It may be raining today, but spring is in the air. I am just not a winter person. It is nice to be able to shed a few layers and feel the warmth of the sun. If you have gynecomastia, however, spring is a mixed blessing.
Gynecomastia is the term for enlarged breasts on a man. If you are a man, and do not feel comfortable going shirtless, or wearing a fitted shirt, because of the size of your breasts, gynecomastia reduction may be right for you. Many men with gynecomastia are embarrassed by the size of their breasts, and compensate by wearing baggy shirts and multiple layers. Multiple layers are difficult to explain in the warm summer months of the San Francisco East Bay.
Gynecomastia Reduction Surgery – Many Choices
Everyone has heard about breast reduction surgery, but most of us think of female breast reduction surgery. Surgery is available to reduce the male breast also. The type of procedure which will work best for you depends on the type of gynecomastia you have. If your breast enlargement is mild and you have good skin tone, liposuction may be your best option. If the breast tissue is firm and dense, a small incision around the bottom of the areola (the colored skin around the nipple) may be necessary to remove the glandular tissue. If the skin is loose and redundant, an incision along the bottom of the breast may be needed to remove the excess skin.
Male Breast Reduction with Liposuction
Before surgery: Breast enlargement from mild, soft gynecomastia and mild disproportionate belly fat.
After surgery: Gynecomastia and disproportionate belly fat reduced using tumescent liposuction.
If you have mild breast enlargement, good skin tone, and soft, fatty breast tissue, liposuction alone may be the best treatment. The advantage of liposuction is that it can be accomplished through small discrete incisions. Liposuction of the breasts provides a quick recovery period, and a prompt return to normal activities. Strenuous activity will need to be avoided for a few weeks to minimize post-operative swelling, but most normal daily activity can be resumed in a few days.
Gynecomastia Reduction Surgery
Before Surgery: Severe gynecomastia with a large volume of fibrous, firm, glandular tissue that would not respond to tumescent liposuction alone.
After Surgery: Gynecomastia reduction accomplished through a combination of tumescent liposuction and a small incision along the bottom of the areolas.
If you have larger breasts with firm, dense breast tissue, a small incision is used. The incision is made around the areola from 4 to 8 o’clock. This allows for the removal of dense, glandular breast tissue which cannot be reduced with liposuction alone. Unlike liposuction, this also allows for the tissues to be examined by a pathologist, to be certain the growth is a benign process. Men can get breast cancer, but this is not the most common cause of gynecomastia.
Both the above patients have good skin tone. As the skin becomes loose and redundant, other techniques are available for correction. This is most often seen after weight loss or after bariatric surgery.
Gynecomastia Video
I recently had an opportunity, on San Francisco television station KRON, to discuss gynecomastia. San Francisco Bay Area viewers were able to get information on the latest cosmetic plastic surgery innovations in gynecomastia reduction, and could call in to Body Beautiful with their questions. The gynecomastia video segment is available here: Gynecomastia Reduction – Male Breast Reduction. While you cannot call in to the show now, you can ask any questions you have about gynecomastia surgery via the contact form to the left. The best way to get specific questions answered is to call my Walnut Creek Plastic Surgery Office at (925) 943-6353, and schedule a consultation appointment. I am Board Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and am an Active Member of both prestigious National Plastic Surgery Societies: The American Society of Plastic Surgeons and The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.
Before and after pictures for men and women are included; however, this video is geared primarily toward female breast reduction. For a video covering male breast reduction (gynecomastia reduction) go back one article or click here -> Gynecomastia Reduction (Male Breast Reduction) Video.
This video reviews many aspects of female breast reduction. San Francisco’s KRON4 anchor, Vicki Liviakis, asks the difficult questions that women considering breast reduction surgery need answered. This breast reduction video was broadcast live on Body Beautiful. The 800 number displayed was for the live show only. If you have questions about gynecomastia reduction surgery, please call my Walnut Creek Plastic Surgery Office at (925) 943-6353, or use the contact form to the left.
Breast Reduction San Francisco
What Breast Reduction Information is Provided?
This Breast Reduction Video covers:
The Indications for Breast Reduction Surgery:
Lower Neck Pain
Upper Back Pain
Shoulder Pain
Shoulder Rutting (dents from the bra straps)
Rashes in the Skin Folds under the Breasts
Breast Reduction Before and After Pictures
Male Breast Reduction (Gynecomastia Reduction) with Liposcution
Female Breast Reduction Surgery with Correction of Breast Asymmetry
Does Insurance Cover Breast Reduction Surgery?
Viewer Questions:
How Does Diabetes Effect Plastic Surgery?
How Does Scar Formation Effect Plastic Surgery?
If I Have a Breast Lift, Do I Have to Have Breast Reduction?
How Does Breast Reduction Influence Exercise?
How Does Breast Reduction Influence Breast Feeding?
Gynecomastia is the medical term for benign enlargement of the male breast tissue. While this tissue is normally benign, cancer (both in the breast and elsewhere in the body) can also cause breast enlargement, and should be ruled out. Whenever breast tissue is removed, it should be sent for pathologic diagnosis. Breast tissue which is large, rapidly growing, hard and asymmetric is more suspicious.
Gynecomastia often presents at birth, but as the mother’s estrogen leaves her son, the breasts often shrink to a normal size. Problematic gynecomastia more often presents at puberty. Often a lump of breast tissue will develop in the male breast in response to adult hormones.
Gynecomastia can be unilateral (one sided) or bilateral (present on both sides). It may be painless, but is often tender. It may resolve on it own, or continue to enlarge. If the male breast tissue continues to grow, however, it often leads to increasing discomfort, concern and embarrassment.
This video segment discusses gynecomastia. San Francisco’s KRON4 provides the platform for discussion. This gynecomastia video was broadcast live on Body Beautiful, and reviews gynecomastia cosmetic surgery. The 800 number displayed was for the live show only. If you have questions about gynecomastia reduction surgery, please call my Walnut Creek Plastic Surgery Office at (925) 943-6353, or use the contact form to the left.
Gynecomastia Reduction San Francisco
This is video covers:
The treatment options for male breast reduction (gynecomastia plastic surgery):
The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) have released their annual statistics on cosmetic plastic surgery for 2009. Surgical and non-surgical procedures are tallied and compared to previous years. Overall the numbers are down 2% from 2008, but still up 147% since 1997, when the statistics were first compiled. Of the almost ten million procedures performed in 2009, 85% were non-surgical and 15% were surgical. He are some quick facts, a link to the full statistics can be found at the end of this article.
Additional information can be found on the ASAPS web site, or downloaded here. It is a large file, and may take a while…
*Dr. Joseph Mele offers these procedures through his Walnut Creek Plastic Surgery Office. Search the San Francisco Plastic Surgery Blog categories to the left, or click on the links above for more detailed information available on DrMele.com.
