Gynecomastia literally means “female chest”, and when men have it, they often come to see me. Today’s post illustrates what Gynecomastia Reduction can achieve for the motivated patient who wants to change the appearance of his chest. A safe and predictable outpatient procedure, Male Breast Reduction improves the masculine contour of the chest and elevates the confidence and self-esteem of the man.
Male Breast Reduction Before and After Pictures
The ideal masculine chest has changed little through the ages. Here’s an example from over 20 years ago. The breast buds beneath his nipples cause embarrassment both in and out of clothing. After gynecomastia surgery and nipple reductions, he was more confident and satisfied in his body.
Gynecomastia is the development of breast tissue in the male chest. It can present as a lump under the nipple or enlargement of the entire chest. In the Gynecomastia Before and After pictures above, the problem was centered around his nipples. He felt they were too large and they projected all the time. Even in a shirt, his nipples were obvious. This situation is often referred to as “puffy nipples.”
To correct his Puffy Nipples, two procedures were performed. Gynecomastia Reduction Surgery was used to remove the excess breast tissue from beneath the nipples and areolae. This smoothed the chest skin to conform to the pectoral muscles.
The second procedure utilized was Nipple Reduction Surgery. In addition to fullness beneath the nipples, his nipples themselves were enlarged. To be clear, the nipple is the part that sticks out in the center of the pigmented areolar skin. Nipple reduction prevents the nipple from over projecting and being seen easily through clothing.
More Gynecomastia. More Reduction.
As the amount of breast tussle increases, additional techniques are used for reduction. In the case below, a combination of Gynecomastia Reduction and Liposuction was used to create a more masculine chest contour.
As the amount of gynecomastia increases, more tissue needs to be removed. In these cases, liposuction is often used to debulk the chest. In the after pictures, his puffy nipples are flattened and his areolae are reduced due to the skin’s ability to recoil after the removal of th glandular tissue.
In the before picture, the nipple areolar complex (NAC) is puffy and enlarged by a combination of fat and excess breast tissue. After Male Breast Reduction, the projection of the nipples is gone, and the areolae are half their original size as the skin elasticity responds to the loss of volume. Liposuction was performed via small incisions in the armpits. The tough, breast tissue was excised directly via a curvilinear incision placed along the lower edges of the areolae. Both areas heal well and the incisions are usually hidden by natural contours and pigmentation.
More Excess Skin. More Excision.
With larger amounts of gynecomastia the skin stretches and grows. After the breast tissue is removed, the skin remains excessive and loose, This is also seen after massive weight loss. In these situations, correction of the chest means removing excess tissue and removing the excess skin. The most extreme changes are reviewed in this recent post: Post Bariatric Male Breast Reduction.
The above before and after pictures are an example of Male Breast Reduction with Inframammary skin excision. After, the chest skin is flat and tight to the chest.
In the case above, incisions were made along the bottoms of the breast, in the inframammary folds (IMF). Removal of only the breast tissue would have resulted in loose sagging breast skin and unattractive chest contours. With skin resection, the skin is left firm and tight, and results in a masculine chest
With larger amounts of skin excess, the nipples are within the excised the excess skin and need to be transplanted. The nipple/areolar grafts are placed back onto the chest wall in the proper, aesthetic position.
When To Have Cosmetic Surgery
Like every aspect of Cosmetic Plastic Surgery predictability and safety are paramount. Problems only gets fixed if they:
- Bother the patient
- Can be significantly improved
- Can be improved in a safe and predictable manner
Expectation management is also key. Plastic Surgery improves appearance and/or function, but is not designed to achieve perfection. If you are looking to improve, Cosmetic Surgery helps. It provides a sense of accomplishment, satisfaction and motivation to take care of oneself. If you are looking for perfection, even a good result may lead to disappointment, and there is no harder result to fix than a good result.
Gynecomastia Consultations
Gynecomastia Consultations are available in my San Francisco Bay Area Plastic Surgery Clinic. Call (925) 943-6353 to schedule a private appointment in my Walnut Creek office.
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