Is it true that most people are unhappy with the surgery?

[johnsmithreturns]

Hello.


I was wondering if post people are happy or unhappy with the surgery to fix gynecomastia?

If they are unhappy, is it because the surgeon was not aggressive enough and the gynecomastia still remains or do they feel like they are been deformed and are now worst then before the surgery?

If someone could please let me know, I would sure appreciate it.

Thanks.

[Pacifico]

Nice response C17!  It just got back from a jog in my Teeshirt.  I live in a hot place, and today it was warm.  For the first time in 15 years, I jogged in a Teeshirt--not a freakin jacket--in which I would normally be boiling; It was amazing!  I can not describe the joy and elation I feel knowing I can embrace the summer!  Good surgeries are worth it, ten fold!

I will surmise that well over 90% of people are delighted with their results, provided they followed two guidelines:

1)  Pick a Dr. very, very carefully.  I can tell you my physician sees many patients who come for revisions from other Doctors, however, other Doctors almost never see his patients for revisions.  Put another way, he does it right the first time.  His "in house" revisions are usually from people that were "big projects" and needed a "two part" procedure.  Look at many, many before and afters.  Don't listen to Doctors who tell you their techniques are the best until you see the results to back up the words.  Remember the old saying, "a picture is worth a thousand words?"  In Plastic Surgery, a picture is worth 10,000 words.

2)  The second part is even more important than the first.  Without this even a great result will leave you unhappy--pure tragedy.  Not only are you out hard earned money and recovery time, but you should have never had the procedure in the first place.  What is it you ask?  IT'S YOUR ATTITUDE!!!  If you think board flat is normal, your headed for disaster.  A normal chest sticks out and has shape, many men have their gyne removed--look like normal people in a t-shirt--and can't pull out of their mental mud rut.  Yes, many of us have spun our tires in it for years, but when you get your surgery, you need to strap on your balls, put on your "T" and quite acting like a victim.  Stand tall, stick out your chest, roll your shoulders back and put it behind you!!!


Sorry to have a harsh tone, but it makes me sick to see great results dashed by mental hangups.  Why can I write this?  Because I know first hand.  Today, for a second--and only for a second--I had one of those thoughts spring up:  Thankfully I reminded myself that I have great results and followed my own advice.  Again, I can't express enough, my joy and elation:-)

[zane949]

True man, it is mostly mental, nothing is 100% perfect and your chest just like the rest of the worlds isn't either.  Make sure you go to the best possible surgeon and ask lots of questions.  One thing is for sure you will be improved but if you don't feel improved then you won't be.

[johnsmithreturns]

The two main problems are as you wrote, not enough taken out so it looks the same or too much that leaves indentations. You should discuss these issues with your surgeon. The people who are unhappy because not enough has been taken out are more common than those unhappy about craters. So first and foremost I'd address that issue with the surgeon. Scrutinize their before and after examples. Also make sure they do glandular excision not just lipo.

Congratulations to everyone who replied who can finally walk around in a T-shirt. That is great news and I am happy to hear it.

I wanted to talk about a few things.

1. The crater deformation appears to be cause when the gland is removed since it is embedded by surrounding fat. The Surrounding fat seems to cave in into the hole(of where the gland use to be) ?
http://www.plasticsurgery4u.com/procedure_folder/male_breast/fat_flap_sculpture.html#fat_flaps

It seem as if the surrounding fat was completely Lipo out, then you would not have this crater deformation in there?

2. Is there anyway to really tell if you just need Lipo or if you need gland removal plus lipo? They do have a lot of places which do smart Lipo these days(which only require a 1mm tube however this would only remove the fat not the gland)

Is there anyway to know before hand if you need the gland removed or just Lipo? The downside is having to go back to another surgeon to remove the gland if the lipo only did not fix the problem?

3. I would gladly to go the best surgeon I can however the problem is every plastic surgeon you seem claims to be the best and honestly is very difficult to evaluate who is truly the best.  Especially when they are all using drastically different techniques and methods.
-Some use more incisions to get a good angle for lipo but leaving you with double the scars in more visible places.
-Some make 1 incision around the areola but have an awkward angle for the Lipo. (not sure if they can get as much fat removed from that angle or if that angle is causing the cannula to hit the muscle or other tissue by stabbing down like that) 

-Some Remove the fat first then see how much gland need to be removed
-Some Remove the gland first then sees how much fat needs to be removed.

- Some remove the gland around the areola
-some remove the gland remotely from a side incision near the breast and have a long cutting tool  to help remove it.

If anyone would like to PM me who they think the best doctor is, I would sure appreciate.


I guess people are happier having the surgery then not having the surgery however they just don't feel that it is 100% perfect?  It is not like they feel worse off than doing nothing at all right?

Thanks

[Pacifico]

[/quote]
It seem as if the surrounding fat was completely Lipo out, then you would not have this crater deformation in there?
[/quote]

You are dead on man!


I asked my Doctor about crater deformities.  He is considered to be one of the best on the west coast, I think the country.  I asked him why his patients don't get craters.  He said he felt some doctors did not take out enough around the area, thus the gland removal made a crater.  He also cautioned me that results can only be judged with arms at your side, if you raise your arms over your head what you see is not your result.

[Pacifico]

C17. I agree, there are many other competent surgeons out there.  But just make sure they have done a fair share of gynecomastia procedures.  A good "nose job" Doctor may be a terrible gyne surgeon.  Very, very different skill sets.  Yes there are Doctors who are marketing machines, but some have really worked hard getting good at this procedure, love doing it, and should stand on a mountain top and let the world know.  These guys who practice at the top of their profession, put pressure on others Doctors to perform better, I love them for that.  They also are very exposed because of their publicity. And if bad word of mouth spreads it could kill their practice.  Just ask Dr. Jan Adams.   Live by the sword and die by the sword! 

That being said I am dubious if bad publicity from a "$$$$supporting$$$$" Doctor would survive on this site.  I had a post removed that was labled a "personal attack" on a supporting Doctor.  If it was a personal attack, I agree it should be removed.  But if my post was honest criticism....  Ok I wont say more.  If Big Brother is watching.  I love all our supporting doctors, Merle and the moderators.  And avoid personal attacks. (wow i sound scared)  At any rate, my advice is check the ENTIRE INTERNET as one aspect of your research.

[johnsmithreturns]

Johnsmithreturns, as Dr.Jacobs has said on occasion, it doesn't really matter what technique the surgeon uses as long as they consistently get good results. Focus on the before/after pictures, and make sure to see them from as many angles as possible.

Jacobs has good results but my only complaint is the unsightly scar on the side that I see in all the after pictures. I am not sure if this smart Lipo will be the standard soon but they say it only requires a 1mm entry point and it is easier to remove the fat since the laser turn the fat into an liquid  instead of trying to remove solid fat.

Perhaps this could minimize the scar by either requiring a smaller incision on the side or allowing the fat to be removed from the awkward angle of around the areola( which has to be cut anyway to remove the gland)

The one exception to that is you want to make sure your surgeon does glandular excision and not just lipo. I would be very skeptical of a surgeon who uses lipo only.

Should the gland be removed no matter what?  Even if your gyno is caused 100% by excess fat and your gland is normal size for a guy?

Is this to ensure that you will never have a problem with gyno again in the future?

For example, if you start taking propecia or Finasteride down the road to prevent hair loss, one of the main side effects is gynecomastia( I'm assuming from the gland)

If you go  to a doctor who will remove the gland, is this sort of like a preemptive strike or insurance policy again ever having gynecomastia in the future?

I guess I am asking is if you are saying you would only trust a doctor if he regularly had done gynecomastia and understand the subject enough to remove the gland( and not just lipo) or are you saying people trying to get the gynecomastia corrected should have the gland removed to ensure lasting results?

As for the best surgeon you can probably find a good one in your area. No need to travel half-way across the country. Just because a surgeon gets on this site and advertises themself everyday or participates in a documentary doesn't necessarily mean they're the best at surgery, it only means they're the best at marketing themself and getting their name out there.

Right, this would be judging how good their web designer and marketing team is instead of how good the actual doctor is. The worst doctor in the world could hire the best web designer.

I must admit that is hard for an internet user to get to know a doctor style and skill if there is very little posted on his website(or if he does not have a website)

So are you saying that this is not a procedure so rare or difficult that only the few doctors with good websites, documentaries, web post would be able to perform and any decent plastic surgeon should be able to get the same results. There is no magic to it, just remove the gland and lipo the remaining fat?


Thanks for your help.

P.S. If anyone can recommend a good plastic surgeon in South Florida, I would appreciate it.

[Pacifico]

Surgery is an art.  Not all surgeons are artists.  Some artists are painters, musicians, or sculptors.  Just because your are an "artist" does not mean you are good at all forms of art.  Find an artist who does gynecomastia.  Or roll the dice!  It's your body.

[Wayne1985]

I am also very curious about this original poster's question.

Does anybody have any hard data, or just a good gauge from reading this site frequently, on what percentage of guys getting this end up happy?

[user87]

from what I've read, I think that there are many guys who are not happy with the results.
in most cases the doc left too much gland behind the aerola.
it's hard to tell because I think that most of those who are happy with the result, don't post here anymore.

[johnsmithreturns]

from what I've read, I think that there are many guys who are not happy with the results.
in most cases the doc left too much gland behind the aerola.
it's hard to tell because I think that most of those who are happy with the result, don't post here anymore.

So if these guys go in for a revision, then they would be happy with the results?
( It would really suck to go though that only to find that the doctor did not do a complete job)


How is a doctor suppose to know how much gland and fat to remove?

Is it a matter of the doctor being lazy and trying to hurry things up to get more operations per day and just does a quick hazardous jobs.

I saw a video of Dr. Delgado in California which said that he actually moves the people all different ways during surgery to see how the chest looks then will actually lipo not just the chest but even in the back and any fat that could possible be contributing to the problem. He has an operating table that I guess can incline so he can see how an upright position chances the look of the chest.

This may be kind of extreme for most doctors however you would think that at least during the consultation stage, a doctor could look at you and kind of estimate how much fat each side is composed of then maybe target that amount during surgery.

I guess when you are laying down and gravity is kind of compressing you chest, maybe its more difficult for them to tell how much fat needs to be removed during surgery?

Anyway, I am just wondering how can you make sure your doctor is going to removed enough fat and gland to avoid having to do a revised operating?

Thanks

 

[mizuno]

I have been on these boards for over 6 years and some of the people I pm who had surgery are no longer on these
boards. I assume that they have had  good results. I would honestly say that about 75 to 80% are happy w/ their outcome.
The unhappy ones vent and visit the boards more so you remember them more.

To be perfectly honest the ones that usually complain the most went to bad PS and or were very un realistic w/ their expectations.

[chociii1980]

It seem as if the surrounding fat was completely Lipo out, then you would not have this crater deformation in there?
[/quote]

You are dead on man!


I asked my Doctor about crater deformities.  He is considered to be one of the best on the west coast, I think the country.  I asked him why his patients don't get craters.  He said he felt some doctors did not take out enough around the area, thus the gland removal made a crater.  He also cautioned me that results can only be judged with arms at your side, if you raise your arms over your head what you see is not your result.
[/quote]so fat loss would solve this problem?

[Pacifico]

Maybe.  I am sure weight loss can mask a crater as well, if the rim is fat.

[gambit10]

I looked and researched for about 1 year before choosing Dr. Pope in Orlando, Fl. I decided to get in the best shape possible before having the surgery. I figured that if the rest of me looked good then when I got the surgery I would be happy. Alot of the peoples pics I have seen that are not happy with the results equates to putting a brand new hood on a rusting piece of shit car then saying the hood does not look that good. I realize not everyone is into weightlifting and eating right but it would probably help to look better. This is my opinion I am not bashing anyone if you are happy with the way you are Im happy for you.