7 days post op, questions about swelling

[SomeDude420]

hey there all.  the doc says i can now take my vest off every once in a while for showers and what not, but when i took it off the first time i was horrified by what i saw.  My left breast looked really good, slightly swollen but nothing to worry about, however my right breast resembled the creature from the black lagoon or something like that.  It was way bigger than it was even b4 surgery and the doc said this is due to blood collecting inside.  he said he would drain it in a week, but why the hell did he not drain it now!?? i was all ready to go back into the world and be normal but then this happened and it looks really bad!!  Im glad he can fix it but why not now?  i think he said something about not wanting it to get infected, but why would it get infected now and not monday?  please respond.

[Mr_Nip]

I honestly can't tell you why he wouldn't have just gone ahead and drained you.  Perhaps it's safer from infection by waiting a few days longer after the surgery.   I'm just guessing, though.   Maybe if Dr. Bermant is reading he could give you a meaningful answer.  

[DrBermant]

hey there all.  the doc says i can now take my vest off every once in a while for showers and what not, but when i took it off the first time i was horrified by what i saw.  My left breast looked really good, slightly swollen but nothing to worry about, however my right breast resembled the creature from the black lagoon or something like that.  It was way bigger than it was even b4 surgery and the doc said this is due to blood collecting inside.  he said he would drain it in a week, but why the hell did he not drain it now!?? i was all ready to go back into the world and be normal but then this happened and it looks really bad!!  Im glad he can fix it but why not now?  i think he said something about not wanting it to get infected, but why would it get infected now and not monday?  please respond.

A hematoma after gynecomastia surgery is a collection of blood.  Timing for drainage depends on many factors.  Waiting until the blood softens is sometimes the correct treatment.


How tissues evolve after surgery depends on the problem treated, surgical technique, skill of the surgeon, after care, scar care, and how a patient heals.  I prefer my Dynamic Technique in which there is minimal bruising and swelling.  The biggest change happens on the operating table.  That is how I am able to post images the day after surgery.  However, further refinement happens over time as sculpted tissues evolves as they soften with scar care, compression, and healing.  As with any cut, tissues need to heal and soften.

You can see other examples of early resuts:

in this competition body builder here.

This one sided (unilateral) gynecomastia shows the swelling after surgery typical swelling after my gynecomastia surgery compaired to the side that had No Surgery. 

Here is another example of early healing after unilateral surgery typically seen with my techniques. 

Here is another example of typical minimal swelling and bruising in a 14 year old patient with more images images of tissue evolution and swelling here.. 

You can find many more examples on my website of primary gynecomastia tissue evoluation.

I perform many Revision Gynecomastia Male Chest Sculpture Operations on patients done by other doctors around the world. Each patient has told me how different their tissues were after my Dynamic Technique compaired to their previous surgery.  They all have commented how the swelling was much less, comfort better, and their expectation met, even at their first view of the tissues after surgery.  You can see typical tissue evolution after Revision Gynecomastia Surgery here.

However, even with these techniques, the tissue continue to evolve over time.  Here is another example of a patient revised after initial surgery done in Australia, early and 2 years after his operation.

This is real surgery and tissues do need to heal just like any other cut or injury.

Scars after surgery depend on the problem to be treated, surgical technique(s), complications, skill of your surgeon, after care, scar care, how you heal, and other factors.

The areola chest skin interface is a great place to hide a scar.  Check out the many before after pictures of this Areola / Nipple Gallery here, here, and here.  These results are typical for my sculpture of my patients.

How tissues move is important.  The human body is beautiful in animation.  That is why I show pictures of the chest with arms up, down, and with muscles tight / relaxed in addition to the results from multiple views.  Limited view demonstrations can pick the best angle to hide deformities and problems.  Such analysis of the results as well as how tissues evolve, the possible need for drains, comfort level after surgery, are important factors in picking your doctor.  It is like an artist selecting a paint brush.  The results are what matters, not with what tool they sculpt.

Hope this helps,

Michael Bermant, MD
Learn More About Gynecomastia and Chest Sculpture