How can GYNO ever come back if you have had the glands removed?

[ThatMethD1guy]

I have seen several posts refering to GYNO re-occuring (becase of POT,or steroid use, or propecia or HRT)....If the Glands come out, then how can it come back.?...obviusly you could get fat...(which could occur anywhere on your body i suppose) but with the glands gone.....how is the GYNO comming back again?

[macho]

main cause of gynecomastia is hormone imbalance which is bound to happen in teenage and also in oldage. so thats y most of male suffers through gyne in this phases of life. by steroid use, the settled hormone levels are again disturbed which cause gyne to come back.

[DrBermant]

I have seen several posts refering to GYNO re-occuring (becase of POT,or steroid use, or propecia or HRT)....If the Glands come out, then how can it come back.?...obviusly you could get fat...(which could occur anywhere on your body i suppose) but with the glands gone.....how is the GYNO comming back again?

I caution each of my patients that surgery does not typically stop male breast growth.  If there is a problem with growing breasts, recurrence can happen.  Any of these medical problems and or these medications can cause gynecomastia. So, if you want to get worried about regrowth, you could get yourself evaluated for each of these conditions to see if they could be a factor.

Surgery also does not prevent weight gain in the chest.  Men tend to put weight on the belly and chest regions.  I educate each of my patients that this surgery will not prevent further breast growth.  It is like changing/fixing a tire with a nail.  Fixing/changing the tire will not prevent you from getting a new nail in that tire.

I take care of many patients with gynecomastia, as many as 8 in one day alone.  With all the gynecomastia surgery I have done, it is very rare to have regrowth for patients I have sculpted.  One patient (who had surgery on only side by another doctor) came to me with pro hormone induced gynecomastia that only came back on the side that had no surgery.  His growth was massive on the one side and none on the other.  His surgery by that other doctor had left a massive crater - the skin was adherent against the chest wall with normal fat surrounding the ugly deformity.  One side looked like the deformity seen here.  The other side was almost a B cup breast so tender that I could barely examine it.  As with each patient who presented to me with current breast growth, he was referred for an endocrinology evaluation and stabilization before considering surgery.  I do not know if such radical surgery was a factor or not.   Even if it did, removing all fat under the skin just gives an unnatural look.

I prefer to target the gland first with my Dynamic Technique. This permits me to remove most of the gland and then sculpt the remaining tissue to minimize contour problems.  Any surgery technique, even radical breast mastectomy for male breast cancer can leave gland behind.  The problem is that there are fine fingers of gland that dissect between fingers of fat and can extend quite far into the chest.

You can see what I mean by fingers of gland here.

By concentrating on the gland first I am able to minimize the chance of breast regrowth.  It is very rare for my patients to have recurrence.  With my techniques and red flag before surgery evaluation system, I have only a few patients over the many years I have been doing surgery that I know have regrown.  However, gynecomastia surgery does not stop breast regrowth.  For patients having breast growth, I have advised for many years that they should get their problem under control before surgery.  There are exceptions, such as young men with massive breasts that have not stopped growing.  That is why each case needs to be individually evaluated. 

Prevention of gynecomastia, when possible, is much better.

Secondary Surgery is often an option for those who had prior surgery.  Such issues are better discussed during a consultation with your surgeon or someone who can advise you about your options.  We help patients explore such issues during consultations or preliminary remote discussions.

Hope this helps,

Michael Bermant, MD
Learn More About Gynecomastia and Chest Sculpture

[moobius]

is there a problem with taking out ALL of the gland beyond the supposed deformity of the skin adhereing to the chest muscle? (http://www.plasticsurgery4u.com/revision_gynecomastia/redo_gyno_complication.html)  if this guy put on about 5-10lbs of muscle and built up his pecs a little he'd look great.

i'd take the deformity of the skin adherent to the chest muscle in a heartbeat rather than have to ever deal with gyne again. it sickens me that with all the time spent in the gym and trying various diets that everytime i look in the mirror this blatant flaw in my physique is right there staring back at me...