Male Breast Reduction: Answering the Question on Everyone’s Mind

Friday, 15 March 2019 19:38

Keystone Cosmetic Surgery Center

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Male breast enlargement is a problem every man wishes to avoid. Until fairly recently, men who were affected by gynecomastia, or excessive breast tissue, didn’t talk about the way in which their appearance affected their emotional health. Rather than talk about “man boobs,” men suffered in silence, and suffer is a very accurate term to describe what it’s like to live with female-like breasts. Trying to hide beneath clothing, exercise fat tissue away, or taking potentially damaging supplements to reduce breast size, men do themselves a much bigger favor by consulting with an experienced plastic surgeon about male breast reduction.

Why don’t more men do this? One reason we can come up with is that men are apprehensive about what it may be like to recover from breast surgery. That’s why we are devoting some space to this topic here.

Recovery from Male Breast Reduction: What it’s Really Like

It’s difficult to predict how every patient may recovery from surgery. In general, we prepare male breast reduction patients for bruising, swelling, and discomfort. The pain of gynecomastia surgery should not be intolerable in the least. Most patients describe it as soreness and are able to manage comfort with prescription pain medication. Within several days, over-the-counter medication may suffice. The extent of side effects is somewhat related to the type of gynecomastia surgery that is performed. The technique also somewhat dictates recovery. In general, the recovery process involves:

• Dressing removal the day after surgery. This initial office visit lets us see incisions and change the initial dressing for a compression garment.
• Drain removal about one week after surgery. Drains are often necessary to prevent fluid accumulation in the muscle and chest wall. Drains do not hurt, nor does removing them.
• Limited physical activity for several weeks. Patients should not lift their arms overhead for the first few weeks of recovery. This may mean getting help with showering and dressing.
• The return to the gym is gradual. After a week, some patients can begin light lower body exercise. However, this should not be rushed. Upper body exercise must wait 5 weeks or more.

Learn more about Gynecomastia Surgery

Dr. Kimmel offers male breast reduction in our Pottsville and Hazleton locations. Contact an office near you for full details regarding this beneficial surgery.