Gynecomastia surgery, also known as a male breast reduction surgery, is a surgery designed to help boost your confidence and have you feeling proud of your body. But gynecomastia surgery often comes with more than a few questions.
If you or a loved one are considering a meal breast reduction, here are some things you will want to know before scheduling your first appointment.
What is Male Breast Reduction Surgery?
Gynecomastia is a condition that makes men grow womanlike breasts, which can be uncomfortable for men and sometimes embarrassing. Gynecomastia can appear at any age but it is usually the sign of a shift in hormones or the use of certain drugs. A man may develop gynecomastia if it runs in their family or if they are obese.
Regardless of the source of your gynecomastia, surgery options are available to remove the excess tissue from the area and restore the shape of a typical male chest.
The size of the breasts and the amount of tissue that must be removed will determine the extent of the surgery. In most cases, your surgeon will only need to flatten out the chest to more resemble a typical men’s chest.
Additional procedures may need to be done if the extra tissue influenced the areola, or the darker skin around the nipple. If the breasts caused the areolas to sag or stretch, an additional procedure to reconstruct the size and shape of the areola may be necessary or recommended.
How Much Does a Male Breast Reduction Cost?
The cost of your surgery will depend on the doctor that you see and the extent of procedures that need to be done, although you should expect to pay a couple of thousands of dollars on the surgery. The city that you have the procedure done in can also influence the cost.
The price that you pay will include your surgeon’s fee, anesthesia fees, and the medical tests that need to be done. Cost of the surgery will also include prescriptions, medications, and other fees that the hospital or facility needs.
When it comes to getting plastic surgery, you probably don’t want to shop around for the best price. You will usually get what you pay for and if you want to be happy with your results, you should feel comfortable paying a bit more money for the right surgeon to do the procedure.
Whether or not your insurance will cover the cost of the procedure will depend on your coverage and plan. Under most circumstances, it will not be included. You will want to talk to your insurance provider about your unique plan to determine if any cost is covered before you get too involved with the process.
Who is a Candidate for Male Breast Reduction Surgery?
Not everyone is a candidate for a male breast reduction surgery. Those who may want to consider the procedure include men who have tried alternative medical treatments and found no benefit, men who do not smoke or use drugs, and healthy men that do not have a medical condition that may prevent the surgery from healing properly.
Men of any age may want to seriously consider the surgery, although the development of the breast should have slowed or stabilized before the surgery can really be completed. Depending on the age of the candidate, a second surgery or additional procedures may be necessary in the future as the gynecomastia may reappear.
As with any kind of plastic surgery, you will want to have realistic expectations about what the surgery can do. Be sure to discuss your expectations and goals for the surgery with your doctor beforehand.
What is the Male Breast Reduction Surgery Recovery Time?
Once your surgery is complete, you will need to take proper care of the incisions to ensure they heal properly. This includes changing your bandages when needed and properly cleaning the incision areas to avoid infection.
Each surgeon will have different requirements and recommendations of what you need to do to properly recover. Be sure to ask questions about the recovery process before going into surgery and review them once the procedure is done.
Complications that may occur from the surgery include shortness of breath, chest pains, irregular heartbeats, and other signs of serious discomfort. If you experience any of these symptoms, you will want to seek medical attention as soon as you can. When it comes to your heart and chest, it is always better to be overly cautious than to ignore what could be a very serious complication.
While you may feel ready to return to your everyday life after your surgery, you will want to avoid physical contact or excessive motion. Give the area time to heal and adjust before you put yourself out there too much.
Are the Results of a Male Breast Reduction Permanent?
Your results may be permanent depending on the source of your gynecomastia, however you will want to pay attention to signs and symptoms that may indicate the breast tissue is swelling or growing back.
Teenagers or young adults need to be particularly careful of regrowth or the reappearance of gynecomastia. Because hormones can still shift during this time, it is not impossible for it to come back.
If the gynecomastia was the result of taking certain medications or gaining excessive weight, you will want to do what you can to keep the weight off and avoid those medications. This may mean changing your entire lifestyle, but if you want the results of your male breast reduction to stay, they are changes worth making.
If you don’t feel confident with your chest and you’ve suffered with gynecomastia, a male breast reduction surgery may be right for you. With this plastic surgery procedure, you can restore the shape of your chest, lost the extra tissue that is hurting your confidence, and feel ready and prepared to get out there and show off your new body.