The Journey Begins...

[phantom]

Hello everyone.

I have followed this forum for a couple of years now.  My story is not particularly different from many that I have read on here.

I am 32, 6ft4ins and of a stocky frame.  I have carried excess fat in the the chest area from childhood and have always been very conscious of it.  You'd think the teasing or comments about male breasts would have been long left behind the playground, but alas it still happens from time to time - which as you know is crushing.

Three years ago I weighed in at 21 stones.  So I set about loosing weight.  Three years on (the last 18 months with the use of a personal trainer) am down to under 17 stones and more or less at an appropriate weight for my height and build.  Needless to say I am still carrying excess fat on the chest.

I lost weight in the first instance to make absolutely sure that my 'breast' issue was not one because of being overweight.  So now I am in a place where I have done what I can in terms of weight loss and now considering 'the last resort' that is surgery.

Yesterday I went for my first consultation in Manchester with a doctor from the Elyzea clinic in Belgium.  This clinic is renowned for lipo procedures at very competitive rates.  I was quoted £1,750 all in.

But I walked away feeling absolutely unconvinced.  The consultation (which only cost £30) lasted about ten minutes.  I was asked a few basic medical questions.  I was given a brief examination.  The doctor gave a brief description of what he could do and that was that.

I asked how many patients for the same condition he had treated this year - he was VERY non-specific.  I asked for before and after photos, but he asked me to email the secretary at the clinic.

I came away not feeling as if I'd paid £30 for an initial consultation, rather paid the money to be made aware that this doctor and this clinic was not for me.  Money well spent I think.

Alas, after trawling all the threads on this forum, I have just made an appointment with Dr Levick in Birmingham for 13 December.

I find the fees very daunting and feel as if I am embarking into the unknown.  I'd appreciate any testimonials from Dr Levick's past patients, both the good and the bad.  How well were your expectations managed?  Have you got what you expected?  How satisfied are you with the result?

I anticipate surgery sometime in the new year, possibly the beginning of February.  If and when I decide to go, I will post before and after pics, or at least make them available to anyone that emails me.

Many thanks.

[limaecho]

First of all, well done on the weight loss pal! It takes alot of determination and will power. There are alot of threads on here regarding Levick, and to be honest, If I had the £3.5k to spend I would go to Levick. But unfortunately I don't so I'm going to have to use the NHS.

[chestrockwell]

Hi there m8 wecome to the forum, Got to take my hat off to you m8, dropping 4 stone is incredible and i bet you feel 100% better physically and mentaly for doing it, all you got to do now is get the gyne sorted!.
I have had surgery recently with levick and i was a little worried when i first saw my chest as i lay on the operating table, but its looking pretty damn good as of now, so i just hope it keeps improving with time like a fine wine .
I think you will like mr levick, he's a very down to earth guy, and as someone told me "he is very aproachable" and he is just that, he gets out his before and after pics and talks you through the whole procedure and alot more besides, you can say the old saying is true to a certain extent " you get what you pay for ", and in levicks case i think this is correct, 'expensive' but you get a top service.

Need any help or advice m8 just drop me a pm and il do my best to help you out .

chris.

[bohemian2]

Same thing here. I've just had surgery with Levick, at the beginning of this month, and slowly I'm healing back to normal but without the boobs!

It feels so wonderful and is honestly worth every penny. Just start saving, take a loan, do whatever you have to because you will not regret the decision to have the operation. Life changing.

Levick is the main man of course!

[ruggedtoast]

I must admit I was somewhat underhwhelmed by my first contact with the Elyzea clinic as well. I emailed them a couple of times and got a brief reply a week or so  later a couple of times mostly telling me to make an appointment.

Then they didnt reply anymore so I gave up on them.  Dont need that kind of worry. I cant afford levick though, Ive been in contact with a surgeon in spain who seems pretty good and will do it for around 2500GBP but I cant really afford that either.

[chestrockwell]

I must admit I was somewhat underhwhelmed by my first contact with the Elyzea clinic as well. I emailed them a couple of times and got a brief reply a week or so  later a couple of times mostly telling me to make an appointment.

Then they didnt reply anymore so I gave up on them.  Dont need that kind of worry. I cant afford levick though, Ive been in contact with a surgeon in spain who seems pretty good and will do it for around 2500GBP but I cant really afford that either.

Ruggedtoast why dont you wait and see how markashleigh1979 gets on with his surgery!, i think he's only paying around £1000!, and im sure you could save the money up, what do ya think?, drop him a pm im sure hel be more than happy to give you some advice.

chris.

[markashleigh1979]

Mate, Congratulations on the weight loss......well done !  

I contacted the same clinic as you (Elyzea) and did not get the requested information.....so i sacked them off.

I am now going over to Poland in two weeks time for the operation . I done a lot of research before deciding on the clinic. If you tell me your closest Airport i can tell you a few good clinics you can reach in Hungary , Poland, Czech Republic and Romania.....The best clinic you need to fly from london for.....this wasn't an option for me as the extra travel didn't appeal to me and my chest pain from the op   , so i am now flying from Newcastle to my second choice.
These surgeons are very experienced and i believe as good if not better than their UK counterparts.

If you have any questions or would like some links just send me a PM with your closet airport or ones you are willing to travel too..

Cheers Bud...

[phantom]

Thank you everyone for your words of support.

I sent two pictures of myself to my personal trainer today.  One of me two years ago (21stones) and one taken of me today (17stones).  I am wearing only my boxers.

The difference is body shape is amazing.  Much more slender, leaner, muscular.  Except of course for one thing - the chest area.  I would guess that I would easily fit a 'b' cup.  What I find differentiates me from many other guys with gynae, is that my 'breast' actually hangs over slightly, so there is a crease between the breast and the abdomen.

The before and after photos I took show no difference in size or shape of my chest area which really does confirm my problem.

I have the money for surgery in the UK and if Mr Levick sells his ability to me then I am sure I will go with him.

I know there are other clinics in Europe and I would never question their ability to perform as good an operation as many leading British surgeons but I guess it's knowing that they are 'just around the corner' if I have any concerns or am not happy.  And by what almost everyone says about Levick, he doesn't dump his patients once they've signed out of The Priory.

So once again, thanks for the suggestions of other places to consider and I will certainly be seeking information from some of you if for any reason I decide not to go with Levick.

As for pictures, my personal trainer is the first person that knows me personally to see me near naked since I left school 16 years ago.  I don't do beach holidays or anything - part of my avoidance behaviour.  So it really is a big deal for me on here, even though this is the 'safest' place for me.

However I am sure I will want to show before and after pics a few weeks post surgery as I understand how important it is for others considering surgery to see what can be achieved.

I'll let you know how the consultation goes with Levick on Dec 13th.

[irish_dude]

The difference is body shape is amazing.  Much more slender, leaner, muscular.  Except of course for one thing - the chest area.  I would guess that I would easily fit a 'b' cup.  What I find differentiates me from many other guys with gynae, is that my 'breast' actually hangs over slightly, so there is a crease between the breast and the abdomen.

You always have to bear in mind that gyne can be a combination of both fat and glandular tissue.


You can always lose fat tissue through diet and exercise, but glandular tissue can only be surgecially removed.


I'm a similar build to yourself, and my problem was mostly glandular. Mr Levick is one of the only UK surgeons who extracts both fat *and* gyne in the same procedure.

Please read my diaries in the user-diary section. Hopefully I detailed going out to see him in painful (and hopefully humourous!) detail.

I was lucky enough that money wasn't an object for me. I sought the best and got it.

However, lots of UK guys are reporting very positive results with surgery on the NHS and Czecho, but I wanted to be 110% sure that I was going with someone who was tried and trusted.

Best of luck and keep us posted.

[markashleigh1979]

I'm a similar build to yourself, and my problem was mostly glandular. Mr Levick is one of the only UK surgeons who extracts both fat *and* gyne in the same procedure

Why don't many surgeons take out the fat and glad at the same time ?

cheers

[phantom]

Thanks for that irish_dude.  I have just read your diary and it has assured me somewhat.  I will start my diary in the same section once I have been for my initial consultation.

Mark:  It's my understanding that both fat and glandular tissue is removed by most surgeons, but what Dr Levick does is to remove both from the same entry point, from a small incision under the armpit.  Whereas other surgeons commonly make various other incisions, in and around the areola which can be more invasive and leave additional scaring (which fades over time).  Can anyone validate this?

[uk2000]

hey phantom
my only advice 2 u, is make sure u get the right surgeon first time round, else u end up like me getting repeat ops.  all my surgeons never had removed enuff gland out, and i have always ened up with symmetry problems, n have to keep going back under the knive.
levick i heard always takes out almost all gland which sounds good 2 me, better more is removed than 2 less.
yes it may cost alot at first but u b saving money in long run.

heeres my breakdown so far:
grobellar £3600 - not enuf removeed, didnt want to sort it out.
karidis - £2900 - lipo only - didnt sort problem out.
karidis - did another revision for free but with gland removal. tho i had to pay hospital costs - £970

now i still need a further op to get my left side down as flat as my right - again i will probably have to pay £970 hospital fees.

so in total so far on gyne i have spent £7470   and the problem is still not sorted.  i shud have went to levick in the first place, so i wudnt be in this mess.  i didnt have money to burn like that, and it feels like ive flushed it down the toilet.  

[phantom]

Just back from my initial consultation with Mr Levick.  My mind is made up that he is that surgeon that I will go with.

The meeting went very much as I expected (thanks to all the previous posts about him on here).  I didn't feel at all rushed or anxious and the whole subject area of gynaecomastia felt very 'matter of fact' rather than an embarrassing taboo subject.

He examined me and explained where and how much fatty V's glandular tissue there is.  He estimates potentially a removal of 300-400 cc of tissues from each side, so I am quite a significant case for him.

He showed me the procedure stage by stage from a book of photos.  We gave good discussion to what he believes my expectations could be.  He was also very frank and honest about possible problems post-op, how he responds to patients that still have concerns over their results and how they are resolved.

I left feeling in no doubt that this was the guy to take me through this surgical experience, so I booked myself in for 20 January 2006.

Of course I'll let you all know how I get on.

[ruggedtoast]

I am interested to see what mark ashleighs results will be when he gets back.