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Gynecomastia is the medical term for male breast enlargement. What
constitutes enlargement? That becomes a matter of personal
viewpoint. What causes the enlargement? That is a medical question
that a plastic surgeon can answer.
As much as we might wish, no man is likely to be as flat in the
chest area as we might envision. If a man exercises the upper body
regularly, some development of the pectoral muscles will, and
should, occur. Generally, the more exercise, the more development.
Use of anabolic steroids, however, may lead to development of the
breast gland, as well as increased muscle mass. Also on the
subject of drugs, use of THC (marijuana and its derivatives) has
been definitely associated with abnormal male breast gland
development. As is the case with women, heredity also plays a
part. These are causes of the GLAND being abnormally large.
Of course, the breast AREA may be enlarged because of excessive
fat accumulated in the site. As a rule, fat deposits itself in the
breast area in coordination with fat deposition elsewhere. The
more fat you deposit all over your body, the more will be
deposited in the breast area. With heredity playing a role,
however, some men tend to accumulate fat at a greater rate in the
upper body, while others do in the lower.
Either situation is undesirable when it is excessive. When a man
is large enough in the breast region that he is inhibited from
playing sports or going without a T-shirt on the beach, he should
seek help. The surgical solution is optimal for a man who has his
weight under control, is generally in good condition, and still
has sufficient breast enlargement that he is embarrassed by it.
When the problem is glandular, a small incision around the areola
(the brown or reddish-brown area surrounding the nipple) is
necessary, generally about one-third of the circumference. Through
this incision, the gland is removed by traditional surgical
techniques. The fat tissue around the gland is also contoured so
that a step-off deformity is not produced. This is done using
fat-suction techniques, most commonly the ultrasonic suction
machine. The surgery is done under general anesthesia, as an
outpatient. A compression vest is placed on the man in the
operating room, and except for removal for showers, worn for three
weeks. Amount of time off from work varies with the physical
nature of one's work, with normal office work routinely requiring
only a long weekend for recovery (e.g. from Thursday until
Monday.) Obviously more physical occupations will require greater
recuperation time. Light physical exercise is usually allowed in
seven to ten days (such as walking, treadmill, etc.) but serious
workouts or upper body weightlifting is usually best avoided for
three or four weeks.
Will insurance pay for this? Usually not for adults. Sometimes
third-party payers, with a lot of advance planning and
consultation, will cover the procedure for adolescent males.
Meeting this requirement often requires that the patient have been
worked up by an endocrinologist, then referred to a plastic
surgeon.
To schedule an appointment to discuss this procedure with Dr.
Johnson, click here.
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