Gym Pre-Surgery?

[Hurdent]

Hi there,
I've recently been diagnosed with Gynecomastia and seen by a consultant.
In the meeting I was told that I had to cut out anything that could imbalance my hormones including pot and alcohol.
Unfortunatley, I've also been told that I cannot use any heavy weights at the gym.
As a frequent gym-goer this is killing me. I love working out and staying in shape and the fact that I'm now only allowed to do light weights with high reps is killing me.

What I wanted to find out was the reason behind this and also know if there was any way around this so I can go back to building muscle.
I'm being seen again in 4 months and this is a long time to go without working out.

Thanks in advance

[Dr. Elliot Jacobs]

In my humble opinion, I see absolutely no reason why you shouldn't work out with weights -- either alone or in contemplation of gyne surgery.

I would suggest you return (or call) your consultant and inquire about the rationale behind recommending that you abandon weight conditioning.  It makes no sense to me -- a better conditioned, muscular body makes for a better surgical result.

Dr Jacobs

[DrBermant]

Hi there,
I've recently been diagnosed with Gynecomastia and seen by a consultant.
In the meeting I was told that I had to cut out anything that could imbalance my hormones including pot and alcohol.
Unfortunatley, I've also been told that I cannot use any heavy weights at the gym.
As a frequent gym-goer this is killing me. I love working out and staying in shape and the fact that I'm now only allowed to do light weights with high reps is killing me.

What I wanted to find out was the reason behind this and also know if there was any way around this so I can go back to building muscle.
I'm being seen again in 4 months and this is a long time to go without working out.

Thanks in advance

That is a good question for the doctor giving such advice. It makes little sense to me.

For my patients, and I work with many bodybuilders and athletes with gynecomastia, working out is no problem up until the surgery. The exception is injury. Elective surgery should not be performed on bruised or recently injured tissue. Bruise your chest before the operation and any surgeon offering the surgery on bruised tissue is risking a much higher complication rate.

After surgery, recovery is like recovering from a sprain. Push the injured tissues too far too soon and you will slow down the healing process. Just as in a sprain, there is no one set date for return to activities. My patients are back to reasonable activities the day of surgery, but they are protecting the injured tissues. You can see this by looking at the hands over head views of tissue evolving early after surgery on my site. Ignore the healing process and the tissues will show they are unhappy, swell, and take longer to recover.

Hope this helps,

Michael Bermant, M.D.
Board Certified
American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member: American Society of Plastic Surgeons and American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons
Specializing in Gynecomastia and Surgical Sculpture of the Male Chest
(804) 748-7737

[Hurdent]

Hi there, thanks for the information.

I believe the consultant said something about working out causing a potential hormone (or testosterone) imbalance.

I'm at the stage where I've basically been weened off various things for 4 month to see if that has any effect on the condition before surgery.

As I've had this issue since early puberty I know that nothing new is causing this but I understand the reasoning behind it.

Do you think I would be ok to carry on hitting the gym but without using protein shakes or any form of suppliments?

[DrBermant]

Hi there, thanks for the information.

I believe the consultant said something about working out causing a potential hormone (or testosterone) imbalance.

I'm at the stage where I've basically been weened off various things for 4 month to see if that has any effect on the condition before surgery.

As I've had this issue since early puberty I know that nothing new is causing this but I understand the reasoning behind it.

Do you think I would be ok to carry on hitting the gym but without using protein shakes or any form of suppliments?

I have never heard of such an issue of exercise creating a hormone imbalance. I see many bodybuilders and athletes and work with up to 8 gynecomastia patients a day. I have been dealing with gynecomastia now for over 3 decades. I also have been invited for my expertise in gynecomastia and hormone issues to educate Endocrinologists. Yet, I suppose anything is possible.

Perhaps you misunderstood. Coming off of things taken such as supplements, prohormones, and hormones can be critical to stabilize a problem first. It is not the working out that is causing the problem, but the interference some create in messing with the body's natural hormone balance. That type of stabilization can be very important before considering surgery.

Hope this helps,

Michael Bermant, M.D.
Board Certified
American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member: American Society of Plastic Surgeons and American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons
Specializing in Gynecomastia and Surgical Sculpture of the Male Chest
(804) 748-7737

[DrPensler]

There is no reason not to work out.Exercise does not increase gynecomastia.The increased incidence of gynecomastia in weight lifters is typically due to steroid utilization. With regards to pot in my experience only industrial doses result in gynecomastia ,however a number of individual suspect either no link or a very weak link. I have never noted a link between alcohol use and gynecomastia.
Jay Pensler,M.D.