16 year old getting Lipo/parents have questions

[New2This]

We have a 16 year old son. We visited with a plastic surgeon yesterday and he verified son had moderate Gynecomastia. His recommendation was liposuction, and not surgery since he's still has a good conical shape that's not drooping yet (I'm sure I'm not getting his words right, I'm explaining what I understood).

Basically, he's pretty confident with his age and elasticity, he should tighten up nicely once he's had lipo. He did say there was a good chance he might have to cut around the nipple and remove a glob under there.. that it usually couldn't be lipo'd out but he thought overall the results should be very satisfactory. I asked him what happened if the skin did not tighten up, and he said then you get a crinkly skin effect.. like when you bend your hand backward- see how the skin is looser there? We asked our son how he would feel if the skin didn't tighten up perfectly, if there was loose or crinkly skin. His reply was he didn't care as long as his "boy boobs" were gone.

I won't go into the mental anguish the kid has felt about this the past few years. I didn't even realize how bad it was myself until recently. I'm willing to bet most here have as bad of stories though and understand.

I realize insurance usually does not cover this and we're prepared to pay up front. My questions are more along the lines of this: Did what our Dr. explain to us make sense to you? He's done a number of these, he's a well known & respected plastic surgeon for our smaller, rural area but he didn't have pictures of before and after. His receptionist said it's kind of a delicate issue for guys. Should that raise warning flags, or is that normal? He took great care to go over each step and what to expect.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[Grandpa Bambu]

We have a 16 year old son. We visited with a plastic surgeon yesterday and he verified son had moderate Gynecomastia. His recommendation was liposuction, and not surgery since he's still has a good conical shape that's not drooping yet (I'm sure I'm not getting his words right, I'm explaining what I understood).

Many Gynecomastia sufferers who have 'Lipo only' rather than Lipo/Excision (Excision means removal of the gland), are not satisfied with the results. You should ask your PS if he feels that your son has Glandular Gynecomastia. If yes, then you should insist that the doctor remove the gland as well as any Lipo sculpting that may be necessary.

My questions are more along the lines of this: Did what our Dr. explain to us make sense to you? He's done a number of these, he's a well known & respected plastic surgeon for our smaller, rural area but he didn't have pictures of before and after. His receptionist said it's kind of a delicate issue for guys. Should that raise warning flags, or is that normal? He took great care to go over each step and what to expect.

Yes, what your PS told you is just about right.

You should ask him how many Gynecomastic reductions he does each year.

Seeing 'Before' and 'After' pics sure helps in the PS selection process. However, it's not a total necessity.

BTW, what is your Plastic Surgeon's name?

John.

[New2This]

It's Dr. Donald R. Lamb (Fargo, ND)

I'll check with him about Glandular Gynecomastia

[opkcz]

Hm, no before and after pics?

Can you at least get some references?

[Paa_Paw]

Get another opinion.

There is some of what you related which does not add up well for me.

I feel that 16 is a bit early for surgery anyway.  Though this would depend upon his degree of physical maturation.

Your Medical insurance should pay for an Endocrinologist and a Psychologist.  Both are good places to start.  The Endo can help to determine if there is underlying cause which should be dealt with before surgery and the Psych can help with documentation of Medical need for the surgery which may make it possible to get the surgery covered by insurance.

Good Luck.