Gynecomastia male breast surgery by Dr. Bermant Preparing for your surgery
Our office will give you specific instructions on how to prepare
for surgery, including guidelines on eating, drinking, and taking
certain vitamins and medications. Smokers should plan to stop smoking
for a minimum of one to two weeks before surgery and during recovery.
Smoking decreases circulation and interferes with proper healing.
If appropriate we will help you order an after
surgery compression garment. The compression limits movement
after surgery increases comfort, helps control bruising, and hastens
resolution of swelling. We mark our patients before surgery with
a contour map.
Where your surgery will be performed
Surgery for gynecomastia is most often performed as an outpatient procedure,
but in extreme cases, or those where other medical conditions present
cause for concern, an overnight hospital stay may be recommended. Several
of the local hospitals have a special "23 hour" outpatient package.
The surgery itself usually takes about an hour and a half to complete.
However, more extensive procedures may take longer.
Warning:
The following photographic material is graphic in nature. Please skip if explicit surgical details bother you.
(Warning graphic images.) |
(Warning graphic images.) |
Type of anesthesia
 |
Correction of enlarged male breasts may be performed under local anesthetic plus sedation, or in some cases, under general. You will be awake, but very relaxed and insensitive to pain. Smaller problems may be handled with local anesthesia alone. More extensive correction may be performed under general anesthetic, which allows the patient to sleep through the entire operation. A tube goes down your throat while asleep to protect your airway. The various options are individualized for your problems and discussed during our in office consultation. |
The surgery
If excess glandular tissue is the primary cause of the breast enlargement, it will be excised, or cut out, with a scalpel. The excision may be performed alone or in conjunction with liposuction. In a typical procedure, an incision is made in an inconspicuous location, either on the edge of the areola or in the underarm area. Working through the incision, Dr. Bermant cuts away the excess glandular tissue, fat, and skin from around the areola and from the sides and bottom of the breast. Major reductions that involve the removal of a significant amount of tissue and skin may require larger incisions that result in more conspicuous scars. If liposuction is used to remove excess fat, the cannula is usually inserted through the existing incisions.
 |
Liposuction used for male breast reduction |
If your gynecomastia consists primarily of excessive fatty tissue, Dr. Bermant will likely use liposuction to remove the excess fat. A small incision, less than a half inch in length, is made around the edge of the areola (the dark skin that surrounds the nipple). In some cases the incision will be placed near the underarm area. A slim hollow tube called a cannula which is attached to a vacuum pump or syringe is then inserted into the incision. Using strong, deliberate strokes, Dr. Bermant moves the cannula through the layers beneath the skin, breaking up the fat and suctioning it out. Patients may feel vibration, pulling or tugging, or some friction during the operation, but generally no pain.
 |
Fat removed from male breast that had little glandular tissue and mainly fat causing the contour problem. |
Gynecomastia male breast reduction with liposuction contouring. Looking at static photographs only partly tells the story.
It should run without problems if your browser has the QuickTime plug in (available for both Mac and IBM). The file is 131 K and should download in about 1 1/2 minutes at 28.8 modem speed. Play the movie again by clicking on the arrow at the bottom left. Drag the small slider to position to a particular frame.
 |
If you do not have the QuickTime Movie plug in, get it here. If the movies do not work, check that you have the latest version of your video playing software. |
(Warning graphic images.) |
(Warning graphic images.) |
