Men with gynecomastia (enlarged breasts) may opt for surgical reduction to improve their physical appearance and feel more masculine. Candidates for gynecomastia surgery are generally men who are healthy, non-smokers of average weight and for whom other conditions such as breast abscess and breast cancer have been ruled out.
Adolescent boys with gynecomastia may also be candidates for surgery, but a "wait-and-see" approach is often preferred because the child is still developing physically.
Surgery for gynecomastia is performed with general anesthesia (you'll be asleep for the procedure) or with local anesthesia (pain medication) and sedation.
Depending on the elasticity (springy-ness) of your skin, and whether your gynecomastia is predominantly caused by an excess of fatty tissue, your surgeon may use liposuction to "vacuum" out the excess fat.
If the weight of your breasts has caused the surrounding skin to sag significantly and has changed the shape of your nipple, a more traditional surgical approach may be needed to remove the excess fat, reshape the breast area, and relocate the nipple.
With either surgical approach, there will be some scarring, though minimal and generally difficult to detect. For some time after the surgery, your doctor may advise you to wear a compression garment that helps facilitate healing.
Many people think of plastic surgery as purely cosmetic, but there’s a lot more to this surgical specialty. Plastic surgeons often do reconstructive procedures that can rebuild body parts after an injury or illness.
