question about surgery

[zoidberg]

i searched this site for any answers to this question and didn't see any yet.  is there any option with surgery for gynecomastia to make sure it won't come back?  or atleast to minimalize any chance?  i remember seeing somewhere about complete removal of all glandular? tissue in some cases.  if that is an option, is there any reason to not do so?  thank you

[Dr. Elliot Jacobs]

Many patients develop gyne during puberty -- and it remains stable.  Removal of the excess tissues (fat and gland) is usually sufficient -- recurrence is extremely rare.

Realize that all men, including men with normal appearing chests, have a small amount of breast tissue present.  Thus, any attempt to remove every cell of breast tissue is ill-conceived and could possibly result in disastrous post-op results.

There really is no way to "prevent" gyne from recurring -- but again, it is rare.  On the other hand, if you take anabolic steroids after gyne surgery (even with the "expert" online suggests on how to avoid "bitch breasts"), you may develop gyne.  Therefore, beware.

Dr Jacobs

[zoidberg]

thank you for the help

[DrPensler]

It is extremely rare for a recurrence after surgery in the range of under 1%. To remove all of the gland the nipple and areola must be removed.The removal of the nipple and areola is performed with cancer operations. We as surgeons balance the risks versus the potential benefits with each operation. So with minimal risk an experienced surgeon would not remove the nipple and areola with surgery. Having said that I see several patients every month who have had surgery and have been told that their gynecomastia has come back. as a general rule these patients have had inadequate initial resection which is obscured by the postoperative welling immediately after surgery. As the swelling reduces the residual gynecomastia becomes apparent.Again I stress this is not a recurrence but rather inadequate initial resection.Chose a surgeon with experience to avoid this.