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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 all the Male Breast Reduction you need. 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 or 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 to discuss Gynecomastia on San Francisco television station KRON4. 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.

Gynecomastia Reduction Consultations

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.

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