Male Breast Reduction

A personal consultation with one of our board certified plastic surgeons is the first step for anyone considering male breast reduction. During this meeting, one of our surgeons will assess your physical and emotional health and discuss your specific goals for surgery.

Surgery to correct gynecomastia can be performed on healthy, emotionally stable men of any age. The best candidates for surgery have firm, elastic skin that will reshape the body’s new contours. Anabolic steroids or the use of marijuana may cause gynecomastia; patients are first directed to stop the use of these drugs to see if the breast fullness will diminish before surgery is considered an option.

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The surgery will be performed at one of our in-house surgical suites. The surgery itself usually takes about an hour and a half to complete. However, more extensive procedures may take longer. We then care for you for a minimum of one hour in our recovery rooms before you are discharged.

The amount and consistency of the breast tissue is a determining factor in the approach used to remove the tissue. If your gynecomastia consists primarily of excessive fatty tissue, the physician will likely use liposuction to remove the excess fat. A small incision, less than a half-inch in length, is made in the underarm area. A slim hollow tube called a cannula attached to a vacuum pump is then inserted into the incision. Using strong, deliberate strokes, the surgeon moves the cannula through the layers beneath the skin, breaking up the fat and suctioning it out. If the glandular tissue is dense and fibrous, it will be excised, or cut out, with a scalpel. In a typical procedure, an incision is made in an inconspicuous location generally on the edge of the areola. Working through the incision, the surgeon cuts away the excess glandular tissue, fat, and skin from around the areola and from the sides and bottom of the breast. Major reductions that involve the removal of a significant amount of tissue and skin may require larger incisions that result in more conspicuous scars.

Sometimes, a small drain is inserted through a separate incision to draw off excess fluids. Once closed, the incisions are covered with a dressing. A compression garment (vest) is placed to provide optimal healing and to keep the skin firmly in place.

Surgery for the correction of gynecomastia is relatively straightforward. But as with any operation, there are risks associated with surgery. There is always a possibility of complications including, bleeding, infection, or reaction to the anesthesia. Slow or poor wound healing is a factor, which is seen most often in patients that smoke. We recommend that our patients stop smoking for at least 6 weeks before and after surgery. You can reduce your risks by closely following our medical team’s advice both before and after surgery.

You will feel some discomfort for a few days after surgery. However, discomfort can easily be controlled with medications prescribed by your surgeon.

You’ll be swollen and bruised for a while in fact, you may wonder if there’s been any improvement at all. To help reduce swelling, you’ll wear the compression vest continuously for a week or two and for a few weeks longer at night. Although the worst of your swelling will dissipate in the first few weeks, it may be three months or more before the final results of your surgery are apparent.

Our goal is to make plastic surgery available to any patient who is qualified. We accept all major credit cards and offer several patient financing options to make the process as easy and affordable as possible. Our plastic surgery financing partners include CareCredit, Alphaeon, Prosper, and CosmetAssure. Learn more about your patient financing options here or contact us for more information.