Account of my consultation with Alex Karidis

[Albion71]

Hi all. Thought I’d give an account of my consultation with Alex Karidis. I’ve now seen three surgeons – Karidis, Levick, and Hamed.

Here are the links to accounts of my consultations with the other two:
Hamed: http://www.gynecomastia.org/smf/index.php/topic,11469.15.html
Levick: http://www.gynecomastia.org/smf/index.php/topic,12133.0.html 

The consultation was pretty brisk – half an hour max I’d guess, whereas the other two were certainly longer. Hamed’s lasted an hour.

Dr. Karidis uses both lipo and gland excision to treat the condition. He makes an incision under the armpit to do the lipo, and when he’s removed the fat, he reckons it’s easier to get at the gland. The gland he removes via a very small incision under the nipple, and he then cuts the gland up into tiny pieces so he can remove it out through the incision.

One thing Dr. Karidis did manage to convey to me successfully, which the others did not, is the reason why I have my condition, ie. puffy nipples and a bit of gyno, and how he can treat it. Basically, as he explained it to me, when my nipples are relaxed, the gland expands and forces the nipple up and out to create the puffy nipple effect. So obviously this would not happen once the gland is removed. He explained to me that the gland is a really soft bit of spongy tissue, where I’d kind of got the impression previously that it was quite firm.

I was surprised to hear Dr. Karidis say he leaves a tiny bit of gland behind – about 3-4%, just a thin disc. This is to avoid any risk of a concave effect. It won’t grow back, he assured me, and as he pointed out, it’s quite unnatural to have no gland at all because all men have glands – it’s just that most men are lucky enough to have very small glands which don’t create a puffy nipple or gyno effect.

He said there will still be expansion and contraction of the nipple, but the range will be much less, and because the gland has gone, I won’t get the puffy nipple effect. He also said that the muscle can be traumatised and the nerve endings damaged during the operation, which also restricts the movement.

One small risk – about 2% Dr. Karidis reckoned – is uneveness following surgery though this is generally temporary. In the unlikely event it needs surgery again, you only pay the hospital fees.

So there you have it. Three consultations - £375 spent – so decision time. I think I’m going to go with Karidis. He’s more expensive (£4,000), but he did the best job of explaining to me exactly what causes the puffy nipple effect and convincing me my condition was curable by surgery. He’s also in London so I don’t need an overnight stay, and he didn’t seem to think the recovery time was very long – whereas things seems to take a while to settle down after Levick’s more invasive procedure.

For anyone else on here who has had a Karidis consultation, I’d be interested to hear how your experience compared to mine.

[TommyA]

I had a consultation with him a few months ago now and was equally impressed. I got the impression he really knows his stuff and would not expect there to be a need for revision or for it take months and months before the true result is known. I think the approach he uses seems much less traumatic than other surgeons.Also he showed me lots of examples on his computer of his patients and said he has done this operation about 700 times. I am definately going to go with him it's just a case of when I can afford to be off work for a week. Also not using drains sounds great and he told that was actually an out of date method and it not necessary to use them in most cases

[ed_nistic]

I am one week post-op with Dr. Karidis and thus far I am very pleased with the results.I didn't multi consult like yourself but based on my consultation and the  other peoples opinions on this board I decided to opt for him.If you want any pointers please feel free to ask..........

[GynO_DuDe]

Same, I went with Levick without multi-consultations ... Thing is though, all 3 surgeons seem to be the top dogs judging by the comments on this forum so i'd say either one is good. Just depends on who's closer to you and who's giving you the best price ...

[Albion71]

True, all these surgeons have good reputations - but how come they all use different methods?

Karidis - lipo and excision, but leaves some of the gland behind
Levick - lipo and excision, removes all gland, makes excision from armpit
Hamed - excision only, no lipo

I'm going to go with Karidis, but I think it's interesting that for what is now quite a common operation, there seem to be different views on the best way to approach it.

Ed-nistic - did you have some of the gland left behind, and if so, how does it feel now?

[ed_nistic]

Dr. Karidis said that he would leave some gland behind(to prevent any concavity.....if thats even a word) explaining that it is natural to have some gland present......gynecomastia gland is just an abnormal growth of normally present  tissue...... I think.At the moment (nearly two weeks) it is still a tad tender to feel around to see quite how much is left, but my initial assessment is "whahoo".I'm currently massaging with arnca gel for the bruising which wasn't all that bad IMO,when you get it done make sure you get some it's pretty good stuff.As it stands I'm rarely happy with the result(£4000 well spent) and am now down to wearing the compression garment during the day only, a big relief.There is, as stated earlier, still some tenderness but things are getting back to normal slowly and I hope to return to the gym after the xmas festivities...........

[Albion71]

Any pics?

[ChestMan]

I am really keen to see some pics also. I am concerned with scarring. If anyone has pics of the incision areas that Karidis makes these would be really helpful.

Still need to convicne the missues that surgery is the way to go. My wife will only support my decision if I have attempted to correct this naturally first - in her words I need to have a six pack. If i have a six pack and still appear to have breasts then she will believe that it is not just fat and I have tried everything I can naturally to get rid of it.

Anyway, I was initally interested in using levick, but you guys have some compelling cases for using Karidis. There also seem to have been a lot of compliants about levick on here recently.

Anyway, any pics of Karidis's work will be appreciated.

BM

[ed_nistic]

Hopefully this link will work.............http://www.flickr.com/photos/11123573@N08/................. I'm not very savvy when it comes to these things.

[ChestMan]

Ed_nistic, thanks heaps for posting the pics. Your results are probably one of the best I have seen. Looks like money well spent. I had a couple of questions and I'd be grateful if you could answer.

Did Karidis make the incisions in the armpits or the areaola or a combination of both? I can't really tell from your pics (which is good, meaning the the surgery was relatively seamless).
How long would I need to take off work if I used Karidis? How noticeable is the compression vest under clothes? (it looks like it might be hard to disguise at it is black). I work in an office and if I had to return to work while I still had the vest on, do you think you would notice it under a shirt?
Finally, was the hosiptal in St John's Wood?
Hope you are recovring well. Sorry to bother you with all these questions - I will make an appointment to see Karidis soon so I can find out more info (just looking for a unbiased opinion).

Cheers,

BM

[ed_nistic]

I'll try and answer your questions breastman......... Dr. Karidis did indeed enter in the armpit and aereola as I had both lipo and tissue extraction and I suppose to a critical eye you can see the scars I am quite happy with them.I booked a week off work and even though I am by no means fully recovered I found the week off quite useful (driving a car for one, is a no no,for a few days, another is the practicalities of daily hygiene, at least thats what I found)so spending a few days in my pants was advisable.The compression vest is quite discrete under normal office attire (make sure you have two one for wearing one for laundry)ans is not bulky in itself,could easily be mistaken for a singlet vest if anyone did notice it through your shirt.The hospital is in St johns wood I arrived at Paddington and the taxi fare was less than a tenner.Thank you for your enquiry, my recovery is continuing well and I have stopped taking arnica internally and am applying it externally 2 or 3 times a day in gel form and all that is needed now is to have my follow up consultation with Dr. Karidis to make sure that all that seems well is in fact as well as it seems.

[ChestMan]

Thanks Ed_nistic for all the info and posting the pics. Any new updates? You still happy with your results? How are you healing?

Are the scars any less noticeable? Sorry to bother you with this, but it is one of my main concerns and Karidis may just brush these concerns off - sometimes I might be at a pool or beach with mates and I would be really embarassed if they knew I had this type of surgery. My plan is to only tell my wife - al ot of my old mates know about my breasts already (the ones I have grown up with), but I want to create the illusion that I lost them through excercise and dieting (which my wife believes will remedy my problem).

Albion 71 - what is your situation? You had any surgery yet?

[Toby1971]

Breastman I had surgery with karidis (check out my post http://www.gynecomastia.org/smf/index.php?topic=12773.0).

Its very hard to spot my nipple scars as they are very small & blend in well with the natural texture of the nipples.

Its easier to see the small armpit scars but they are hidden underneath. Not much chance of anyone spotting them unless you find yourself being held up at gunpoint naked ("hands up!"). In an case they are just small lines. I am sure they could be explained away as something else. Afterall how many people are likely to know a scar on the armpit means you have had treatment for gyne? We only know due to our research or visiting this site. Even when I knew of an OP I didn't know they did it that way until further research. Most people would assume (as I did before knowing better) that any such op would be done through the front directly on the affected area.

I will try to post some close up pics soon.

[Blue2]

This thead has given me even more enthusiasm to get my gyne sorted once and for all. Karidis seems to be the top bloke to see and I am going to contact his practice today. Why wait eh? Only problem for me is that I am in Liverpool but I suppose if you want the best......... 

[ChestMan]

Toby - Fair point regarding how would anyone know the scars were from surgery.. I could probably pass these off as being stretch marks if anyone were to notice (I have a few minor ones around my armpits from my weight training days). Some close up pics would be appeciated and definately would put my mind at ease.

Blue2 - good to hear that you are going to get something done. I still have to convince the missues, which means I need to have a six pack (as I have discussed before)and is proving to be harder than I thought...