I finally did it...

[FieldsOfOpportunities]

After roughly 15 yrs of being embarrassed/frustrated with my gynecomastia, I finally took the plunge and had surgery on 10/23.  So far, I am very pleased with the outcome.  I realize I have a very long ways to go before realizing the end results so fingers crossed I am as satisfied weeks/months/years from now as I am today. 

I did not have a severe case (maybe stage 2).  I am in my mid 30's, stand about 6' tall and weigh 180lbs.  After a few weeks of research, I narrowed down my surgeons to two:  Dr. Jacobs or Dr. "removed doctor".  Both seemed to have very good reviews but ultimately I chose Dr. Jacobs.  As of today, I would rate my experience with he and his staff 5 out of 5 stars.  There was a nurse on the day of surgery that kind of rubbed me the wrong way, but the rest of his staff were so polite and comforting that I'm still sticking with the 5 star rating. 

Day of Surgery:  Painful.  VERY, VERY painful.  I honestly was not expecting this kind of pain, which possibly made it worse, and for the remainder of the day I was actually regretting that I went through with the procedure. 

24 hrs After Surgery:  The pain level dropped considerably.  It still hurt and my chest was extremely tender, but it was very manageable.  I got very little sleep on this night, and in hindsight, I think part of it was the excitement of seeing my bare chest in the morning.  Oh, and the fact I was going to finally be able to take a f***ing shower!

48 hrs After Surgery:  I took the binder off first thing in the morning and then spent about 20 minutes removing all the dressing/tape underneath.  This was not fun.  I am a pretty hairy dude which did not help.  It also did not help that they decided to stick a lot of the tape DIRECTLY in the middle of my hairy armpits.  Tip:  Turn the shower on and get the water as hot as possible.  Close the door and let the bathroom build up a nice steam and then enter.  Once the steam starts working itself into the dressing/skin, it's much easier to remove.  So what did I see when I finally looked into the mirror?  No more man boobs!  My chest was as flat as a 10 yr old boy.  There was absolutely no bruising at all.  Zero.  My procedure included both lipo and excision.  The lipo entry points are small and I have very little concern that you will be able to see them a few months from now.  The cuts made underneath my nipples (and my entire left nipple) do have me a little worried.  The scars do not look like they will heal anytime soon, and I find it hard to believe that they will not be extremely noticeable months/years from now.  My entire left nipple looks like someone put it through a mincer.  I hope this will improve.  Maybe not to the point where they look the same as they did pre-surgery, but it would be nice to take my shirt off at a pool and not have people looking at me wondering why my nipples look so mangled.  Time will tell, I guess.

3 Days After Surgery:  Uneventful.  The pain level had not improved but it has not gotten worse either.  Still no bruising and no additional swelling.

4 Days After Surgery:  Also pretty uneventful.  Pain level has not improved and still no bruising or additional swelling.  Tomorrow I go in for my follow up appointment. 

A few questions...

*If scar tissue were to form, at one point would this problem be realized?  To be honest, this kind of has me freaked out.  Based on things I have read, massaging the area can help reduce the scar tissue as do steroid injections.  Anything else?  Are there things I can do beforehand to minimize the chances scar tissue will form?

*IF there was too much breast tissue left behind, when would I notice? 

*When does the pain/tenderness go away?  I was told approx 4 weeks after surgery the pain should be gone and I can return to normal activity.  But I have read others stating that the pain can stick around for several months.  I have a Europe backpacking trip planned in late November (I leave 35 days after surgery) and I am a little worried the pain may still be prevalent. 

*If I haven't bruised yet, will I not bruise at all?  Some of the post-op photos I've seen online look terrifying.

I will try to add to this post once a week or so.  In the meantime, feel free to ask me any questions you'd like.

Thanks,
The man formerly known as breasts McGee

[FieldsOfOpportunities]

"removed Dr"

Really? 

Very disappointing gynecomastia.org.  In case you forgot, we live in USA, not N. Korea.

[macman213]

First, congrats on the surgery!

Second, Dr. Jacobs is one of the best gyne surgeons in the United States, so don't even question what the results are going to look like. He's done this thousands of times and if you were a normal/mild case, even moreso, no reason to worry. The key at this point in your recovery is to make sure that you are following post-op instructions to the T. That means keeping tight compression (this will reduce the buildup of scar tissue) for however long he tells you to. If you haven't bruised now, you likely won't bruise a ton. That doesn't mean bruising isn't likely, it just means it won't be like those crazy pictures that you see on here with a totally bruised chest.Lastly, the pain goes away rapidly, especially after the first week. Of course, when you move your arms in various directions, this could stretch things and feel tight, but really, I can't imagine you being in so much pain after a week.

Good luck!

[Bobby - LAgyne]

Congrats on your surgery!

You mentioned you had lots of pain on the day of surgery. Now, was it during the surgery or after the surgery? Was the procedure done under local or general Anastasio?

To answer to some of your questions, scar tissues will start forming in several weeks. It's way too early to worry about them.  Also, when you said your chest looked like a 10 year old boy, that means doctor Jacobs did an excellent job in removing all the necessary tissues and left nothing behind. So don't worry about that.

Please post some before and after pictures if you don't mind.

Good luck,
---Bobby

[FieldsOfOpportunities]

Thanks guys. 

I was completely unconscious during the surgery (i was told a "twilight sleep") and I believe my chest was also injected with a numbing agent.  Once I woke up it literally felt like I had only fallen asleep for a minute or two. 

Regarding my 10 yr old boy comment, I meant it in a good way.  What I'm trying to say is it is extremely flat vs. the before where I was carrying around the extra weight. 

I had my follow up appointment with Dr J on Tuesday and he said I looked good at this point.  He pointed out my compression binder was being worn too low so I've tried keeping an eye on that since.  My next appointment with him is not for another 6 weeks but he did offer an open line if I had any questions or concerns in the meantime. 

I am currently one week post-op and the pain has subsided substantially these last 48 hrs, and today I felt a much improved range of motion in my arms.  I've noticed a lot of strange sensations in my chest ranging from tickling to painful.  I was told that this is very normal and could carry on for awhile longer.

[FieldsOfOpportunities]

I am currently 9 days post-op and everything (for the most part) is looking good.  There is one thing that I am a little concerned about...there are certain areas that are extremely firm to the touch, and even protrudes a little bit.  The area where this is most prevalent is above the lipo incision and below the armpit.  It's also in spotty areas throughout the chest.  I would say it started yesterday and became much more noticeable today.  Can someone please shed some light on what this could be? 

Thanks

[Bobby - LAgyne]

If you want a doctor respond to you, you'd need to ask this in ask a doctor section.  But after reading all these comments, I'd say it's normal for now (9 days postop) but you definitely need to check with your surgeon.

Good luck!
---Bobby

[FieldsOfOpportunities]

Thanks for the advice, LAgyne.

14 days:  The hardness in my chest is still there but otherwise everything is looking good.  The pain on a scale of 1-10 is at roughly a 3.  My range of motion is improving but raising/stretching my arms does cause a little discomfort.  The lipo/excision sites are starting to scab and the skin underneath looks very healthy.  I'm very pleased with my results so far and I hope my path to recovery continues at this pace!!!

[FieldsOfOpportunities]

I am currently just over 1 month post-op. 

PAIN LEVEL:  Barely noticeable and I have nearly 100%  range of motion.
HOW IT FEELS TO THE TOUCH:  Very little sensation throughout the chest but it does seem to be coming back.  I still have hard sections mainly in the same spot as mentioned before.  Under the armpit and above the lipo incision.  The area under my left nipple seems to be getting hard as well, which is also the side of my chest that had a bit more breast tissue.
HOW IT LOOKS:  I do notice a slight caving in my upper chest (left side) that is only noticeable when i flex.  I hope this improves over time.  I would also say that the left nipple and area around it is larger than the right and protrudes a bit. 

All that said, it still looks better than it did prior to surgery, but I'm hoping that over the next few weeks/months that both sides even out and the hardness under the skin softens up. 

[long6months]

Any more update on this? Would love to hear how you are a year after. I had my surgery on Wednesday