my thoughts about gyno surgery 13 years after surgery

[smoothd]

Hello im 30 years old now and ive gained some new perspective about the procedure that i want to share with you
my main concern about this surgery is that everyone talks about the looks and no one talks about functionality and the effect of scar tissue on the function of joints , muscles and other structures, once you injure tissues to such degree you basically hurt other organs around it due to the fact that everything in the body is interconnected by fascia
no one talks about the effect of the sensation loss to the mind and how it can make u nuts to feel like you are going with constant local anesthesia in your chest\nipple
these scars affects the function of the muscles too and injures the facia.. scar tissues never behave like normal tissues if you will look at scares under the microscope you'll see a total mass of tissue which isnt arranged and doesnt function normally.. it can also effect the performance of the muscles and other structures in the body
this is why i think gyno surgery is very bad unless u have like a really severe gyno case... try to avoid it if you have small man boobs and learn to love yourslef and give a darn about other people
i really think doctors should avoid the surgery and work on some new solutions instead
i had this surgery myself, i lost sensation in my nipple and around it for life and also moving my hands around doesnt feel natural due to the hard scar tissues... i wish i could go back in time and never do this surgery. i would have learned how to love myself, my father lived with man boobs and it never bothered him and he is a very successful man...

just a thought

[hammer]

You know, I'm very glad to see that you wrote this! I have had some very serious surgeries! 3 major back, and both total knee replacement and due to the lost of my testicles my breast have grown to be a 46H, but I still have them! I was in my 30's when I lost them.

After going through those 5 major surgeries and 3 minor, I feel no need to have a double mastectomy leaving me with scars, and lack of feeling too, as you talk about.

I never wanted these big boobs, but I had gyno as a teen, and after losing my testicles I had no choice, they grew like well watered weds! I had already fathered 5, had lived a full life that included serving my country for 11 years and owning my own businesses so my priorities had changed at my age by then as well.

So I agree, if you can learn to live with them go for it, if not then you must do what you must do.

[Dr. Elliot Jacobs]

Sorry to hear about your experience but realize that this is not the standard experience after gynecomastia surgery.  I do not know the severity of your original condition nor do I know the experience of the surgeon who operated upon you. Hence I cannot comment on your results except to state that the results are decidedly uncommon.

Yes, after surgery, the body heals with scar tissue -- that is the normal way the body heals. It does not heal with virgin tissue.  That being said, the permanent loss of skin and nipple sensation on the chest is extremely rare.  And all of my patients, at least, have regained all the normal movement and strength of their chest muscles -- if not having added more bulk due to their added self esteem after the surgery.  And finally, having chest surgery does not affect muscles, joints and other organs in the body -- that is simply not true!!

While I am not pushing surgery for everyone who has gynecomastia (one can certainly decide to live with it or even embrace the situation), I think it is important to make it clear that your experience is definitely rare.  However, it does point out that anyone contemplating gynecomastia surgery would do themselves a service by getting an opinion or surgery from a surgeon with a large amount of experience in the operation.

Dr Jacobs

[smoothd]

Sorry to hear about your experience but realize that this is not the standard experience after gynecomastia surgery.  I do not know the severity of your original condition nor do I know the experience of the surgeon who operated upon you. Hence I cannot comment on your results except to state that the results are decidedly uncommon.

Yes, after surgery, the body heals with scar tissue -- that is the normal way the body heals. It does not heal with virgin tissue.  That being said, the permanent loss of skin and nipple sensation on the chest is extremely rare.  And all of my patients, at least, have regained all the normal movement and strength of their chest muscles -- if not having added more bulk due to their added self esteem after the surgery.  And finally, having chest surgery does not affect muscles, joints and other organs in the body -- that is simply not true!!

While I am not pushing surgery for everyone who has gynecomastia (one can certainly decide to live with it or even embrace the situation), I think it is important to make it clear that your experience is definitely rare.  However, it does point out that anyone contemplating gynecomastia surgery would do themselves a service by getting an opinion or surgery from a surgeon with a large amount of experience in the operation.

Dr Jacobs

Dear and respected doctor, youve wrote that most of gyno patients regain nipple and chest sensation after a few months, how can you be so sure of that when  patients dont report to their doctors after few weeks of the  operation? its known that the connection between doctors and patients is stopped after the first or second check up meeting after the operation.. due to the fact that sensation regain take months the doctor usually cannot know the real data. therefore i believe that saying "lose of sensation is rare" may be faulty and its much more common then the doctors think.. i have 2 friends that had gyno surgery in 2 tops board certified surgeons here in Israel and they both lost nipple sensation and some of the chest sensation, furthermore regarding scar tissues im not a doctor but i had a consultation with a top fascia manipulator physiotherapist and he saw a lot of operated gyno patients.. he says that when  there are vast amount of scar tissue that this operation may create it affects all the joints, muscles, tendons that are surrounding the area, everything is interconnected in the body, new medicine and studies showed that a large scar tissue in the chest may even have an affect on ones leg due to the fact that everything is interconnected and that the fascia is a very important organ and disrupting its mesh can cause both micro and large problems in joints and other mechanical tissues in the body

[Dr. Elliot Jacobs]

I follow my patients for a minimum of six months and even up to a year or more. I always ask them about nipple and skin sensation.  My previous answer to you was based on that lengthy experience.

As for your assertion about scar tissue and fascia and it's affects on the entire body, limbs and organs, I have never seen or heard of that in my decades of being a physician.  You are of course free to believe what you want to believe.

Dr Jacobs

[Cristalis]

Dr Eliot

In a gyno surgery whats causing the most scar tissue, the gland excision or the liposuction? 
In other words asking, do people make scar tissue from liposuction even when performed lets say on the love handles? Having a lipo there should one concern with the scar tissue and unevenness? 

Thanks

[Dr. Elliot Jacobs]

When surgery is performed on the skin or underneath the skin, anywhere in the body, the body heals with scar tissue.  That includes lipo +/- gland excision (for gyne surgery) or any other kind of surgery.  The amount of scar tissue formation is not controllable by the patient or the surgeon.  If a hematoma or infection is present after surgery, then predictably there will be more scar tissue produced.

Dr Jacobs

[Cristalis]

I see, thanks Dr Jacobs.

[smoothd]

When surgery is performed on the skin or underneath the skin, anywhere in the body, the body heals with scar tissue.  That includes lipo +/- gland excision (for gyne surgery) or any other kind of surgery.  The amount of scar tissue formation is not controllable by the patient or the surgeon.  If a hematoma or infection is present after surgery, then predictably there will be more scar tissue produced.

Dr Jacobs

the most annoying thing is that most doctors usually never present this to their patients, people need to make their own research about the full affects of these procedures...
im sure that if the doctor who botched me told me that the gyno surgery will cause massive scare tissues and that scares never behave like a virgin tissue and if the doctor would have told me that lipo hurts nerves that may never heal i would have never go for the procedure ,  due to the fact that my gyno wasnt so bad, but who will do that, its bad for business, the regulator must protect us from these deeds i really think that doctors should have to inform to some sort of extant the full implications of scars and nerve damaging. i have lost sensation in my entire chest and i have craters now, lost sensation for life thats insane ive made myself sick im in such a rage.

[Dr. Elliot Jacobs]

Your frustration with your results is quite understandable.  However, please understand that the vast, vast majority of patients who undergo gynecomastia surgery are happy and pleased with their results -- and yes, they did heal with scar tissue.  The most common phrase after surgery?  "It was life-changing."

I think that your problem stems from your surgeon -- not the operation itself.  Virtually all doctors will include a list of possible major complications of any procedure with the patient prior to surgery -- that is part of informed consent.  They cannot go into detail about any extremely rare possibilities, though.

Dr Jacobs