Gynecomastia

Gynecomastia is a condition, where men develop excess tissue of their chest during adolescence. The appearance can be like a woman’s breast. In most men this is a transient phase during puberty and will resolve. This can lead to a loss of self-esteem in men. However, in some men the excess tissue will remain, affecting a patient’s social life. Later in life when men undergo hormonal changes, they may notice an increase of chest tissue as well. The cause is usually an unbalanced hormone ratio, but it can also be due to medications or diseases. Therefore, before a planned breast operation, your family doctor should look for possible causes and, if possible, eliminate them.

Gynecomastia must be distinguished from a lipomastia in which no glandular breast tissue is multiplied, but fatty tissue, usually associated with overweight, is stored. For the “soft” breast with lipomastia, exercise, targeted strength training and dietary change can often prevent lipomastia.

If there are no pathological changes, we can treat gynecomastia surgically. Often a combination of liposuction and removal of the glandular tissue is performed. The fat layer should be evenly distributed over the entire breast. We create smooth transitions in the process and any excess skin can be removed by tightening surgery.

The patient should bring an ultrasound of the testicles, the chest, and a hormone status to the consultation.

After the procedure patients will have some swelling and bruising, which gradually subsides within the following weeks. Immediate after your surgery a snug dressing will be applied, and you will wear during your post-operative recovery a compression garment for about 6 weeks. During that time, we will see you regularly in my practice to accompany you during the wound healing process. Although most patients do not describe their post-operative course as very painful, you will be limited in your physical activities during your immediate post-operative period to ensure adequate wound healing. The success of a gynecomastia procedure is clearly dependent on the meticulous planning, a patient’s realistic expectations, and skilled surgical performance of our surgery.