Gynaecomastia

Gynaecomastia is a condition in which men develo pan enlargement of the breasts. In most cases, there is no known cause, but some diseases and medications may be involved in its emergence. This condition is relatively frequent and may be the cause of many insecurities and low self-esteem in men, who wish they could remove their shirts in front of other people without the fear of being seen or judged for their appearance. They can achieve it with the help of a surgical procedure, but before doing so, a plastic surgeon must rule out medical and pharmacological causes of gynaecomastia like liver problems, some congenital abnormalities, and blood pressure medication, among others.

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The breast is made of two components: glandular tissue which is firm, and fatty tissue which is soft. In every individual, the proportion of these tissues varies and on this fact depends the type of procedure to be performed. When the tissue that prevails in gynaecomastia is the fatty one, a liposuction may be performed introducing a cannula through a 3 to 4 millimeter incision. On the other hand, if the tissue that prevails is the glandular type, it must be surgically removed by making an incision around the edge of the nipple. The surgery to treat gynaecomastia last approximately 90 minutes and must be performed under general anesthesia.

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After the surgery, just like in any other, it is completely normal to have a little swelling and bruising on the chest and it can be hard to appreciate the final results at first. It is advised to use an elastic garment, regularly for the first one or two weeks, as well as not doing ay exercise for 3 weeks. It is not until the sixth week after surgery that the patient may return to all of his regular activities.