Breast reduction surgery is a common procedure for women looking to reduce their breast size, but men have also been known to go through the procedure. The process will help reduce the appearance of an enlarged breast area.
If you're a male with a larger chest area, learn more about male breast reduction.
What Is Gynecomastia?
When a male has breast formation, there are two common reasons. One comes from basic weight gain, and the other occurs due to a condition known as gynecomastia. The condition causes breast tissue to form in the male chest. This occurs for various reasons, including medications or a lack of testosterone.
Even with weight loss, the breast tissue may not go away, and a male may seek procedures to help reduce the presence of breasts. Once the area is treated, the breast tissue will not typically grow back, resulting in permanent changes for the body.
How Does the Process Work?
When you seek male breast reduction surgery, you have two options. For minor procedures, a plastic surgeon may complete liposuction to the breast area. Liposuction is minimally invasive and will use a process to make an incision on the side of the chest to access and remove fat and glands.
The process includes more than just the removal of fat and breast tissue. A surgeon will also shape the chest to look natural on the body and form correctly against the skin. For more drastic cases of male breast reduction, a doctor may bypass the liposuction and rely on a more in-depth tissue removal process.
For both processes, you can request anesthesia so you are not awake during the operation. You will not feel any of the process and will awaken once the process completes.
What Is the Recovery Time?
The recovery for male breast reduction varies from patient to patient, but minimal incisions will help speed up the healing time. Typically, you can head home from the doctor's office on the same day as the surgery and will experience mild soreness. Many doctors will subscribe pain medications to help you through the procedure.
To help form the skin and the shape of your new chest, many surgeons will have you wear a compression garment to help with healing and flattening of the chest area. Follow the doctor's instructions to help with recovery time. You may want to schedule a few days off of work, especially if you have a physically demanding job.
For the first few months, you could lose the sensitivity and feeling in the chest area. Over time, your body will start to get those feelings back and return you to your normal state.
Where Are the Scars Located?
When a surgeon performs male breast reduction procedures, the main goal is to keep scarring to a minimum. For the basic liposuction procedure, a doctor will most likely make the incision near the armpit area so the scars are not seen when you are shirtless.
For some of the more invasive procedures, the incisions will follow the natural lines on your body. For example, you could have an incision around the nipple or on the fold line directly underneath the breast area. During a full evaluation of your body, a doctor will help point out the incision spots.
Once the surgery is complete, you may rely on healing lotions and creams to help reduce the presence of scars. Over time, the scars will naturally fade into the colors of your skin until they are hardly noticeable.
Contact us at Ronald C. Barry, MD, to set up a consultation for your breast reduction. We will answer all the questions you have and provide you with information needed to get through the process.
