Incision below chest?

[Emmitsm03]

Hi doctors, I am having my surgery July 29th, and pretty nervous. My doc said that he will be making an incision on both sides right below my chest to remove the fat, and one below my nipple for the gland. Is it common to make the cut at the bottom of the chest? Thanks in advance

[DrBermant]

Hi doctors, I am having my surgery July 29th, and pretty nervous. My doc said that he will be making an incision on both sides right below my chest to remove the fat, and one below my nipple for the gland. Is it common to make the cut at the bottom of the chest? Thanks in advance

So went to my Pre OP this morning. Doc said he will be making a cut at the bottom of my chest to suck fat out, and then another on the bottom of my nipple to remove the actual gland. Pretty nervous lol.  I didnt see any photos of previous operations, and he didnt really say a whole lot about the procedure. He made it sound short and sweet really.

I rarely use extra incisions, unless I am performing a Skin Reduction Chest Lift, Revision Gynecomastia Surgery when revising another doctor's scars, or if that patient is one of my rare cases needing a drain.

The extra incision(s) do not look natural nor move well on animation. The juncture between the chest and areola pigmentation change is a much better place to hide a scar. That is why it is so important to see a doctor's before / after results. Check particularly for photos with arms up over the head. Some doctors "hide" a scar at the lateral edge near the armpit. A good scar should remain less noticeable while playing sports, not just with the arms down at the sides. I also prefer one incision on each side, which is feel looks much better than 2 or more. Performing liposuction from this tiny incision at the edge of the areola is quite difficult, not all doctors have this skill. My typical incision here for primary gynecomastia surgery is now about 1.6 cm or 0.6 inch.

This Gynecomastia Photo Gallery has links to individual pages where the complete set of before and after pictures can be evaluated. Proceeding with surgery without such detail of a surgeon's skills can be risky.

Hope this helps,

Michael Bermant, MD
Learn More About Gynecomastia and Male Breast Reduction

[Dr. Elliot Jacobs]

Virtually all gyne operations in my hands DO NOT use an incision on the chest -- it cannot be hidden or disguised.  The only time I would use an incision (other than around the edge of the areola) would be if I was excising a significant amount of excess, lax skin -- and most guys don't have that.

I would talk to your surgeon about this prior to surgery -- once the surgery is done and the incision made on the chest, it is permanent -- that means for the rest of your life.  You cannot erase it or take it back.

Dr Jacobs