Skin removal

[flex1appeal]

Has anyone else here had excess skin removed as a result of gynecomastia surgery? I had surgery about 2 years ago and my skin under my pec never quite got tighter and so my surgeon said he would remove skin and not charge me. He warned that I may have a scar from it though which I was ok with. skipping forward a year and a half from my surgery, I went ahead and took my doc up on the skin removal. He did this last june. He said it would be a redish scar and last about 6 months before fading to a tradional white scar. Think is, it's been about 6 months now and the scar looks almost the same red color it did when he 1st did the surgery. It has faded somewhat and I can tell it has but I want to know if anyone else has experience with skin removal and how their scar healed and how long it took before it was pretty faded? I am nervous it will remain red forever at this point. I can deal with a 5" scar under each pec but not bright red. I'd like to be able to take my shirt off again and not have it so noticeable. Other than that, my chest now looks great after surgery for gyne and skin removal. My doc went out of his way to accommodate me until I was satisfied and didn't charge me extra. Great doctor. Anyone in the DFW area looking for a good gynecomastia plastic surgeon, I recommend Dr Landon Perry.

regards,

flex

[Dr. Elliot Jacobs]

The possibility of some loose skin after standard gyne surgery should be discussed with you prior to surgery -- just so that it isn't a total surprise if it does occur.  In the vast majority of cases, the skin tightens quite nicely.  In cases where skin elasticity has been compromised, such as with long term overweight, excessive sun exposure, an older patient, a long time smoker), I usually recommend waiting 6-8 months after the original operation to give your body the best opportunity to tighten by itself.  If there is still lax skin present, then a skin excision (under local anesthesia) can be done.

Scars tend to be redder in younger patients -- and direct exposure of a fresh scar to sunlight will keep it redder for a longer time.  All scars will eventually lose their red color -- but in younger patients, this may take anywhere from 6 months to 2 years or even longer.  Be patient and use sunblock on the scars.

Dr Jacobs

[flex1appeal]

Thank you for the reply dr Jacobs. Just to give you background, My gyne came from steroid use. I have a lean body for the most part and am in my mid 30's currently so still have the youth factor. I waited 2 years from my revision before opting for skin removal. I am a patient person. I was sure the skin was not going to get any tighter. As for the sun, my skin hasn't seen any of that in years. I keep my shirt because of the bright red scar. It is nice to hear you say the scars eventually loose the red color. Do you know if it will completely lose the red color in time assuming I stay out of the sun and tanning? I have no intentions of any of that so you know. I'm just looking for feedback on what to expect. I didn't think the scar would remain so bright red this long. He did warn me it would leave a scar though so that I was prepared for and ok with. Thanks for your feedback

regards,

[Dr. Elliot Jacobs]

Please be patient -- it may take two years for the redness to fade.  Keep the scars out of the sun.

An alternative to consider is laser treatment to reduce the redness of the scars.  Speak to a dermatologist about this -- but be aware that laser treatments themselves can be costly.

Good luck!

Dr Jacobs