New to forum and needing some help/encouragement/advice

[HHH]

Hi people,

Seen on this forum for a couple of times and had some reading about this condition.

I suffer from this condition since my puberty and it is still a bother to me, i am 37.

Just a little background, I was obese all my life til I was 18 and my peak was 260 pounds, I have since lost a major part of that and currently 163pounds. At this weight, I look totally fine and I am thankful for this loss. However, the part that never really left me was the man-boobs. It has gotten a lot smaller now but it is still unsightly by any standard, and I stumbled upon this term and I begin to read more and figured it was a medical condition I am suffering from.

I have got a few question and will be great to hear from people here, thank you in advance. Here it goes,

1. Is surgery the only way to remove these?
2. Though low risk, what are the chances of needing a second surgery to perfect the first surgery, if any needed? I do understand every surgery is unique and each body recovers/receives the treatment differently. A general opinion would suffice.
3. Will the boobs come back? I do consume alcohol moderately every other week.
4. How long will it take so I can go topless to the beach or pool?
5. Will there be bad scarring on my skin?

Thank you.

 



     

[Raider Fan]

Welcome to gyne.org, HHH.

Yes, usually, surgery is the only way to correct gynecomastia after it has been established, especially if it's been there for years.  One surgery is all most people need, but if the condition is severe, it's possible that the surgery might have to be done in stages.  

It's very important to realize that the first surgery is your best chance to get the best results.  So it is very important to choose your surgeon wisely.  Go to a board certified plastic surgeon who has a wealth of experience in correcting gynecomastia.  Not all plastic surgeons have experience at correcting gyne, so preferably, go to one who specializes in it and performs many each year. Also, before choosing a surgeon, look at many before/after pictures of their patients, because that's the results YOU can expect.  If you don't like what you see in the pictures, go to another surgeon.  Also, ask the surgeon to show you pics of other guys who had gyne similar to yours.  This gives you a good idea of what you can expect from your surgery.  

If your gyne has "burned out" and is no longer active, then there is little chance the breast tissue would grow back after surgery.  But it can (and does) happen if guys elect to have surgery too early and their breasts are still in an active growing stage.  If your condition has been stable for a couple of years, it should be fine to have surgery without the fear of anything growing back.

As far as when you can go out in public, that really just depends on YOUR situation.  There are many variables involved, like how severe your gyne was, what all was involved in correcting it, etc. But usually, a few months is required for most guys to feel good about going out in public without their shirt.

Scarring depends on the same factors as above.  The severity of your gyne and how much was required during surgery will determine your scarring.  But most guys are happy with the degree of their scarring, as the way they look after the surgery is typically soooo much better than what they looked like before.  The guys that usually complain are the ones that had mild gyne from the start, but a bad surgeon made their chest look worse than it looked before the surgery.  Again, it is very important to choose a surgeon with LOTS of experience at correcting gynecomastia.  No surgeon likes going in to clean up someone else's mess, and the chances of optimal results go down with subsequent surgeries.  

[HHH]

Hi Raider,

Appreciate your reply.

Mine is probably the size of a "A' cup breast, saggy and unsightly. It has gone down in size over the recent years as i worked out in gym but it is still there.

I am avoiding surgery if I can but as I am scheduled for an appointment with the doc this Wednesday, I will check it out with him and update if its all necessary for an op.

I also heard turmeric powder helps chest reduction with appropriate workouts, is it true?

[Raider Fan]

I also heard turmeric powder helps chest reduction with appropriate workouts, is it true?

No, it's not true. If something like that could help gynecomastia, then surely physicians and chemists would have found a real medicine by now that we could all take and have our gyne magically cured.  

Some anti-estrogen meds have proved to be beneficial in some cases of new onset gyne, but unfortunately, surgery is the only cure for established gynecomastia.