healing time?

[dheights23]

Im 18 and i have mild gynecomastia with puffy nipples. This is really pissing me off and i want to get the surgery. I have the money but i dont think i can stand the healing time. I have prom in like a month and i want to go to the beach very shortly after that. Would it be possible that the bruising would be gone in maybe a month and a half and that i can leave my shirt off and stay in the sun with the scars. Would i be able to lift my arms above my head and swim in that time? This is basically the last summer me and my friends will all be together and i want to have as much fun as possible. I dont want to screw it all up and not be able to do anything because i have to heal. So would it be realistic that i can get surgery and mostly heal in a month?

[Endless]

im not an expert and i dont know for sure but if that were me i would go for it..but again if that were me i wouldnt necessarily leave my shirt off..

i think 1month is about the time u take off the garment and about regain a good range of motion with your arms. not full yet, but maybe enough for light swimming.. nothing hardcore yet.. unless maybe you practice swimming beforehand to test if ur able to do it. i think the scars will still show. there might still be redness around the area and stuff.. salt water might also make the areas more red i think. if u dont mind your friends seeing your scars.

[Dr. Elliot Jacobs]

You are asking too much of your surgeon and your body.

The best chance for success is to choose a surgeon who is experienced in gyne surgery.  Then keep your body healthy both before and after surgery -- and follow your surgeon's instructions to the letter.  But ultimately, it is your body that determines how well and how fast you will heal.  No surgeon can provide guarantees about that.

Usually, in my cases, the bruising (if any) is gone in about two weeks -- the swelling in about a month.  But actual complete healing may take3-6 months!!  Scars require sunblock application for six months after surgery.

If you have so many important things for this summer, then it might be wise and prudent to put off surgery for another, more convenient time.

Having surgery does take some sacrifices -- specifically from your time.  You have to be ready to make that commitment.

Dr Jacobs

[DrBermant]

Im 18 and i have mild gynecomastia with puffy nipples. This is really pissing me off and i want to get the surgery. I have the money but i dont think i can stand the healing time. I have prom in like a month and i want to go to the beach very shortly after that. Would it be possible that the bruising would be gone in maybe a month and a half and that i can leave my shirt off and stay in the sun with the scars. Would i be able to lift my arms above my head and swim in that time? This is basically the last summer me and my friends will all be together and i want to have as much fun as possible. I dont want to screw it all up and not be able to do anything because i have to heal. So would it be realistic that i can get surgery and mostly heal in a month?

You are not being realistic. This is real surgery and it does take time for tissue to heal. In addition early sun exposure, healing tissues tend to maintain tanning becoming permanently dark scars. It is reasonable to ask what path a patient takes to get from gynecomastia to a normal chest. How much bruising, swelling, discomfort depends on the techniques used, skill of the surgeon, after surgery care, garments and many other factors I have discussed on this forum for quite some time. The problem is most surgeons do not show pictures of just what this path is like. You must be left guessing unless you can find a patient who posts here. I do not agree and feel that the swelling, bruising, and comfort are an important factor and therefore document it for my patients on my site. Check your own surgeon's documentation to better understand the path of healing typically taken.

My patients are up and about the day after surgery. They have limited arm movement, but often enjoying their stay visiting Virginia. Bruising seen on my documentation is typical for my patients. You can find progression of how that tissue heals. There is virtually no bruising or swelling, but the tissues are injured. I do demonstrate both flexing and arms up overhead as part of the healing component, still pictures are one thing but videos are even more demanding. But to have a completely healed chest ready for sun exposure in one month, is beyond any surgical skill I have ever seen. Look for real life examples demonstrated by that doctor before believing something else.

Hope this helps,

Michael Bermant, M.D.