Concerns with Surgery

[Keep_It_Moving]

Hello All,

I'm beginning to save up money for gyno surgery and plan on having it exactly one year from now, as I am waiting for my hormones and glandular tissue to balance out.

My questions are the following: And thank you all who answer!

What are some of the cons of gyno surgery (more interested in possible responses claiming - deformation, inverted nipple, rather than responses claiming - high cost, pain, etc...)?

Will puffy nipples still be apparent after the surgery, or will the nipple always have a hard look?

If scar tissue builds up, what are your options?

What are the type of questions one should ask a surgeon prior to surgery?

What are the odds of having a second surgery if the first failed?

I'd love to hear from people who have had the surgery and doctors who perform the surgery.

Best!

[bluenose]

Hi there.  I just had surgery.  I am not an expert, but have been lurking this board for ages.  This is my $0.02

"What are some of the cons of gyno surgery (more interested in possible responses claiming - deformation, inverted nipple, rather than responses claiming - high cost, pain, etc...)?"
With any kind of surgery of this nature there will be a certain degree of scarring.  If it is just a glandular excision with lipo then the scarring tends to be quite minimal (from what I've seen).

"Will puffy nipples still be apparent after the surgery, or will the nipple always have a hard look?"
Nipples can be puffy for the first few months after surgery, as there can be swelling while the chest is healing.  Also if it is just lipo without excision then the nipples could still remain puffy even though the surrounding fat has been removed.

"If scar tissue builds up, what are your options?"
My understanding is that kenalog injections are commonly used to treat scar tissue buildup.

"What are the type of questions one should ask a surgeon prior to surgery?"
1.  How many gynecomastia surgeries have you performed?
2.  Can I see a sampling of before/after pictures of cases similar to mine?

"What are the odds of having a second surgery if the first failed?"
  If you have surgery and are not pleased with the result, then it would be up to you whether you pursue a revision with that surgeon, or look elsewhere.  It's best to go into the situation prepared, so do a lot of research on gyne surgeons and even get opinions from a couple of them before you make a decision.

Good luck!

[Westsyder]

To be honest if you cant live with your chest than why fear after effects of surg? it cant get any worse.

 The worst is scar tissue, even the smallest amount of scar tissue can deform the true form of the surgeons work. completely giving a puffy nipple effect. and the time spent in getting rid of scar tissue without a kenalog is ridiculous and pointless. lets just say SCAR TISSUE is a nightmare but you can prevent less and get rid of it, and alot of plastic surgeons will not tell you how besides massage massage massage. If you get surgery follow these guidlines.

Pre Op-
1.Doctor must be top notch of the area, dont settle for anything but pemium in your area. even if you have to travel get the right male chest reduction surgeon PERIOD

2.6 months before surgery eat healthy Very light alcohol, no smoking period, and when I say healthy i mean fish chicken breast salads fruits nuts brown rice EXT...

3.Work out 6 months 5-6 days a week before surgery date get in as best shape as you can get in.


Post Op-
1.first 2 days DO nothing and i mean NOTHING you will get depressed but do not do anything but walk to eat and go to the bathroom. contine to wear compression garmet daily all day and night!

2.Continue to eat healthy don't let the depressed feelings get you down. High vitamin c (not store orange juice that's sugar) real oranges and fresh squeezed orange juice and high in vitamin c veggies, also take tumeric pills and ibprofuen for inflamation often. EAT healthy! Buy under armor compresseion fit shirts to replace garmet wear them EVERYDAY.

3.right at the 2 month mark Buy scar away silicone sheets at Walgreens wear these all day everyday, unless showering and massaging time. start massaging 2 months in massage the scar tissue area as much as you can and as deep unless tender feeling. continue this twice a day for 15-20 minutes EVERYDAY use Luberderm Vitamin b lotion or Palmers Vitamin e lotion to massage nipple/scar tissue area. Start light go deeper as months pass.

4.3rd monthh Start working out get back into shape and high spirits get yourself back to where you were before the operation. Continue eating healthy, scar away, massage twice daily, tumeric pills, and wearing under tight under armor.

4.This part is very important. If after 6 months scar tissue is still present in a clump and seem it will just not go down after the sheets, the massage and the time. and its making you upset YOU MUST GET a series of KENALOG or 5-Fu/Kenalog tratments for the scar tissue. DO NOT WAIT FOR JESUS TO COME DOWN AND HEAL YOU. KENALOG KENALOG KENALOG and the sad part is many surgeons do not do kenalog treatments, so they will try to turn you away from it I have heard many stories. "It is only for keloid scars..." "You dont want that it can cause skin atrophy" "I use it but not on something like this, I know how but it is not worth it"  This all just means they are not skilled in kenalog treatment for post gynecomastia FIND someone that is and don't waste 6 more months trying to bring the scar tissue down. You must find someone that does kenalog shots on gynecomastia patients alot and know how.


If you follow all of this than before a year you should be pleased and happy with the end results. Most doctors do not tell you all this. I wish I knew before I started.

[Keep_It_Moving]

Thank to those who replied, the information was very helpful!

Would any doctors like to chime in and give their advice on the topic?

[Keep_It_Moving]

bump

[curiouschris]

Look up chest crater, it happens when the doctor takes out too much tissue and looks just as bad as the gyno.

[Keep_It_Moving]

does this happen frequently?

[Dr. Elliot Jacobs]

No, this is not common.  Most operations result in decent to excellent contours.

I have never seen something like this in any of my patients.

Dr Jacobs

[Keep_It_Moving]

Dr. Jacobs-

Was this done by someone who isn't very experienced? I'm confused.
Is there a way to fix this?

[Dr. Elliot Jacobs]

I cannot comment on the experience of your surgeon.

As for treatment, your would be an extra-ordinarily difficult case.  One could see if some additional minimal lipo could be done on the chest above the craters (to try to minimize their appearance).  And then serial fat grafting could serve to fill in the craters themselves.  They are so large that fat flaps are out of the question.

Dr Jacobs

[Keep_It_Moving]

Thank you for your reply. These weren't actually pictures of me by the way.