Male Breast or Gynaecomastia

Large breasts in men are common. It is estimated that at some time in their life over a third of men experience this problem. At times, pubescent boys and men can develop breast tissue. This obviously can become somewhat disconcerting to the patient and can become the source of embarrassment. At times this is due to prescription medication or to some transient hormone imbalance, which can produce a development of breast tissue. This does not always regress when the medication is removed.

Indications

This operation is performed to remove excess breast tissue in men. This develops in one of two patterns, either a firm button of tissue beneath the nipple or a diffuse fatty change with poorly defined edges. Sometimes both patterns are present. The causes of gynecomastia (large breasts in men) are numerous and may dictate the treatment used.

The Surgery

The majority of the time, a simple surgical procedure of either a liposuction or  in combination with exicsion of gland. The procedure can be done under general anesthesia or intravenous sedation if the involved area is smaller. Most of the time this is an outpatient operation and a stay in the hospital is not needed.

Complications

All operations have some risk. . First those that are seen in all operations and second those that are unique or special for this operation. In the first group, the main risks are swelling, bruising, bleeding, infection, a scar and numbness or change in feeling which is temporary. The main problems which are special for this operation are surface irregularity which is rare.

Postoperative Care

The recovery takes two to five days. Most people are back to work within a week or two. Typical recovery time involves 2 weeks of light duty, with an increase during the third and fourth week until full activity is resumed in one month. The removal is permanent.