Recurrence of Gyne After Surgery?

[rm]

Hello All,

This is my first post to the board, so please forgive me if these questions have been asked before....

I'm 5'10" (178 cm), weigh about 150 lbs (68 kg) and have had gyne probably since about age 16 or 17.  There's really nothing I've been able to do to get rid of it -- I guess I somewhat reduced the appearance by getting down to about 135 lbs (61 kg) -- but that was a pretty unhealthy weight for my 5'10" height.

Anyway, I've since leveled off at about 150 lbs, and I'm pretty active by most measures ... I run about 20 to 30 miles (about 40K) a week.   But my gyno is still pretty embarrassing, and it seems like whenever I do gain any weight -- even just one night's worth of eating quite a bit -- I can feel a noticeable increase in my chest size.

I guess my questions go out to any *post-surgery* guy that was in a situation similar to mine (slim guy, but always gained weight in the chest):

1. After surgery (I'm talking months, or even years), do you experience any recurrence of gyne?  I wonder about this, because (as I mentioned above) whenever I indulge even slightly, I seem to instantly gain weight again in my chest.

2. Overall, are you happy with your decision to have surgery, or do you regret it?

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.

-RM

[gynosucks1]

your gyno isn't getting bigger/smaller from weight gain

what is happening is water retenion, and fat adding to the size of your chest.

your weight is really no indication of anything.

a bodyfat measurement would really be more helpful.

[gynosucks1]

it also sounds you have developed an eating disorder as a result of your gyno.

my advice,

first visit an endocroncologist and have extensive blood work done.

if weight gain is causing your chest to enlarge u might have wacky est/test ratio and have fat accumilation where it's not suppose to accumilate.

second, have the doctor aseess your problem.  

body dismoprhic disorder can be the reason behinde your gyncomastia.  i'd let a doctor diagnose you.  then move from there

[Paa_Paw]

The people who ar here are those who are seeking surgery for the most part and a few of us who have learned to cope with the condition.  A person who is several years post operative and happy with the result would probably have no interest in this site.  So they are not here to answer your question.

In the matter of fat distribution, look at your Dad and Uncles.   Your result should be similar to theirs.

Good luck

[manic91m9]

it also sounds you have developed an eating disorder as a result of your gyno.

my advice,

first visit an endocroncologist and have extensive blood work done.

if weight gain is causing your chest to enlarge u might have wacky est/test ratio and have fat accumilation where it's not suppose to accumilate.

second, have the doctor aseess your problem.  

body dismoprhic disorder can be the reason behinde your gyncomastia.  i'd let a doctor diagnose you.  then move from there

i am exactly the same height and weight as him and also gain weight in the chest so it makes my gyno apear worce.. you realy are quick to correct somone arent you? yes the gland itself may not get bigger but the bands of fat behind it would. and another thing you dont know anything about his diet or excercise so why are you sugesting he has an eating disorder? i have fairly low bodyfat but i could probably lose about 5kg in order to get down to a 6 pack. i always eat breakfast lunch and dinner and i know i could lose weight while continuing to do so if i wanted. i belive you do offer some positive and generaly accurate advice to people but you realy should back off a bit and realise that some people on this site are probably emotionaly unstable and your "telling it like it is" (as you see it) isnt neccesarily as helpfull as you think.

[gynosucks1]

i am exactly the same height and weight as him and also gain weight in the chest so it makes my gyno apear worce.. you realy are quick to correct somone arent you? yes the gland itself may not get bigger but the bands of fat behind it would. and another thing you dont know anything about his diet or excercise so why are you sugesting he has an eating disorder? i have fairly low bodyfat but i could probably lose about 5kg in order to get down to a 6 pack. i always eat breakfast lunch and dinner and i know i could lose weight while continuing to do so if i wanted. i belive you do offer some positive and generaly accurate advice to people but you realy should back off a bit and realise that some people on this site are probably emotionaly unstable and your "telling it like it is" (as you see it) isnt neccesarily as helpfull as you think.

Anyway, I've since leveled off at about 150 lbs, and I'm pretty active by most measures ... I run about 20 to 30 miles (about 40K) a week.   But my gyno is still pretty embarrassing, and it seems like whenever I do gain any weight -- even just one night's worth of eating quite a bit -- I can feel a noticeable increase in my chest size.



he obviously didn't say it specifically, but all that running and watching his weight becuase of his gyno is yes a visaul/eating disorder and is serious because it is most likely interfering with his life.

[gynosucks1]

anyways my diagnosis is.

u have high estrodiol.  nights worth of eating is causing you to retain water and bloat.

women are exactly like this.  the skinny movie acter chics, and just your regular anorexia chicks have a lot higher bodyfat then you might think.

they keep the lean look by not letting their water build up by indriectly eating very low amounts of food which they think is keeping them thing.

when in fact all that it is doing for them is keeping their glycogen/intracelluer water low.  

a nights worth of lota eating they wake up bloated and well dumbbly.. yah girls r dumb.. tehe, think they gained weight!!!

this is your case.  sorry to say, you can't gain fat overnight.  you are simply keeping dehydrated like the scenario i described above, and then when you eat you get puffy.

your body actually does not store excess calories as fat mechanically.  the more prefered method of storing excess calories is in muscle glycogen/liver.

if u eat 3,500 kcals at night before u go to sleep, you are not going to wake up with a lb worth of fat.

bodybuilders consume insane amounts of carbs before a compeition in order to refuel their glycogen and give their muscles a puffy look.  

i guess i'm just trying to explain to you elaboratly how all you are doing is keeping your water level low and thinking that you are keeping thin this way

[DrBermant]

Hello All,

This is my first post to the board, so please forgive me if these questions have been asked before....

I'm 5'10" (178 cm), weigh about 150 lbs (68 kg) and have had gyne probably since about age 16 or 17.  There's really nothing I've been able to do to get rid of it -- I guess I somewhat reduced the appearance by getting down to about 135 lbs (61 kg) -- but that was a pretty unhealthy weight for my 5'10" height.

Anyway, I've since leveled off at about 150 lbs, and I'm pretty active by most measures ... I run about 20 to 30 miles (about 40K) a week.   But my gyno is still pretty embarrassing, and it seems like whenever I do gain any weight -- even just one night's worth of eating quite a bit -- I can feel a noticeable increase in my chest size.

I guess my questions go out to any *post-surgery* guy that was in a situation similar to mine (slim guy, but always gained weight in the chest):

1. After surgery (I'm talking months, or even years), do you experience any recurrence of gyne?  I wonder about this, because (as I mentioned above) whenever I indulge even slightly, I seem to instantly gain weight again in my chest.

2. Overall, are you happy with your decision to have surgery, or do you regret it?

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.

-RM

Gynecomastia Surgery Does Not Prevent Regrowth


I caution each of my patients that surgery does not typically stop male breast growth.  If there is a problem with growing breasts, recurrence can happen.  Any of these medical problems and or these medications can cause gynecomastia. So, if you want to get worried about regrowth, you could get yourself evaluated for each of these conditions to see if they could be a factor.

Surgery also does not prevent weight gain in the chest.  Men tend to put weight on the belly and chest regions.  I educate each of my patients that this surgery will not prevent further breast growth.  It is like changing/fixing a tire with a nail.  Fixing/changing the tire will not prevent you from getting a new nail in that tire.

I take care of many patients with gynecomastia, as many as 8 in one day alone.  With all the gynecomastia surgery I have done, it is very rare to have regrowth.  One patient (who had surgery on only side by another doctor) came to me with pro hormone induced gynecomastia that only came back on the side that had no surgery.  His growth was massive on the one side and none on the other.  His surgery by that other doctor had left a massive crater - the skin was adherent against the chest wall with normal fat surrounding the ugly deformity.  One side looked like the deformity seen here.  The other side was almost a B cup breast so tender that I could barely examine it.  As with each patient who presented to me with current breast growth, he was referred for an endocrinology evaluation and stabilization before considering surgery.  I do not know if such radical surgery was a factor or not.   Even if it did, removing all fat under the skin just gives an unnatural look.

I prefer to target the gland first with my Dynamic Technique. This permits me to remove most of the gland and then sculpt the remainng tissue to minimze contour problems.  Any surgery technique, even radical breast mastectomy for male breast cancer can leave gland behind.  The problem is that there are fine fingers of gland that dissect between fingers of fat and can extend quite far into the chest.

You can see what I mean by fingers of gland here.

By concentrating on the gland first I am able to minimize the chance of breast regrowth.  It is very rare for my patients to have recurrence.  However, gynecomastia surgery does not stop breast regrowth.  For patients having breast growth, I have advised for many years that they should get their problem under control before surgery.  There are exceptions, such as young men with massive breasts that have not stopped growing.  That is why each case needs to be individually evaluated.  

Prevention of gynecomastia, when possible, is much better.

Secondary Surgery is often an option for those who had prior surgery.  Such issues are better discussed during a consultation with your surgeon or someone who can advise you about your options.  We help patients explore such issues during consultations or preliminary remote discussions.

Hope this helps,

Michael Bermant, MD
Learn More About Gynecomastia and Chest Sculpture

[Vizia]

Dr. Bermant, in the event I DO gain weight (in my chest), will losing weight make my chest appear as it did post surgery or does gaining weight have a permanent damaging effect as far as gynecomastia is concerned? I think it should revert to the way the surgeon sculpted the chest but I'm not sure. Hopefully you can shed some light on the matter. By the way, when I say 'gain weight' I mean up ti 10-20 lbs. I'm sure that more weight gain than that will probably be detrimental to the chest's shape recovery.

[Vizia]

This is from a thread I created prior to posting on this one:

I was just wondering how long swelling sensations last for? I had my surgery done on January 15, 2005 and I still have some slight swelling on my left breast. I know this will sound VERY weird, but I actually feel a little swelling when I eat a lot for a couple of days. It's almost as if I can FEEL my fat cells enlarging.  

Anyway, because of the swelling in my left breast it makes my chest look slightly lopsided. That's the only thing that really bothers me. It's not really noticeable to others but I can tell, especially when I stare at myself in the mirror for prolonged periods of time.   People have told me it takes up to a year to see optimal results, so I was wondering if anyone STILL has swelling even after a year post-op.