Scar Tissue build-up after 10 weeks of amazing results

[gemidude]

Thank you so much for posting your story. I am going through the exact same thing. I had surgery 5 months ago, and I never really remembered being flat after the surgery. I was so bandaged up, right after surgery that I couldn't see my chest for the first couple days. However my mom, did say I was very flat right after the surgery. Now I have developed scar tissue, which a dermatologist says is nearly 2 centimeters in length in both sides. So frustrating to look in the mirror, and to look like I have gynecomastia all over again. I'm going for cortisone/kenalog injections soon, and will keep you all posted on how it goes!

[pDiddy2]

Well, guess who has a crater deformity when flexing??? Me. I think the dr used too much Cortisone on me, or the scar tissue broke down really fast and caused some atrophy of healthy, normal tissue.  When I flex, I can see a crater on my right side. It looks like the nipple sinks in. Theres only one position when it's not noticeable. Also, when not flexing my chest, everything looks perfect. My left side is not nearly as bad...in fact it's perfectly acceptable.

When laying down or standing up, both sides of my chest look fine.

Honestly, I'm scared. I really want to start working out again, but I'm worried that building muscle will exentuate the problem even more. And, as much as it hurts me to say this, i feel like things are getting worse.

I hope this won't continue to get worse. Cortisone doesn't last this long, so I don't know what's happening. 

I guess the only logical thing to do is to call my doctor...but I highly doubt there's anything he can do.

Wow, never thought I'd trade puffy nipples for concave nipples. 

If I could do this all over again, I would have waited to get the cortisone injections until I was at least 6 to 7 months op. 

[Viking75]

I Have not read the thread from the beginning. I know kenalog is supposed to "stop" working after ca 1-2 month. All doctors say so. From my own experience It continued for me over a 6 month period.
After the 6 month you may very well get some of the damaged tissue to reform making the crater look better.
Do not make the misstake of injecting juvederm or something at this moment.  Íf your shots was not to long ago, try to get your doc to inject saline to reduse further damage of the kenalog.
GL

[pDiddy2]

Will craters caused by kenalog injections ever fill in over time?  Is there anything I can do to reduce their appearance? 

I feel like reducing my body fat percentage might help. 

Also, it's about 9 weeks since the injections. Is it safe to say that no further damage should be expected?

What a bummer...

[Viking75]

craters caused by kenalog can get better over o long time 1-2 years. During this time It is very little you can do!
please post pics, It would be helpful! I belive the docs here could help you out if you do.

[pDiddy2]

Over the past few weeks I've  reduced by calorie intake by about 30% and haven't been lifting weights. I'm not sure if it's from the weight loss or me not dwelling so much, but my chest is not as bad as it was a week ago. The cratering looks less dramatic for some reason.

I must sound completely insane!

I think that the fat loss and muscle loss from changing my routine has made somewhat of an improvement. Maybe after the kenalog does it's job, the body adapts a little bit.

My plan is to continue losing weight and try to tone up. I'm going to avoid chest exercises and see if that makes more of a difference. I have a feeling that in order for my chest to look normal, I might have to sacrifice big chest muscles.

I'll keep monitoring the progress keep everyone posted.

[pDiddy2]

Hey guys. I'm down about 10 lbs due to changing my diet and look/feel great. My chest looks better as well. The cratering is much less noticeable  I think trimming-up made just enough of a difference to make me feel confident again. My self image is excellent these day (thank goodness, b/c I was getting so bummed-out a couple months ago!).

At this point it has been over 8 months since surgery. The numbness is 100% gone. And I'm starting to get use to my new chest. There is absolutely zero puffiness and no shirt too tight for me to wear! Dr. Baxt did a very good job. It's true, there were definitely a lot of ups-and-downs, but the surgery was totally worth it.

Scars by my armpits continue to fade.

Side note: mild cratering, in my opinion, is better than my old, puffy nipples. Plus I'm getting more and more confident that they will continue to improve.

[pDiddy2]

For the past two months I've been working out pretty hard and eating extremely well. As a result the cratering has become much less of an issue. In fact, it really doesn't bother me at all anymore. As my chest muscles get more defined and body builds lean muscle, the mild cratering that I noticed is much less extreme.

I've been doing a lot of compound weight training exercises like deadlifts and as a result my body seems to be building muscles in all the right places. I think the combination of a low calorie diet, lots of cardio, and weight training has made a big difference. 

Its been 10 and a half months since the surgery and I feel great! Best decision I ever made! It feels incredible to finally be happy w/ my chest.

[Dr. Elliot Jacobs]

Good to hear that things are working out.  Getting a perfect result is obviously what both the patient and the surgeon desire  -- but frequently Mother Nature has other ideas.

Usually, cratering secondary to cortisone will improve over time -- patience here is a virtue.  If you can live with it, give it another 6-12 months and if there is still some depression, suggest return to Dr Baxt.  He might be able to do some simple fat grafting to seal the deal.

Dr Jacobs

[pDiddy2]

Hey gents!  It's been 6 months since my last post and about 16 months since the surgery. I'm happy to say I still get great complements about my chest...what a fantastic feeling. I has some mild cratering last time I posted to this site. In the past 6 months I've noticed about a 60% improvement. And to be honest, its really not noticeable at all. My chest looks sharp and defined. Weight training, cardio, and cross-fit have really made a difference. I have NO problem what so ever taking my shirt off. There is honest to God not a single shred of doubt or lack of confidence in any way. I finally feel 100% normal and confident. The damage from the Kenelog injections has pretty much gone away. Dr. Baxt has done a great job. Wow, what crazy 16 months.

This might be my last post to this site. So the message I want to leave everyone is as follows:

Take control of your life. Know that there are a million things worse the Gynecomastia, BUT there are some great doctors out there who can help you if you decide on having surgery. My results where all over the place. From awesome, to terrible, to awesome again, to not so good, and now finally I can say that the end result is nothing short of incredible. Eat well, live healthy, keep you weight down, select a reputable surgeon, and give yourself time to heal!

I'm closing the chapter on this part of my life. A HUGE thank you to all the doctors and members of this forum that have made dealing with this issue so much easier. Good luck guys. AND finally, thank you Dr. Baxt and your staff; you did a great job and exceeded my expectations! Plus, thank you Dr. Jacobs for answering a few of my questions.

[Dr. Elliot Jacobs]

Glad it all worked out well for you.

Perhaps you can visit here from time to time to provide info and encouragement to others who have problems and doubts and about how things can turn out if one is patient.

All the best!

Dr Jacobs

[Holysin]

Hello my friend.I think it passed like 1 year since you've done your Gynecomastia Surgery.I am wondering how u are doing at this point and also i want to ask you for some actual photos.I am 5-6 weeks post-op and i feel like i am falling into a depression.First days after the surgery i felt like i finally got rid of the problem which ruined my life.Unfortunately i notice the otherwise when i look into the mirror.With some small changes my chest looks same like before.I feel like i have something under my nipple and under that area around my nipple.I am not sure yet what it is but definitely it looks like it used to look before the surgery.I also have to mention that i feel lot of hard lumps when i massage that area.I really wish you can give me some advice and help me not to fall into a deep depression...

[zolen]

pDiddy2 - Thank you for keeping a diary of your journey and experience. I've been struggling with the decision when and where I want to proceed with the procedure. Reading your diary has given some prospective on what I would go through and provides the encourage knowing that others have gone through the experience.

[kg062007]

I'm not sure if it was Kenalog or Cortisone, but I'll find out and post back. I only had one round of injections. In retro spec, I'm wondering if I should have waiting a couple more months prior to getting them. The mild  cratering on the right side looks kinda strange when I flex. Not a huge deal, but a part of me feels it might be due to the injection.  As mentioned before, if it doesn't get any worse, I'll still be very happy with the outcome.

On the plus side, I wore the thinnest polo short I own today at work and never felt prouder. My chest looked muscular and fit with zero signs of puffy nipples poking through  .

Also, my doctor said he used a reduced amount of Cortisone.  One thing I'll say for sure is that (in my case) this injections worked extremely fast. And it was the most dramatic reduction in size since the actual surgery.

side note: the healing process for this surgery is a combination of ups and downs. It'll be 6 months in less than a week since the operation, I'm really hoping for no more changes.

Has anyone noticed changes to their chest after 6 months? Doctors, is this a safe time to judge the final result or is it a full year after surgery?

So was  the scar tissue getting smaller result of  time, or the result of the injections? I'm almost 3 month post op and I can feel a lot of something behind my nipples, I'm guessing its scar tissue,  my chest was flater after surgery, I'm just kinda nervous.

[pDiddy2]

Hey Guys!

It's been quite a long time since I posted, 5.5 years to be exact. I figured out stop by and let you everyone know how I'm doing. 

I'll keep this short and sweet for ya. All sensation has returned; any numbness has completely gone away. 

Over the years my weight fluctuated between 170 to 192 pounds. I wasn't working out for about a year and half due to bad habits. It was during that time that I weighed 192, but that was my highest. About 2 years ago I began lifting and working out again. I'm now 170, fairly lean, six pack is slightly showing. I'm actually in the best shape of my life and have recently ran a 13 mile obstacle race. 

The point I want to make is that weight fluctuation (wi/in reason of course) has not made an impact on my results. When I'm super lean and my diet is on point, my chest looks even better. I haven't had any thoughts about revisions or anything of the sort. 

Everything is still stable and the results are still just as good as they were before. Putting on muscle, then loosing it, then putting it back on again doesn't seem to influence the results. Diet and exercise are really key though.

Thanks for stopping by and if you're on the fence about getting this done, I'd say go for it!

I'll check back in periodically, so if you have any questions I'll do my best to respond quickly.

Best of luck!

P