Breast Reduction for Men

'Man Boobs' is a term that people use whilst joking about another male's chest. It might be fun to some, but in reality it can be a terrible embarrassment, and result in bullying, teasing, and cause social trauma. The medical term is Gynecomastia and comes from a Greek word meaning for "women-like breasts." Around half of men are affected, sometimes only one breast but more commonly both. There is no known cause for Gynecomastia although it has been linked to certain drugs without solid evidence in the vast majority of such cases. Surgical procedure is available to those who feel self-conscious about their appearance. Breast-reduction procedure removes fat and or glandular tissue from the breasts, and if necessary surgeons will remove excess skin, resulting in a chest that is better contoured.

Picture Courtesy of Anicient-Egypt.Org

Be mindful that overweight men will not be good candidates for male breast reduction until an exercise regime resulting in weight loss has failed. Heavy drinkers, smokers and marijuana users and those that take anabolic steroids may also not be good candidates. It is considered that these drugs may cause Gynecomastia.

Clearly a consultation will be required and your surgeon will look at your history. It may be that your gynecomastia consists primarily of excessive fatty tissue, if this is the case then your surgeon will likely undertake liposuction to remove the excess fat.

The surgeon will choose to make a small incision around the edge of the areola (the dark skin surrounding the nipple) or under the armpit. A thin tube called a cannula isattach ed to a vacuum pump and inserted into the incision.

The surgeon moves the cannula through the layers under the skin whilst breaking up the fat and vacuuming it out. Although you may feel the action, it is quite painless.

Sometimes, a small drain is inserted through a separate incision to draw off excess fluids. Once closed, the incisions are usually covered with a dressing. The chest may be wrapped to keep the skin firmly in place.

After surgery you'll certainly be aware of the procedure, whether the plastic surgeon created an excision with a scalpel or liposuction. You might feel some discomfort for a few but the discomfort can be controlled with prescribed medication. It is a good idea to ensure you have someone to drive you home after surgery and provide help for a couple of days.

When discussing the procedure with your surgeon, ask about a chauffeur as many provide such services.

After any plastic surgery there is always an element of bruising and you might wonder if there has been any improvement at all. You will begin to see improvements when the swelling reduces and you will probably be instructed to wear an elastic pressure garment to help reduce the swelling.

The bulk of your swelling will dissipate in the first few weeks, but expect a few more weeks for full recovery after plastic surgery.

Avoid exposing the your chest to the sun for at least six months. Strong sunlight will permanently affect the skin's pigmentation, and may cause the scar to turn dark. If it is really necessary to expose yourself to the sun use a strong sun block.