There are a few different reasons why men may have excess tissue over the breasts. If you’re a man and you’re experiencing protruding breast tissue then you may have gynecomastia. A male breast reduction surgery (gynecomastia) can remove this excess tissue and greatly improve your quality of life.  

If you’re a man and you’re experiencing what seems like growing breasts or if you have a lump in your breast tissue, you’re not alone.  Gynecomastia can happen to boys and men and it can make your breast tissue more prominent and make men self conscious about their chest both in clothes and without a shirt on. 

You might be scared or worried about the changes in your body but, luckily, there are many things you can do to treat gynecomastia, including surgery to remove the excess tissue. Explore this guide by Ennis Plastic Surgery for a closer look at what you need to know about gynecomastia causes, treatment and recovery.

To learn more, call us at 561-405-9020 or click here to ask us a question. We are here to help you get the look you desire.

How Do I Know It’s Gynecomastia?

A lump may be the first sign of gynecomastia. And since, men too can get breast cancer, it can be a very troubling sign. This symptom alone can cause you to get checked out by your doctor. Other symptoms may be tender and swollen breasts or one breast growing larger than the other. Men and women’s breast tissue is the same but men don't normally have the same hormones that cause the breast tissue to grow like women do.

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The Science Behind Man Boobs  

There are many reasons that you might experience a growth in breast tissue. Even if you’re thin, you can experience gynecomastia. It’s categorized by factors such as excess fat tissue, glandular tissue and breast skin. Genetics can predispose you to growing this tissue. Some other factors that may contribute are:

• Hormonal medications

• Nutrition factors 

• Hereditary elements

Gynecomastia can happen at any age and throughout many different life stages. If this sounds like what you’re going through, you aren’t alone. Many men are experiencing the same issues and it can be hard for them to talk about it. Aside from avoiding places like the gym and the beach, gynecomastia can also cause many emotional issues that compromise self-esteem and confidence.

What Causes Gynecomastia?

To learn more, call us at 561-405-9020 or click here to ask us a question. We are here to help you get the look you desire.

Women and men have the same breast tissues at birth. But the hormones that control their growth are different. Women have estrogen and men have testosterone. When a man’s hormones are off balance, it can cause gynecomastia. Your doctor will do tests to rule out cancer or other hormone conditions, like thyroid disease. But other reasons you might have gynecomastia include:

• Genetics

• Obesity, Childhood obesity

• Prescription Medications

• Steroid Use for Weight Lifting

• Marijuana Use and other Drug Use 

Once your doctor treats the cause of your gynecomastia, you may be cleared for surgery to handle the symptoms. Typically in most men, there is a combination of both fat and breast tissue.

Treatments That Work

Depending on the cause of your breast enlargement and the size of your breasts, a male breast reduction procedure can help remove excess fat and excess breast tissue while contouring the chest for a firmer, flatter look. Let’s take a closer look at how these gynecomastia treatments can work for you.

Liposuction for Gynecomastia

If you’ve got excess fatty tissue around the breast area, then liposuction is a great solution for you. Dr. Ennis will use a special cannula to remove excess fat and glandular tissue from your breasts. Then, he’ll be able to craft your chest and give you a great contoured look. Learn more about the liposuction procedure. 

Tissue Excision:

If you’ve got a significant gynecomastia, then you may need a surgical tissue excision to remove the breast skin and glandular tissue. Dr. Ennis can do this surgery under general anesthesia. In some cases, the weight of the male breast tissue can cause the breasts to sag and stretch the areola. If so, repositioning of the areola and removal of excess skin can significantly improve the chest appearance. Dr. Ennis is especially skilled at closing incisions to hide any scars.

Tech Solutions

Some fantastic energy-based, non-invasive treatments are available to help treat gynecomastia. If the cause of your gynecomastia is excess fat deposits over the breast tissue then these energy treatments can give you excellent results. Ennis Plastic Surgery offers treatments including UltraShape and VelaShape III for male breast reduction.

UltraShape

UltraShape utilizes focused ultrasound to destroy fat cells and reduce body circumference. The focused-sound waves are pulsed into the stored fat cells, mechanically disrupting their cell membranes. When the fat cell membrane is broken via ultrasound, the triglycerides are naturally released and eventually metabolized to the liver. The liver processes these fatty molecules, using them for energy and then eliminating them naturally.

With this process, the fat cells are removed from the body after the UltraShape treatment. Therefore long lasting results are achieved. The UltraShape treatments are typically delivered once every two weeks to allow the body to naturally eliminate the destroyed fat cells between sessions. The typical dosing of treatments is three sessions, spaced two weeks apart. One session takes approximately 45 minutes. Measurable results are noticeable after two weeks.

VelaShape III

The VelaShape III treatment is a non-invasive body shaping system that combines three different energy technologies (infrared, heat, and bi-polar radio frequency) with therapeutic massage in order to reshape and contour the body. The treatment is able to combat adipose tissue, by shrinking the size of the fat cells. The radio frequency works below the dermis layer of skin, heating the fatty adipose tissue and shrinking the fat cells. The infrared heat penetrates to the dermis layer, stimulating collagen production. The new collagen production brings about smoother, firmer and tighter skin.

VelaShape III treatments are typically performed once a week, for a minimum of three treatments. The treatment duration can last between 10-40 minutes, depending on the size of the treatment area. Results can be seen as early as one week from the first treatment, but optimal results are obtained after several sessions. You’ll love that the treatment is pain-free doesn’t require any anesthesia. At most, you can expect to experience a gentle, warm heat with a comfortable massage.

You might find a combination of liposuction and surgical and non-surgical techniques may be the best way to treat your gynecomastia.

Gynecomastia Surgery with Breast Lift

Though a woman’s breast skin is designed to stretch for puberty and pregnancy, a man’s skin is not made to relax in the same way. Men often are worried they may need a skin tightening procedure also called a mastopexy (like a breast lift) but this can cause significant scars which can be just as concerning as teh gynecomastia itself. A good surgeon trained for this can remove the fat and breast tissue without having to perform a skin tightening procedure, thus eliminating the scarring and leading to greater confidence when the patient is shirtless. 

Gynecomastia Surgery

Before your male breast reduction surgery, you’ll meet with Dr. Ennis to discuss your concerns and goals for the outcome of surgery. You’ll be able to discuss any questions you have about gynecomastia or your surgery procedure. Your doctor may share with you pictures of your expected outcome which will also calm any worries you may have. Dr. Ennis believes in personalized care and he will go to great lengths to ensure you get a completely personal, individualized and confidential consultation. 

On the day of your surgery, you’ll be given anesthesia from our board-certified anesthesiologist. Dr. Ennis will then begin the procedure or procedures that were agreed upon during your consultation. 

Your surgeon will use a specialized approach for treating your gynecomastia. Since gynecomastia is usually a combination of fat and breast tissue, Dr SCott Ennis will typically recommend you undergo liposuction of the chest through a small incision at the base of the nipple to remove the fat cells from the chest and reduce the volume of your breasts. Typically the breast tissue will be removed following the liposuction called a subcutaneous mastectomy. This will further flatten the chest and in particular flatten the nipple and areola.

Gynecomastia Recovery

After the surgical procedure, dressings will be applied to the incisions in order to protect healing. An elastic bandage may be placed around your chest to reduce swelling and support the chest during healing. In addition, a drain tube may be placed under the skin in order to catch any excess blood or fluid during the first days of recovery.

You’ll receive pain management techniques and will be asked to heal your body with a lot of rest during the first week. It is important to minimize tugging or pulling at the surgical incisions during the initial healing. You may also have minimal swelling and bruising around the surgery site. You can resume most daily activities after the first week. If you have one of the energy-based services, there is no down time and no anesthesia is required. 

Recovery from surgery is often relatively easy and feels much like you did a bunch of push-ups. You’ll have to wear a compression garment for 4-6 weeks while you heal but  you should be back to walking and office work within 3 to 5 days after surgery. You’ll even be able to hit the gym again after only a few weeks but should avoid chest excercises for at least six weeks.

And now for the best news---Your gynecomastia surgery is permanent and will last a lifetime! However, if gynecomastia was a result of using specific prescription medications, drugs such as steroids, or poor diet and exercise habits, it is vital that you now make healthy lifestyle choices a priority in your daily life. Resuming hormonal medications, steroids or gaining weight can result in the redevelopment of gynecomastia and that’s something no one wants to see happen.

The Ennis Plastic Surgery Difference

At Ennis Plastic Surgery, we know that discussing male breast reduction may be an embarrassing topic. But we also know that having a discussion that can lead to one of your greatest confidence builders is a conversation that needs to happen. If you’re thinking about gynecomastia surgery and you don’t know where to start, call Dr. Ennis and the Plastic Surgery team to get a consultation started today. We promise that our staff is the best of the best when it comes to making you feel at ease. With Dr. Ennis, world-renowned surgeon, you’ll be in the best hands when it comes to finding your best self. 

Dr. L. Scott Ennis at Ennis Plastic Surgery in Boca Raton understands that gynecomastia can be a sensitive issue for men to deal with. But he’s also highly trained at gynecomastia surgery and will give you the best results he can based on your won anatomy. Dr. Ennis is well-known across the country and has been named one of America’s Top Plastic Surgeons, one of the Ten Best plastic Surgeons in Florida based on patient reviews and is one of Realself’s Top 100 cosmetic surgeons in the country. Dr. Ennis and the Boca Plastic Surgery team are ready to help you through your gynecomastia surgery and answer any questions you may have.  See why patients travel to see him from Miami and around the world.

Call 561-405-9020 today to set up an individualized consultation to see how this procedure can positively impact your life!