skin tightness

[digitalgod]

Hi guys, an 18 year old with gyne here. I'm glad I found this site, because these stories have helped me a lot!
I actually have been reading here for quite some time, but I decided to ask a question for once.

I've lost a lot of weight recently, with the hope of reducing my gynecomastia.
I'm proud to say, it has worked to a good extent: I went from 185 pounds to about 145 pounds, and my chest does look significantly better (though far from perfect). At this point I don't feel too uncomfortable about what i'm going to wear all the time (although its still a factor), though I still won't go swimming, etc. I go to the gym a lot and i'm in pretty good shape- so that's a shame.

Anyway- due to the fact that I lost a lot of weight, I get the impression that there is a lot of loose skin on my chest, perhaps from losing 40 pounds in about 1 year. The thing is, even though there is gland there (not so much fat anymore), I think if the skin would get a little tighter I would look a lot better. I notice my chest doesn't look too bad, but then when I lean forward without a shirt, what seemed to be a relatively defined chest before immediately concaves into cone-shaped breasts, which are a lot longer (sag further down) compared to how big they are otherwise. They are in a sense disproportionally long as opposed to wide or large when I lean forward like that. Otherwise, it looks ok. With that said, I have two questions, because I am trying to get rid of this issue and tighten up my chest permanently:

1) What's a good way to tighten up the loose skin on my chest? Will pectoral exercises work?

I know a lot of people say building muscle only pushes the gland out further. The thing is, I have more loose skin than anything else, so i'm not sure how applicable that is to me. Make no mistake: I still have plenty of gland though. Is there any way to get my chest tightened other than that? Surgery seems extreme given my case of gyne which, given my weight loss and overall fitness condition, isn't terribly bad.

Two more questions, but first a little background:
I developed the annoying habit of pinching/squeezing my breasts all the time! (not in public lol). Not the nipples but the base or sides of the breast where the gland is. I hear this twitching sound as I squeeze and I always felt that I was breaking up the gland there and this would eventually make the gynecomastia go away. So:

2) Is this plan of mine ridiculous nonsense which could make things even worse, or am I on to something? Is there any point to this at all?

3) Could the constant pinching and pulling of my chest area be contributing to the lack of the tightening of my skin, or is this unlikely?

[DrBermant]

Hi guys, an 18 year old with gyne here. I'm glad I found this site, because these stories have helped me a lot!
I actually have been reading here for quite some time, but I decided to ask a question for once.

I've lost a lot of weight recently, with the hope of reducing my gynecomastia.
I'm proud to say, it has worked to a good extent: I went from 185 pounds to about 145 pounds, and my chest does look significantly better (though far from perfect). At this point I don't feel too uncomfortable about what i'm going to wear all the time (although its still a factor), though I still won't go swimming, etc. I go to the gym a lot and i'm in pretty good shape- so that's a shame.

Anyway- due to the fact that I lost a lot of weight, I get the impression that there is a lot of loose skin on my chest, perhaps from losing 40 pounds in about 1 year. The thing is, even though there is gland there (not so much fat anymore), I think if the skin would get a little tighter I would look a lot better. I notice my chest doesn't look too bad, but then when I lean forward without a shirt, what seemed to be a relatively defined chest before immediately concaves into cone-shaped breasts, which are a lot longer (sag further down) compared to how big they are otherwise. They are in a sense disproportionally long as opposed to wide or large when I lean forward like that. Otherwise, it looks ok. With that said, I have two questions, because I am trying to get rid of this issue and tighten up my chest permanently:

1) What's a good way to tighten up the loose skin on my chest? Will pectoral exercises work?

I know a lot of people say building muscle only pushes the gland out further. The thing is, I have more loose skin than anything else, so i'm not sure how applicable that is to me. Make no mistake: I still have plenty of gland though. Is there any way to get my chest tightened other than that? Surgery seems extreme given my case of gyne which, given my weight loss and overall fitness condition, isn't terribly bad.

Two more questions, but first a little background:
I developed the annoying habit of pinching/squeezing my breasts all the time! (not in public lol). Not the nipples but the base or sides of the breast where the gland is. I hear this twitching sound as I squeeze and I always felt that I was breaking up the gland there and this would eventually make the gynecomastia go away. So:

2) Is this plan of mine ridiculous nonsense which could make things even worse, or am I on to something? Is there any point to this at all?

3) Could the constant pinching and pulling of my chest area be contributing to the lack of the tightening of my skin, or is this unlikely?

The male chest can be distorted by both Gynecomastia Male Breast Enlargement. Drooping or Ptosis is a frequent problem after massive weight loss or deflation of massive muscles.   Building chest muscles can help for some.  It is like inflating a deflated balloon.

Posting Standard Pictures to Show Male Chest Drooping after Weight Loss can help others better understand if the loose skin component is a factor.

Low areola and sagging skin do not give a good contour to the male chest.  Surgery to deal with both the residual contours of gynecomastia and loose hanging tissues can be combined.  Male Mastopexy Chest Lift for Drooping Chest or Ptosis can consist of many different Surgical Options for Excess Skin of the Male Chest.  A Short Scar Skin Reduction Chest Lift hides the scars under the pectoral muscles and around the areola.

Hope this helps,

Michael Bermant, MD
Learn More About Male Mastopexy Chest Lift for Sagging Tissues

[digitalgod]

Thanks very much!!
Unfortunately your link doesn't seem to work for "Standard Pictures to Show Male Chest Drooping after weight loss".
If you could correct that, I would really appreciate it.

Also if you could give me any advice:
I lost the weight in the period of one year...shouldn't that have been enough for my skin to tighten?
If not, then how long should I expect to wait, or will it never go away without surgery?

[DrBermant]

Thanks very much!!
Unfortunately your link doesn't seem to work for "Standard Pictures to Show Male Chest Drooping after weight loss".
If you could correct that, I would really appreciate it.

Also if you could give me any advice:
I lost the weight in the period of one year...shouldn't that have been enough for my skin to tighten?
If not, then how long should I expect to wait, or will it never go away without surgery?

Fixed, thank you!

After massive weight loss, studies have shown it can take from 6 to 18 months for the skin to tighten.  For many, unfortunately, the connective tissue is too damaged and only so much contraction can happen.  Once the weight has stabilized and the skin is no longer adjusting, that may be the end point.

Hope this helps,

Michael Bermant, MD
Learn More About Male Mastopexy Chest Lift for Sagging Tissues

[digitalgod]

Yes, that looks a lot like my problem!
Mine isn't quite as bad though.

Thanks very much. I'll stick it out for about a year and if the improvement is insufficient i'll look into surgery.

[DrBermant]

Yes, that looks a lot like my problem!
Mine isn't quite as bad though.

Thanks very much. I'll stick it out for about a year and if the improvement is insufficient i'll look into surgery.

Patience can prove very valuable!

Michael Bermant, MD
Learn More About Plastic Surgery

[digitalgod]

Another question (anyone, feel free to chime in here):
And I understand this is difficult to evaluate without a full checkup or pictures so feel free to express an opinion of what this intuitively seems to be.

there are certain times when it seems like I almost don't have gyne (I haven't figured out the pattern yet).
Other times, like now when I stepped out of the shower 3 minutes ago, especially when I lean forward it seems like I have a moderate/severe case of gyne.

Is this consistent with the theory that my gyne is mainly due to loose skin, or is it always like this for others as well?

Thanks again.

[DrBermant]

Another question (anyone, feel free to chime in here):
And I understand this is difficult to evaluate without a full checkup or pictures so feel free to express an opinion of what this intuitively seems to be.

there are certain times when it seems like I almost don't have gyne (I haven't figured out the pattern yet).
Other times, like now when I stepped out of the shower 3 minutes ago, especially when I lean forward it seems like I have a moderate/severe case of gyne.

Is this consistent with the theory that my gyne is mainly due to loose skin, or is it always like this for others as well?

Thanks again.

I have designed a set of Standard Pictures to Evaluate Loose Skin and Gynecomastia that tends to reveal the hanging skin component.  Of course the in office examination is best for evaluation where the skin's elasticity can be felt and examined.

Hope this helps,

Michael Bermant, MD
Learn More About Gynecomastia of Male Chest Ptosis - Sagging and Male Mastopexy Chest Lift Sculpture

[Dr Kapoor]

Hi guys, an 18 year old with gyne here. I'm glad I found this site, because these stories have helped me a lot!
I actually have been reading here for quite some time, but I decided to ask a question for once.

I've lost a lot of weight recently, with the hope of reducing my gynecomastia.
I'm proud to say, it has worked to a good extent: I went from 185 pounds to about 145 pounds, and my chest does look significantly better (though far from perfect). At this point I don't feel too uncomfortable about what i'm going to wear all the time (although its still a factor), though I still won't go swimming, etc. I go to the gym a lot and i'm in pretty good shape- so that's a shame.

Anyway- due to the fact that I lost a lot of weight, I get the impression that there is a lot of loose skin on my chest, perhaps from losing 40 pounds in about 1 year. The thing is, even though there is gland there (not so much fat anymore), I think if the skin would get a little tighter I would look a lot better. I notice my chest doesn't look too bad, but then when I lean forward without a shirt, what seemed to be a relatively defined chest before immediately concaves into cone-shaped breasts, which are a lot longer (sag further down) compared to how big they are otherwise. They are in a sense disproportionally long as opposed to wide or large when I lean forward like that. Otherwise, it looks ok. With that said, I have two questions, because I am trying to get rid of this issue and tighten up my chest permanently:

1) What's a good way to tighten up the loose skin on my chest? Will pectoral exercises work?

I know a lot of people say building muscle only pushes the gland out further. The thing is, I have more loose skin than anything else, so i'm not sure how applicable that is to me. Make no mistake: I still have plenty of gland though. Is there any way to get my chest tightened other than that? Surgery seems extreme given my case of gyne which, given my weight loss and overall fitness condition, isn't terribly bad.

Two more questions, but first a little background:
I developed the annoying habit of pinching/squeezing my breasts all the time! (not in public lol). Not the nipples but the base or sides of the breast where the gland is. I hear this twitching sound as I squeeze and I always felt that I was breaking up the gland there and this would eventually make the gynecomastia go away. So:

2) Is this plan of mine ridiculous nonsense which could make things even worse, or am I on to something? Is there any point to this at all?

3) Could the constant pinching and pulling of my chest area be contributing to the lack of the tightening of my skin, or is this unlikely?

do you have any photos you could post? That would be helpful to give you an opinion. THanks

[digitalgod]

I have always been a little reluctant to take pictures of my breasts and post them on the internet.
Its just too weird!!

I have actually heard that some people uploaded their gyn pics to their yahoo photo logs and were banned for violating their terms of service 

But I think you guys are being really really helpful and sometime in the next few weeks I will muster up the courage to do this.
Thanks!

[DrBermant]

I have always been a little reluctant to take pictures of my breasts and post them on the internet.
Its just too weird!!

I have actually heard that some people uploaded their gyn pics to their yahoo photo logs and were banned for violating their terms of service 

But I think you guys are being really really helpful and sometime in the next few weeks I will muster up the courage to do this.
Thanks!

You could avoid posting such pictures in public with either an in office consultation or our Preliminary Remote Discussion.  If interested, Jane is my office manager.  She can normally be reached at our office by phone Monday - Friday 9-5 Eastern Time at (804) 748-7737.

Hope this helps,

Michael Bermant, MD
Learn More About Gynecomastia

[Dr Kapoor]

I have always been a little reluctant to take pictures of my breasts and post them on the internet.
Its just too weird!!

I have actually heard that some people uploaded their gyn pics to their yahoo photo logs and were banned for violating their terms of service 

But I think you guys are being really really helpful and sometime in the next few weeks I will muster up the courage to do this.
Thanks!

I understand completely; do whatever is most comfortable for you. If it's easier, feel free to email them to info@drkapoormd.com. Good luck to you.

[digitalgod]

Hi guys, its me again.
I've been thinking more about this and I decided I DO want to get surgery.
I plan to do this in about 1 year.

I am wondering how much gynecomastia surgery costs?
I understand it varies dramatically from patient to patient  (well I assume this is the case).
But can anyone give me some kind of range?

i also want to know, how bad of an idea is it to just go in to a local surgeon and have the procedure done?
Is there a high risk that they will do a really bad job on account of their inexperience with this kind of operation?
Is it worth going out of state just to get the "best" surgeon?
How do I even know who the "best" is?

[headheldhigh01]

anywhere from $2500-8000 us (in rare cases more, but outside a major city you'd probably be overpaying beyond that), it depends a lot on the surgeon, his location, and the individual case.  a not too severe case might run 4000-5000 or so.  

if the person isn't experienced in gyne, RUN.  generalists with no clue both this op badly.  a competent gyne-experienced ps can hide a scar.  incompetent generalists have just put random straight (not even matching knife marks straight across the areola like you were just a stupid piece of hamburger they didn't care about.  

"best" is kind of a loaded subject.  you want at minimum an experienced and board certified plastic surgeon.  if the person does more than 50 gyne ops a year, it's probably a good start, though some do more than that.  there are a number who can do a good job, but they're in various locations around the country and the world.  if you have to travel to find somebody who's experienced with gyne, absolutely do it.  most major cities probably have somebody, though the docs listed at the front of the site as supporting this board are probably no strangers to the subject.  visit websites for people and do a little investigating on your own first.  if you would interview more than one contractor to do your garage, your chest might be worth at least the same effort.  good luck  

[DrBermant]

Hi guys, its me again.
I've been thinking more about this and I decided I DO want to get surgery.
I plan to do this in about 1 year.

I am wondering how much gynecomastia surgery costs?
I understand it varies dramatically from patient to patient  (well I assume this is the case).
But can anyone give me some kind of range?

i also want to know, how bad of an idea is it to just go in to a local surgeon and have the procedure done?
Is there a high risk that they will do a really bad job on account of their inexperience with this kind of operation?
Is it worth going out of state just to get the "best" surgeon?
How do I even know who the "best" is?

Cost of Gynecomastia Surgery depends on the problem to be treated, what needs to be done, and can vary from surgeon to surgeon.  Jane is my office manager and can help explain our prices and costs.  She can normally be reached at our office by phone Monday - Friday 9-5 Eastern Time at (804) 748-7737.

Choice of surgeon can be critical. Unfortunately, I see many horrible results with patients unhappy with surgery they had done by local surgeons.  I have posted details on how to pick a gynecomastia surgeon here:

http://www.gynecomastia.org/smf/index.php?topic=16474.0

Hope this helps,

Michael Bermant, MD
Learn More About Gynecomastia and Male Breast Reduction