Gynecomastia, or enlarged male breasts, can affect a man’s confidence and self-esteem. Men living with gynecomastia may be self-conscious about their condition. They may feel too embarrassed to use public changing rooms, go swimming or engage in other activities which expose their chests. Surgical correction of gynecomastia removes excess fat or tissue from the breasts to create a more aesthetically masculine chest shape.
Causes of Gynecomastia
Enlarged breasts are actually quite common in the male population: forty to sixty percent of the male population exhibits symptoms of gynecomastia. Gynecomastia is common in adolescence, persisting for up to two years before declining with maturity. In some cases adolescent gynecomastia continues into adulthood.
Adult causes of gynecomastia include medication, weight gain, hormonal changes and some illicit drugs. In some cases enlarged male breast are signs of breast or testicular cancer, liver disorders or endocrine disease. While these conditions are relatively rare, they need to be ruled out prior to gynecomastia reduction surgery.
More common causes of gynecomastia include:
* Alcohol consumption
* Marijuana abuse
* Obesity
* Prescription medication including medication for prostate hypertrophy
* Steroid use.
Surgical Correction of Gynecomastia
Gynecomastia surgery is more correctly called reduction mammaplasty. Depending on the individual patient breast reduction surgery may use liposuction, tissue excision, or a combination of the two techniques. This type of surgery takes between ninety minutes to two hours, and may use either general anesthetic or local anesthetic with sedation.
Excision Gynecomastia
Excision gynecomastia removes both breast tissue and excess skin from the breast. An incision is made under the areola (the colored skin surrounding the nipple) to remove glandular breast tissue. Excision surgery also reduces the size of the areola and reposition the nipple if severe breast enlargement causes the areola to stretch.
Liposuction and Gynecomastia
Liposuction is most often used to treat gynecomastia caused by weight gain and excess breast fat. The surgeon inserts a small tube called a cannula into the breast through a small incision, and uses it to loosen breast fat which is then removed by vacuum suction. Several small incisions may be made over the course of gynecomastia liposuction.
Risks and Rewards of Gynecomastia Surgery
This type of surgery, like any surgical procedure, comes with some risks. These complications are uncommon, but patients should discuss any surgical risks with their doctor prior to the procedure. Risks associated with gynecomastia surgery include:
* Blood clots
* Infection
* Postoperative bleeding
* Revisional surgery
* Skin discoloration or irregular breast shape.
Scarring is generally minimal with gynecomastia surgery, but incisions will leave some scars as they heal. In some cases revisional surgery is required to complete the procedure.
Gynecomastia surgery provided by Sydney Cosmetic Surgeons is usually permanent, providing underlying causes of breast enlargement such as weight gain or steroid use do not return. Men who undergo gynecomastia surgery often see improvements in their confidence and self-esteem.
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