MedClinic > Blog > Plastic > Gynecomastia

All men want to have a beautiful and toned body, but sometimes hormonal changes and some other reasons can become a trigger factor for the development of forms not characteristic of men. As a result of this, self-doubt and complexes arise. Unfortunately, neither physical activity nor proper nutrition can eliminate this problem. The only method in the fight against abnormal development of the mammary glands is plastic surgery. Gynecomastia is an abnormal enlargement of the mammary glands in men of a benign nature, in which they acquire a female appearance.

    Why does gynecomastia occur?

– Hormonal imbalance with a predominance of female sex hormones

– Tumors of the testes and adrenal glands

– Heredity

– Weight gain

– Endocrine pathology

– Taking certain medications (antidepressants, antihypertensives, etc.)

– The use of steroid drugs (prednisone, hydrocortisone, etc.)

– taking drugs

– Taking anabolics

There are periods in a man’s body when gynecomastia is natural. This is the period after birth when adaptation to the outside world takes place, all organs and systems are tuned, this phenomenon is called a transient state. And another period is the puberty period when the hormonal background changes as the whole body grows older, the mammary gland temporarily increases and spontaneous regression occurs over time. In a mature organism, such phenomena should not be, and if they appear then this is considered a deviation from the norm.

If we are talking about breast enlargement on one side, this is called unilateral gynecomastia, which is quite rare, most often the process is bilateral.

    Types of gynecomastia:

  1. True gynecomastia. Breast enlargement occurs due to fibrous tissue. A dense mass is palpated under the nipple
  2. False gynecomastia or pseudogynecomastia. Breast increases due to adipose tissue. pseudogynecomastia is observed in men with excessive excess weight.
  3. Mixed gynecomastia. A combination of glandular and adipose tissue is observed.

with a predominance of adipose tissue.

with a predominance of glandular tissue.

Most often, gynecomastia is not only a cosmetic defect that interferes with life but a signal that the body is undergoing severe hormonal changes that must be immediately corrected.

The clinical picture with gynecomastia is accompanied by the appearance of pain and heaviness in the chest area, a feeling of fullness and burning, itching and discomfort. In some cases, there is a discharge of milky masses from the nipple. The nipple coarsens and becomes sensitive. Areola increases in size and darkens.

Do not forget that gynecomastia can be a symptom of a more serious disease! If there are seals in the chest, bloody discharge from the nipples, an increase in the lymph nodes in the armpit, you need to contact an oncologist and a mammologist.

    Indications for surgery to correct the defect:

– symmetrical or asymmetric breast enlargement

– a feeling of pain and heaviness in the chest area

– discharge of milky masses

– a cosmetic defect that brings the patient discomfort and complexes

    Contraindications for surgery:

– Acute infectious diseases in the acute stage

– Sub-or decompensated diabetes mellitus

– Oncological neoplasms located in the lower body

– Pregnancy and lactation

– Diseases of the blood system associated with insufficient coagulability

– Varicose disease

– Thrombophlebitis

– Diseases of the cardiovascular and respiratory system of moderate and severe degree

    Preparation for the surgery

In the preoperative period, you must consult your doctor to determine the need for this surgery. Since the pathology does not bear exclusively a cosmetic defect, but as a consequence of serious violations in the body, before surgery, it is necessary to pass several laboratory and instrumental analyses.

  1. General analysis of blood and urine
  2. Blood glucose
  3. Blood type and Rh factor.
  4. Coagulation tests, coagulability, INR, PTI, APTT
  5. Blood chemistry (bilirubin, ALT, AST, total protein, urea, creatinine, C-reactive protein, liver function tests, electrolytes (potassium, sodium, calcium)
  6. Blood test for HbsAg (viral hepatitis B)
  7. Total antibodies HCV (viral hepatitis C)
  8. An.blood for HIV and RW
  9. Electrocardiogram
  10. Consultation of GP
  11. Conclusion of fluorography (X-ray of chest)

(For the exact list and additions, contact your doctor)

    How is the operation performed?

    The course of the operation will vary depending on the type of gynecomastia. If the patient has a false type of gynecomastia, then the patient should try to reduce weight, if the patient refuses or after a significant weight loss the patient still has a problem, it is recommended that liposuction be performed. Small incisions are made on the skin in the chest area, through which a cannula is subsequently inserted and liposuction is carried out. The method is less invasive than with true gynecomastia when it is necessary to make an incision around the areola or in the axillary region (depending on the volume of the process and the technique chosen) with further excision of the fibrous tissue. The surgeon distributes the fatty tissue so that under the nipples a seal is formed that does not allow them to sink inward. Next, drainage of the postoperative wound is carried out for subsequent removal of fluid that can accumulate. After the operation, cosmetic sutures are applied, which after a while become completely invisible.

    What is the rehabilitation period like?

    After the operation, the patient spends 1 day in the hospital under the strict supervision of narrow specialists to monitor and stabilize the general condition. Sutures are removed, on average, on days 7-14, depending on the individual characteristics of your body. During the rehabilitation period, it is not recommended to visit baths, saunas, pools and solariums, do active sports and stretch of joints. Throughout the rehabilitation period, compression garments are recommended.