Plastic Surgery - Gynaecomastia



Dentists	Plastic Surgery	Private Hospitals

Breast in men (Gynaecomastia)

Normally men do not have any glands in their breasts. During the embryonic development all foeti do have e the origins for both female and male organs. During a later phase in the development the genetic inheritance decide what sex the foetus will have and the sexrelated organs will develop further whilst the others regresses. Sometimes rudiments can persist. The sexrelated hormones are still produced during life but normally degraded in the liver and have no actions on the target organs. In diseases of the liver this metabolization can be decreased and men can for instance develop breast glands. This can also be induced by some medications. Well-defined glands of the male breasts are called gynaecomastia. Breast in men can also be seen in corpulency, which is not a true gynaecomastia.

Technique: Mostly the liposuction procedure can be used. Please refer to Liposuction.

If the glandular tissue is solid not even ultrasonic assisted liposuction will be able to remove the gland. In that case the whole gland can be excised through an incision in or around the nipple. A compression bandage is applied and this is kept for one week.

What happens afterwards?

	Moderate pains.
	Bruising is normal.
	Heavy swelling that will disappear within a couple of weeks is common.
	The final outcome can be estimated after 3 months.

COMPLICATIONS
Referred unwanted biologic events can occur with a certain low frequency and must be regarded as calculated risks. Other risks not mentioned can also occur. For patients this must be considered before a decision for plastic surgery is made.

Bleeding: Postoperative bleeding can occur after every operation. If there is a significant bleeding the wound has to be opened again. These risks increase by the intake of painkillers or Vitamin E. These medications should be avoided during 2 weeks prior to an operation. Smaller bleedings cause bruising and minor scars in the subcutaneous tissues that would feel like lumps. These will gradually disappear.

Infection: All operations can cause infection that will need antibiotic treatment.

Impaired sensibility: The sensibility of the nipple can be impaired or get totally lost. A transient numbness or hypersensibility is however normal.

Smoking: Smoking does compromise bloodcirculation and healing. Smoking should be abandoned prior to a planned operation

This text is edited and controlled by Dr. Per Gunnar Opitz, Opitz plastikkirurgiska klinik i Malmö Sweden