What predisposes one to regrowth after surgery?

[kirribilli]

Are there any biological conditions, or age, that would make a regrowth after surgery more likely? I assume going just for lipo and leaving gland in would predispose. But is there any underlying hormonal condition or syndrome that raises the odds it will just grow back?

[headheldhigh01]

the same ones that would predispose it beforehand, like a medical situation, though that's improbable, or external factors.  stay away from lavender/tea tree oil products, propecia, marijuana (strongly debated both ways but i wouldn't risk it myself) and in my considered but non-professional opinion, meat and dairy.  if you're in doubt, see an endo to check your levels, but most gyne is idiopathic, it doesn't trace well to a single cause, all it takes is one temporary fluctuation in your teens that stays on you long enough. 

[Paa_Paw]

The probability of having Gynecomastia increases with age, How much of that is due to aging alone and how much is due to medications could be debated. I avoided Beta Blockers for hypertension for years until now I really need to take them. I worried for nothing, There has been no change in the breasts nor loss of libido. The same is true of medications for BPH (enlarged prostate) again, I worried for nothing.

Check Dr Bermants site for a list of things that can cause Gynecomastia. But don't get too carried away with worrying about it.

Looking back over 70+ Years, I must honestly admit that the things I worried about most never happened. Worrying is a total waste of time.

[Gyno 44]

Headlight

i strongly dissagree with your meat  causes gyn. (i knwo you said its your opinion)

Why do you say this ? Because of all the hormones added ?

Hormones are added into everthing nowadays, i know your a veggie so i think your a little bias on the meat assumption

[ddrop]

i'm not a veggie but i think this might be the truth.my every ancestor that i know of had gyno as a kid,but theirs went away after a year or two, i'm the only one that had it for 7 years and had surgery,so i'm guessing meat hormones aren't the only cause but they might be one of them in slowing down the disolvement of the tissue by its own

[RyanMace]

meat and dairy.

Elaborate. Why would meat and/or diary products cause gyne?

[The_G0rn]

meat and dairy.

Elaborate. Why would meat and/or diary products cause gyne?

They don't. He's just pushing his vegetarian agenda.  All the other stuff he mentioned I'd agree with though.

[RyanMace]

meat and dairy.

Elaborate. Why would meat and/or diary products cause gyne?

They don't. He's just pushing his vegetarian agenda.  All the other stuff he mentioned I'd agree with though.

Yea. I'm just curious if he has some serious facts that backs some of it up :p

[ThatMethD1guy]

If it takes a whole lifetime to get the GYNO to the point where we are considereing surgery....and then the surgeon removes massive amounts of fat and gland...which is then gone for good......are we really thinking that these other factors are going to regenerate fat/gland in any short period of time?

[DrBermant]

Are there any biological conditions, or age, that would make a regrowth after surgery more likely? I assume going just for lipo and leaving gland in would predispose. But is there any underlying hormonal condition or syndrome that raises the odds it will just grow back?

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 for patients I have sculpted.  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 remaining tissue to minimize 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.  With my techniques and my Red Flag Evaluation System before surgery, I have only a few patients over the many years I have been doing surgery that I know have regrown.  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. We help patients explore such issues during consultations or preliminary remote discussions.

Hope this helps,

Michael Bermant, MD
Learn More About Gynecomastia

[headheldhigh01]

meat and dairy.

Elaborate. Why would meat and/or diary products cause gyne?

They don't. He's just pushing his vegetarian agenda.  All the other stuff he mentioned I'd agree with though.

not true.  i have always disclosed my perspective up front when i post in detail, which i've done well more than once, because i believe the facts speak for themselves.  and yes, it's about the hormones.  big time.  if i were still a meat eater, i probably wouldn't touch any of the non-organic stuff in the states, because i believe it was probably a major contributor to my odds of getting gyne.  believe me i was chugging the milk and eating the burgers. 

sorry to be late responding to the posts, but you'll find the explanation at length, at the link below.  this is not intended to get off topic, just to answer the question from three people.  read it carefully and pay special attention to the constant connection to exactly the developmental hormonal issues, especially female-related ones, that induce gyne.  go down to post #9 here:

http://www.gynecomastia.org/smf/index.php?topic=14826