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Everything You Need to Know about Getting Rid of Man Boobs
Male Plastic Surgery

Everything You Need to Know about Getting Rid of Man Boobs

Written by
Juli Albright
Updated
Juli is our patient advocate and community connection. She balances work, life and family with grace.
Juli is our patient advocate and community connection. She balances work, life and family with grace.

Everything You Need to Know about Getting Rid of Man Boobs

It’s common for men to suffer from gynecomastia or man boobs, a disorder caused by excessive breast tissue.

This can make a man extremely conscious about their structure, and they may avoid taking off their shirt in public areas like the beach. However, some cosmetic surgeries can help you overcome this problem. These procedures are also getting common. To learn more about gynecomastia and its surgery, read this article.

Why Men Have Excess Breast Tissues?

This is a common problem in men who develop more than the natural amount of breast tissues. However, it goes away with time after puberty. But if not, the excess tissues can make the breast appear larger than usual.

This is not the only factor that can develop this problem. Some medication and tumors can also lead to gynecomastia. Moreover, a person who loses a lot of weight can also develop this problem. It happens because the skin stretches and does not come back to its original position after weight loss.

What Happens In Male Breast Reduction Surgery?

The following are two processes to remove the excess breast.

Liposuction for Gynecomastia

When there is less amount of excessive breast tissues, and the surgeon only needs to slim the chest area, they use this process. For most patients struggling with gynecomastia, liposuction is the best option.

In this procedure, your surgeon will make a small incision in the lower part of each breast. They will use liposuction canola to remove the excess fat in your breast part. After that, they will contour it to give a smoother and masculine chest to you.

Your surgeon will stitch these incisions. After that, you can go home.

Glandular Tissue Removal

Some patients may need to remove all the excess tissues around the breast to make it look natural. This usually happens when the breast gland is the primary reason for making the breast appear larger.

Almost every male in their puberty gets some amount of breast gland. This is a natural phenomenon that occurs because of the flow of hormones during the puberty period. This gland generally disappears with time. But in some men, it stays. Additionally, the size of these glands greatly varies. For instance, some men have glands the size of grapes, and others have glands like an egg's size. Either way, they make the breast bigger.

A plastic surgeon can help address this problem. Liposuction will not help you, as this type of tissue may not be removed with the liposuction canola. The surgeon needs to remove the glandular tissue through surgery. They will make small incisions beneath each areola to remove the glandular tissue. Then, the surgeon will close the incisions with sutures. This surgery should be customized to your goals.

What Happens When You Need Removal of Extra Skin?

Every gynecomastia patient has different goals and issues. Some men have excess breast tissue with excess skin near the breast area. This is usually applicable for men with significant weight loss.

In this case, any or both of the methods mentioned above can remove the fatty tissues. Your surgeon will also make other incisions to remove the excess skin to give a tighter, smoother look. Your surgeon will try to use discrete incisions around your nipple or breast fold.

Who Should Undergo Breast Reduction Surgery? 

People who have passed puberty and have stable weight are good candidates for this surgery. Your weight should be close to your ideal or goal weight as possible.

You also need to be a little reasonable regarding the expectations of this surgery. Breast reduction surgery will make you comfortable and confident in your skin. However, it’s always important to have a logical and healthy point of view of cosmetic procedures.

The best way to know whether you are a good candidate for breast reduction surgery is by consulting with several plastic surgeons. Your surgeon should listen to your goals and answer all your questions during the consultation appointment.

What Is Recovery Like?

Recovery is very similar to male liposuction, as most male breast surgeries involve liposuction. The surgery itself is an outpatient procedure in most cases. The patient will wear a compression garment continuously (24/7 except for showering) for at least 4 weeks, while they have to abstain from exercise. After these 4 weeks, most men will be able to transition to daytime compression alone (no compression at night), while they slowly advance exercise activities over the next 2 weeks. Most men will be finished with compression and back to full unrestricted exercise activities by 6 weeks after the procedure. However, they are no where near their final results.

After an initial 3-5 day worsening of swelling after male breast reduction surgery, there will be a gradual decrease for several months. This process occurs at different rates for different people, and is further affected by one's postoperative activities. Therefore, this period of swelling is variable, but for most men, the majority of the swelling will be gone by 3-5 months. Typically, patients will resume exercise 1 month after surgery, which will aid in additional volume loss by the 3-5 month period. If there are incisions placed on the chest, these will continue to mature and fade during the first year.

Written by
Juli Albright
Updated

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