexual activity for at least a week, and strenuous sports for at least a month, as well as activities in which you may receive a blow to the area of your chest. After that, you can restart those activities gradually.
Your new look
Surgery to reduce gynecomastia will improve your appearance and self-esteem. You will be able to look better for certain clothes that were previously marked by your breasts, as well as you will feel more comfortable when you are with your bare torso. The results of this surgery are permanent and notorious. If your expectations are realistic you will be very happy with the new way we will give your body with this procedure.
