Post-Op Cratering

[GreenEnvy]

Hi folks, this is my first post and am hoping I can get some serious input about my problem.

I'll skip all of the formalities that most people know about.  Anyway...  My chest heals after surgery and we go in to have my bandages and drains removed.  I had some obvious cratering but according to the surgeon, this would go away with time and if it didn't then I would have to lose weight to get my desired results.

It's been three years since my surgery and I'm 70 lbs lighter, with no change in my chest at all.  I went in for a routine check up and told my doctor about it.  He was instantly angered at how deformed my chest was.  I've gone to plastic surgeons about it and have been told that correcting the procedure would cost a lot of money and they claim there's not much they can do anyway.

I do marching band and drum corps and am too embarrassed to take my shirt off - even when every single other person is bare chested.  I feel a lot better with a shirt on, as the deformity isn't as obvious, however, it is still noticeable (but not as noticeable as the untreated gynecomastia).

Here are the pictures.  I don't know if it would be possible to go back to the surgeon and demand corrective surgery because the two things he said would fix it, time and losing weight, did not help.

Front view:
http://i548.photobucket.com/albums/ii325/grenenvy_album/FrontView.jpg

Left profile:
http://i548.photobucket.com/albums/ii325/grenenvy_album/LeftProfile.jpg

Right profile:
http://i548.photobucket.com/albums/ii325/grenenvy_album/RightProfile.jpg

The cratering and scarring are much more pronounced in better light.

[londonlad]

Which surgeon did the operation?

[13genof]

Wow your doctor really messed that up, I am sorry that happened to you!  Just one more reason I would be very very afraid to have surgery!


 Good Luck!

[GreenEnvy]

Which surgeon did the operation?

I don't recall his name, I'm from Cincinnati, Ohio and had the operation done at Jewish Hospital.  I checked a list of names, and can't seem to remember it.  Why do you ask?

Also, when I last spoke to the surgeon about it, he said it was not plastic surgery (I'm pretty sure that was just his justification for it not turning out well).  He claims that because it was not plastic surgery they simply went in and cut the breast tissue out, making no cosmetic changes to the chest area.  Even though pre-op, he told me that simply removing the breast tissue would solve most of the problem.

[balalayka]

To be frank, this looks bad. If your doctor told you that he just cut out the breast tissue then this can happen. Liposuction helps with contouring the surrounding fat so that no craters are created. But the weird thing is that your doctor told you to lose weight to fix it !! I would say that if you want to fix that you need to gain weight particularly in the chest area to fill up the crater and tighten the skin again. I would say that in your case the solution would be to hit the gym and hit your chest hard and eat tons of protein to develop your chest muscles. This ought to fill up the crater but you may need you pectorals to increase significantly in size. Your other option would be pectoral implants. Of course I am no doctor, but these solutions are what I think can work.

[DrBermant]

Hi folks, this is my first post and am hoping I can get some serious input about my problem.

I'll skip all of the formalities that most people know about.  Anyway...  My chest heals after surgery and we go in to have my bandages and drains removed.  I had some obvious cratering but according to the surgeon, this would go away with time and if it didn't then I would have to lose weight to get my desired results.

It's been three years since my surgery and I'm 70 lbs lighter, with no change in my chest at all.  I went in for a routine check up and told my doctor about it.  He was instantly angered at how deformed my chest was.  I've gone to plastic surgeons about it and have been told that correcting the procedure would cost a lot of money and they claim there's not much they can do anyway.

I do marching band and drum corps and am too embarrassed to take my shirt off - even when every single other person is bare chested.  I feel a lot better with a shirt on, as the deformity isn't as obvious, however, it is still noticeable (but not as noticeable as the untreated gynecomastia).

Here are the pictures.  I don't know if it would be possible to go back to the surgeon and demand corrective surgery because the two things he said would fix it, time and losing weight, did not help.

Front view:
http://i548.photobucket.com/albums/ii325/grenenvy_album/FrontView.jpg

Left profile:
http://i548.photobucket.com/albums/ii325/grenenvy_album/LeftProfile.jpg

Right profile:
http://i548.photobucket.com/albums/ii325/grenenvy_album/RightProfile.jpg

The cratering and scarring are much more pronounced in better light.

Crater Deformity Defects are better managed by prevention and being more careful with surgeon choice.  I have been seeing more and more of this defect by inexperienced surgeons.  That is why you are being asked for the doctor's name, others want to avoid such disasters through education about doctor's skills and who they may want to avoid.

Weight loss is better before surgery than after.  Losing weight can result in loose excess skin on the male chest.  Early surgery can burn bridges, revision options sometimes are limited by what has been done before.  

Standard Pictures for Demonstrating Loose Skin Problems needs to be combined with

Standard Pictures for Showing Scar Problems after Gynecomastia Surgery to better help others understand the problem.

A Skin Reduction Chest Lift may be an option for some.  We help patients explore the compromises that this technique offers during a consultation or a Preliminary Remote Discussion.

One of the advantages of a crater, is that the hole is covered by clothing. Another option is a Body Shaping Garment, but this does not permit a shirtless option. The compression does wonders for the loose skin deformity (while being worn.)

Hope this helps,

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

[GreenEnvy]

I considered the fact that maybe liposuction and that "chest tuck" procedure might be the best options, but I have yet to consult a doctor about it.  I'm going to research into this further and attempt to find some corrections. 

The main limiting factor right now is money, if there is no way for my to get this corrected by the hospital free of charge then I am afraid I will be scarred with this deformity for the rest of my life.

Thanks everyone for your input.

[DrBermant]

I considered the fact that maybe liposuction and that "chest tuck" procedure might be the best options, but I have yet to consult a doctor about it.  I'm going to research into this further and attempt to find some corrections. 

The main limiting factor right now is money, if there is no way for my to get this corrected by the hospital free of charge then I am afraid I will be scarred with this deformity for the rest of my life.

Thanks everyone for your input.

Liposuction will not manage craters, fixing a hole by digging it deeper or making the surrounding area part of a bigger hole are not very good solutions, especially on animation (during movement). 

The compression garments are another option.


Hope this helps,

Michael Bermant, MD
Learn More About Revision Gynecomastia and Chest Surgery