3 days post-op but not much has changed...

[derek19852013]

Hi all,

First-time poster here. Three days ago I had laser liposuction to remove abnormal fatty deposits on my chest (grade 1 gynecomastia I was told, with no glandular tissue) that had begun to develop rapidly to resemble breasts over the course of the past 12 months or so. After my initial consultation I had blood work done and found that my testosterone levels were fine, though I had previously been taking finasteride regularly, which may have caused a hormonal imbalance and triggered the problem.

I'm three days out of surgery and briefly removed my garment last night to take a look at my chest area (I'm applying bandages every two days for the first week) and as you can see in the pics, I still have a noticeable 'white ring' around each nipple and there's a small bump surrounding them too, which was the same problem I had when I went for my initial consultation. My chest looks flatter overall but the issue of puffiness and whatever the skin around my nipple persists. I was disappointed to see that this shape means that - as it was before - when I wear polo shirts the clothes hang from this nipple area and are quite noticeable.

I know three days is too early to judge any results but I can't see this problem magicaly melting away in a few days. Does it look familiar to anyone? Was I misdiagnosed and is there actually something glandular going on here? Also, since there was no glandular tissue removed, could my previous symptoms reoccur in the future? Thanks.

Pre-Op:



1 Day Post-Op (best results so far)


3 Days Post-Op (noticeable deterioration from Day 1)

[James12]

dear Derek,
sorry to hear u are not too happy,
actually you havn't put up the pre surgery pictures
but don't worry.
my doc alexander from kims hospital cochin told me that there are two issues involved.
if fat is the only issue and it is removed by liposuction, the skin envelope will take some time to settle down unless a gland has been missed or the skin envelope was really too much.
hopefully you only had fat, and also the skin envelope will contract well.
but one has to wear the pressure garment for at least 3 months to six months as the doc told me.
again 3 days is too less a time to make a verdict and therefore have patience...
hopefully the skin will contract and look flat and not full...
best wishes

[derek19852013]

Hi James,

Pre-op pictures from two months ago have been included in the opening post.

[markdental]

Problem is that, from what I understand,  you only had liposuction. The majority of the issues come from glandular tissue,  which is unaffected by liposuction.  Looks like you need to go all the way.

[hammer]

You need to be patient as there will be swelling after surgery! Even after having a tooth pulled you will have swelling for awhile and need to eat soft food and make changes in your diet and eating habit for days! I know as my diabetes is hell on my teeth.

Any kind of surgery takes time for you body to heal. Have you ever slammed you finger in a car door? That takes time to heal just like when you get a paper cut. Everyone heals at different speeds and it could take you several weeks to months until you see the finished product of your surgery! There is no such thing as instant satisfaction, it even takes time to scrabble eggs, my favorite food after having a tooth pulled.

[derek19852013]

3 week update (pics below). I'm meeting with my surgeon this week and things haven't improved much at all. Still wearing compression vest 24/7 and chest area still somewhat tender but the results don't seem to be coming. As you can see below there is a lot of puffiness still present. To be honest, these do not look like 'post-op' pictures at all and whenever I have tried on any t-shirts/polo shirts etc they hang around the chest area, just as they did before the operation. Trying to be patient about all this but there is a very, very miniscule difference between me now and me a few months ago, although there is a major difference in my bank account.

[Paa_Paw]

It is impossible for you to be totally objective and it is way too soon to judge anyway.

This soon after surgery, the result looks very good to me.

Put the camera away and turn all the mirrors to the wall for about 6 months.