Over the last 20 years, I have devoted considerable time and effort
treating gynecomastia patients. I have performed over 1,000
procedures. According to the latest statistics, last year
there were 18,000 male breast reduction procedures performed
in the United States alone.
Gynecomastia or male breast reduction can be a very sensitive
and highly emotional experience for male patients regardless
of age. Unlike the breast of a woman, the male chest is
expected to be flat and muscular. For an aesthetically
pleasing pectoral muscle, or the "ideal" male
chest, fat or breast tissue should be minimal above the muscle
(similar to "six pack"
abs). Realistically only very few athletes will have this
kind of "ideal" chest.
For body builders, once we remove the gynecomastia tissue, we
usually can create an ideal chest due to the developed pectoral
muscle that is shown under the skin. In most of the male
population, we aim to achieve optimum results by removing as
much breast and fat tissue as possible.
The patient who is not a professional athlete may also achieve
a "muscular, athletic-looking chest"
after this procedure is performed by working out and physical
training.
As with any surgery, realistic expectations are important and
vary from patient to patient. As a result of gynecomastia,
some male patients feel a sense of embarrassment, withdrawal,
and self-pity, those patients tend to refrain from certain social
activities, unfortunately those are precisely the patients who
tend to delay treatment. These emotional and physical factors
are taken into consideration and are treated with the utmost
respect and professional confidentiality.
One of the major problems in body building, due to the use of
anabolic steroids, is the existence of real gynecomastia tissue. This
is a real impediment during competition and also in extremely
rare cases, breast cancer can be found. By enhancing the
shape of the pectoral muscle (removing the existing gynecomastia
tissue), the likelihood of achieving their goals increases.
These body builders who have very low body fat and real gynecomastia
should be treated by excision of most of the breast tissue. In
the same athletes, maximal removal of breast tissue is possible
due to the fact that the skin will immediately drape nicely over
the developed pectoral muscle, and as a result, it is extremely
rare to experience recurrence of the problem or any irregularities. In
my practice, I have encountered less than a 1% recurrence rate
of the male breast condition (compared to studies that show 10%
or more recurrence rate). |
