Some men can develop gynaecomastia or “man boobs”.
Every man has a minimal amount of breast tissue behind the nipple and sometimes this can grow causing swelling. It can be the breast tissue that grows (true gynaecomastia) or can be an increase amount of fatty tissue when there is a weight gain (false gynaecomastia).
There are different reasons to develop breasts growth in men:
- Hormone imbalance
- Obesity
- Puberty
- Older age
- Medications
- Health conditions like: kidney failure, liver disease, testicular lumps
- Rare genetic disease like Klinefelter’s syndrome
- Excess of alcohol or illegal drugs like cannabis or steroids.
For these reasons, prior to any surgical advice, Mr Bonomi will organise for you to have blood tests, mammogram when appropriate, ultrasound of the breasts and an accurate body examination including testicles in order to rule out any cause that can be treated by a different specialist.
Operation
When surgery is the only option, Mr Bonomi will be happy to treat this condition performing a liposuction of the fat present on the chest, followed by an excision of the breast tissue behind the nipple areola complex (the dark round brownish skin surrounding the nipple). The incision will normally be around the areola and in a rare case extended to the mammary crease.
All operations have risks and benefits. The possible complications following surgery depend on many factors such as the patient’s characteristics and the type of operation. You will have the possibility to discuss this with Mr Bonomi during the consultation.
Post-operative instructions
Following surgery, we suggest to wear compression garment for 4 weeks in order to reduce the swelling on the chest related to surgery and to prevent the fluid collection called seroma.
There will be no need for the removal of stitches as Mr Bonomi is using intradermic re-absorbable one.
You will have to keep the wound dry for a week until we see you in clinic and avoid bathing for 8 weeks.
You should avoid exercise for 8 weeks. Then pectoralis exercises will enhance the cosmetic outcome.
You will have a free of charge follow up consultation after one week of the surgery at 2 months and at one year. Any additional consultations within a year will be free of charge.