Working out before surgery

[Song_Writer]

Just a quick question. Will working out my chest make my surgery results better?

[Dr. Elliot Jacobs]

No problem with working out prior to surgery -- but would not do it the day prior to surgery.

However, unless you have very large pecs (which will provide post op contour), it won't truly make your surgery go any better -- that is in the hands of your surgeon.

Dr Jacobs

[DrPensler]

Working out makes me feel much better mentally and physically. It does not hurt to work out before surgery however exercise does not reduce the gynecomastia. What is much more important is after surgery exercise is very useful.Aside from range of motion issues which are all positive , exercise improves the result. The way in which exercise helps can best be understood by the following analogy,if you put a size 7 foot into a sock that fits a size 8 to 12 foot the sock goes on but does not look or feel optimal.If you increase the foot size to say a size 10 the sock fits and looks  much better. View the sock as the skin over the chest and the foot as the pec major.

[Litlriki]

The majority of my patients work out both before and after surgery, and there's no question that the better the pectoral shape, the better the overall appearance of the chest.  I am fairly aggressive in getting patients back into their routine, since it helps their body and it helps their head.

Rick Silverman