Was flat, now almost back to pre-op

[northridge84]

Hi,

I apologize if this has been answered already, but here is my situation...

I had surgery 4.5 months ago (October 27, 2011).  At first the surgical area was flat, but now has grown to a point that is almost similar to pre-op. Also, my nipples are very hard and puffy.

My questions are...
Is this normal for 4.5 months after surgery?
How much longer should I have to wait for swelling/scar tissue to dissipate.

Thanks all!

[zm]

Hello northridge84 and welcome to the forum.

Have you been massaging at all and did you follow post-op instructions to the book?

do you have any before and after pics? what did your surgery involve?

[northridge84]

I was not instructed to massage and I did follow post-op instructions.

I had the gynecomastia excision as well as liposuction.  According to the doctor, there was more fat than expected.

Would the lipo be causing more swelling that would take longer to dissipate?

[danielb0101]

i'm in the same situation i had lipo and excision. Had my done on july 2011 and after 1 month it looked just like before. its been almost 8 months since then and i can say its gotten worst over time. my doc told me that it takes years to be completly flat, but i know thats bs. i'm sorry hear that for you too, me i just learned to live with it since i cant get rid of it. good luck

[masked_1]

Im sorry to hear that guys  i really hope its just swelling. Im going to be 3 weeks post op on friday and i gotta say im a lil worried. Im starting to swell and feels hard lumps which i presume is scar tissue. Really hope its not left over gyne tissue. Anyway i was totally flat right after and expected swelling but i guess im just stressing. I still look better then before because i dont have the feminine pointy sag but my chest seems to be getting bigger. Can any docs please give us some input. My surgeon suggest that i dont massage because he said it might create more scar tissue. I have religiously wore my compression vest and only have had it off when i wash it which is at night and even then i wear a kids size  super tight under aromour. Also my nipple area is a little lose and i have a half moon crease or fold under my nipple. Im only 26 so i hope my skin tightens up. Good luck fellas hope it works out for us

[shaknbake]

Hi guys!  I'm 4 weeks post op myself, and am no stranger now to swelling and scar tissue.  It seems my left side had been more problematic than the right.  But overall, it still is WAY better than before.  I've read a lot of other guys experiences, and it seems that almost every plastic surgeon had their own recommendations as far as after surgery care.  There are a few constants, like the compression vest, but the length of time to wear it for example varies greatly.  In my case, I went in for my 1 week post op consult, and was told to start massaging from that point out.  Believe me, after only 1 week of healing, massaging hurt like hell!  But only after 1 week I had developed a very large lump of scar tissue extending from my left lat, all the way to the other side of my left nipple.  I was told to massage HARD.  "If it doesn't hurt, you aren't pushing hard enough", is what I was told.  As much as it hurt (and it DID hurt) the hardness of the lump had decreased dramatically from what it was.  Other areas have begun to feel lumpy, such as beneath the nipple area, so I continue to massage those areas particularly hard as well.  I hope to break down the scar tissue a bit and assist my body with re absorbing everything.  The swelling is still there, but it's soft, so I know it should dissipate over time.  Like Masked said, it isn't perfectly flat, but it doesn't have the feminine contour of being pointy or saggy at all.  It's tough not to be really critical of ourselves after living with gyne for so long.  But have a really good look at other guys chests out there.  Watch them on TV even if it's cold where you are.  Most guys do not have perfectly flat chests.  They have a rounded pectoral area, which is the way it's supposed to be.  Hopefully though, your swelling will subside more over time and you will be satisfied with the results.  I recommend to anyone to take good before surgery pics that you can reference back to if discouraged by your results.  In most cases, we forget about just how bad things looked before compared to how much better things look now.  Hopefully this will be your case too.  Best of luck! 

[masked_1]

hey shaknbake good to still hear from you! its really cool to have a fellow dude who is around the same post op time.  just reading what you wrote honestly helped put me at ease. no matter how much research and other guys stories ive read over the years regarding the post swelling, scar tissue and general worries i guess i thought i would be a different case. or atleast i was hoping so.  like i said i look waaaay better then before but i need to realize that were not going to have over night "magic" results. I just get scared that somehow either my surgeon didnt take enough tissue and or fat out. Or the boobs are going to somehow grow back and look like before.  I know thats really super highly unlikely but i cant help it. keep in touch shaknbake. also quick question to all the surgeons. Why is it that some surgeons recomend massaging and some dont? im sooo confused! should I be? will it truley help with the scar tissue and swelling? my doc said at the time I asked him which was 2 weeks post that i shouldnt because it might create more scar tissue. im 3 weeks post now. Thanks fellas

[shaknbake]

also quick question to all the surgeons. Why is it that some surgeons recomend massaging and some dont? im sooo confused! should I be? will it truley help with the scar tissue and swelling? my doc said at the time I asked him which was 2 weeks post that i shouldnt because it might create more scar tissue. im 3 weeks post now. Thanks fellas

That's a really good question Masked....I'm curious to this as well.  This surgery had been around for a LONG time, so I'm also confused as to why there wouldn't be a set of "rules" that all doctors would advise their patients of.  So far, the advice Dr. Lista gave me seems to be working out just fine.  But it's been the total opposite of what some other surgeons recommend (see the 3rd post from northridge84 on this thread for example).  Everyone is different to be sure, but it would be interesting to hear from any of the doctors here to get their take on it.

[zm]

The way i look it is...whenever i get the occasional spot, i tend to pick at for no reason at all and the more keep doing it, i'm not let it heal any quicker. as soon as you pick off the scab, new tissure forms and takes longer to heal also leaves more prominent marks...my belief is that the same is happenning with the scar tissue...once I have my op, i'm going to try and not massage......

[shaknbake]

The way i look it is...whenever i get the occasional spot, i tend to pick at for no reason at all and the more keep doing it, i'm not let it heal any quicker. as soon as you pick off the scab, new tissure forms and takes longer to heal also leaves more prominent marks...my belief is that the same is happenning with the scar tissue...once I have my op, i'm going to try and not massage......

It's possible that your way could be the correct way to do it.  The problem I guess is that we all hear different things from different doctors, and I'm curious as to why.  You would think that a tried and true method for post op care after this type of surgery would have emerged by now and be adopted by everyone as the norm.  We'll hopefully see if any doctors weigh in with their thoughts!

[zm]

I'll take one for the team and report back :-D

[masked_1]

Please docs let us know if you get a chance. Thanks