Does Gyne show up on a Mammogram?

[Optimistic]

Hi all, I went and got one along with all testosterone workup to make sure there weren't underlying problems. My endocrinologist sees no problem but I know something is there as mild as it might be it seems to myself severe. I'm sure some people on here can relate to what I mean. I live wearing under armour shirts or tight tank tops so much that my daughter sees the symbol and says DA DA!!!

I took the mammogram shots to the latest surgeon Kendrick spence in Orlando florida. He didn't even glance at them they came up negative but is that normal for a doctor to just ignore it?

My question is does gyne show up on the mammogram? So far I went to 3 surgeons and they all seem shady. I would have to say all of them have very very bad results which turned me off so fast I can't even express how awful their jobs were.

These plastic surgeons also all seem to be surrounded by skin care products as their main focus...  I may go to 1 more surgeon then just mark this up as some sort of curse I spent 16 years trying to lift weights till my back is breaking, my chest is the only part of my body that doesn't firm up.

This may be the last surgeon I go to I dont know who is good and who isn't good, hard to find legit people who aren't just after the $$$ in replace of quality.    http://www.drkrisreddy.com/PlasticSurgeryCenter.html

Thank you for any response , I can't get a response from anyone, kendrick spence I called up and asked for the doctor and the lady on the phone said she has been in this business for 20 years and can answer any question he can... My first question stumped her which scared me and made me not go back. I asked if the mammogram doesn't show any gland, can the tool they use for lypo properly remove most of the tissue in there without having to get a gland removal... She said I'll have to get back to you on that.

[headheldhigh01]

an average endo is probably better at test results than tissue analysis.  it's interesting it doesn't show up, i don't know what exactly it scans for, but you would assume if it's not looking for "normal" tissue, that's what it would ignore. 

what you want in a ps is somebody for whom gyne is not just an occasional deal.  don't give up too soon just because you're getting a bunch of botox specialists, narrow your focus and keep looking, it's about gyne, not a facelift. 

[Optimistic]

Thanks, yea my wife is finding "good" doctors from the results I have seen, but they all seem to be in California, or Canada. She found this site last night and his work does look really good.

http://gynecomastiaexpert.com/gynecomastia_home.php

Dont know if anyone on here has done research or have had their procedure done through him.

This is the doctor here in Florida, please give any feedback if anyone here has experience with these doctors.
http://www.drkrisreddy.com/Gynecomastia.html

Thanks again for your response , I haven't heard anything from anyone doctors included.

[Hypo-is-here]

My endocrinologist sees no problem

Obtain a physical paper copy of your results by request and post them here along with the accompanying reference ranges.  Not all endocrinologists understand reproductive endocrinology and it is always worth another look.

My question is does gyne show up on the mammogram?

Very often- NO.

Breast tissue has to be very dense to show up on a mammogram, but very often men have a combination of fat and glandular tissue, or diffuse glandular tissue mixed with fat.  This is something that does not show up on a mammogram.

The mammogram is a truly useless and redundant diagnostic tool that should not be used to ever ascertain whether a man has or does not have glandular gynecomastia.  This is why most top surgeons who perform these surgeries do not use them.

I have also had first hand experience of their misuse in this context.

I saw a surgeon who made me go through with one.  I was told that there was no glandular tissue.  I said well that is interesting because I had not put on weight but my chest had increased in size and this was after being on testosterone replacement therapy without any anti estrogen medication and the only mechanism for the increase in the size of the chest was the aromatization of testosterone into estradiol and subsequent increase of breast tissue.   The guy who performed the mammogram went from being super confident and arrogant to – oh shit this guy has got me and can tell I don’t know the whole picture.

I spoke again with the surgeon and categorically told tem that this was wrong and that there was no way that the mammogram diagnostically proved that there was no breast tissue and asked him whether or not he was willing to oppose my view on this matter.  He admitted that I was right and forwarded me to another surgeon.

The bottom line was I had surgery (3 hour op) and my surgeon described my gynecomastia as being extensive diffuse glandular gynecomastia.

So much for it being fat them, so much for this experts opinion and so much for the use of mammograms.

[headheldhigh01]

The guy who performed the mammogram went from being super confident and arrogant to – oh shit this guy has got me and can tell I don’t know the whole picture.

a useful reminder, you have to do as much independent research as possible, because nobody has more at stake in how things go than the patient.  respect is important, but there are a lot of people who wish they'd stood up for themselves more. 

[DrBermant]

Hi all, I went and got one along with all testosterone workup to make sure there weren't underlying problems. My endocrinologist sees no problem but I know something is there as mild as it might be it seems to myself severe. I'm sure some people on here can relate to what I mean. I live wearing under armour shirts or tight tank tops so much that my daughter sees the symbol and says DA DA!!!

I took the mammogram shots to the latest surgeon Kendrick spence in Orlando florida. He didn't even glance at them they came up negative but is that normal for a doctor to just ignore it?

My question is does gyne show up on the mammogram? So far I went to 3 surgeons and they all seem shady. I would have to say all of them have very very bad results which turned me off so fast I can't even express how awful their jobs were.

These plastic surgeons also all seem to be surrounded by skin care products as their main focus...  I may go to 1 more surgeon then just mark this up as some sort of curse I spent 16 years trying to lift weights till my back is breaking, my chest is the only part of my body that doesn't firm up.

This may be the last surgeon I go to I dont know who is good and who isn't good, hard to find legit people who aren't just after the $$$ in replace of quality.    http://www.drkrisreddy.com/PlasticSurgeryCenter.html

Thank you for any response , I can't get a response from anyone, kendrick spence I called up and asked for the doctor and the lady on the phone said she has been in this business for 20 years and can answer any question he can... My first question stumped her which scared me and made me not go back. I asked if the mammogram doesn't show any gland, can the tool they use for lypo properly remove most of the tissue in there without having to get a gland removal... She said I'll have to get back to you on that.

Fat tends to be soft, gland tends to be firm.  Fingers of gland often dissect between fingers of fat.  Look at this drawing and move your mouse over the arrows.  However, gland can be soft and fat firm confusing the picture.  Gland tends to be located under the nipple and pinching pressure can sometimes tether to the nipple pulling it in.

Male Mammograms can define radio dense gland.  You can see images of gland on that link.  On this second Male Mammogram series, you can see the gland growth over time on another patient.  Mammograms can be valuable tools in the right hands.  Not all places that do mammograms have much experience in performing male mammograms.  Not all radiologists have expertise.  I prefer to use a center well versed in this evaluation that has a radiologist checking the images before the patient leaves and evaluating if sonography is indicated.  However in my opinion, I prefer to view X-rays during my examination to enhance my evaluation.  It is rare for a radiologist to examine the patient in addition to viewing the film.  I do not order mammograms for my typical gynecomastia patient.  I reserve this tool for those with a clinical finding that concerns me.  When the films are available, they can let me tell a patient what radio dense gland is there and better plan my surgery.

Unfortunately, it can be difficult to distinguish just what is causing the problem.  Gynecomastia male breasts can be fat, gland, or most commonly a combination of both.  Sometimes skin and sagging tissues can be a factor.  Pseudo Gynecomastia is supposed to be fat only gynecomastia.  The problem with that "classification" is that in almost every case of gynecomastia I have seen there is some component of gland.  This gland can be very small, but it is present almost all the time.  So do you have Pseudo gynecomastia when there is a 1%, 10%, 50%, or 90% deformity from fat?  Reality just does not work that way.  I prefer the original meaning of the word by Galen who first used the phrase: female like breasts.  If the contour looks female, then you have gynecomastia wether it is fat and or gland.  Female breasts come in many different forms from the small puffy nipple of a developing breast to a large hanging structure.

I prefer to treat the contour, how it looks.  If there is a concern about a female like contour, I try to sculpt a male like chest.  Picking your surgeon is like picking an artist.  Not all surgeons have the same skills.

Hope this helps,

Michael Bermant, MD
Learn More About Gynecomastia and Chest Sculpture

[Hypo-is-here]

Brilliant post. 

I guess I was being to hard on the mamogram in the sense that in the right hands it may very well have its use and be valid diagnostically.

Unfortunately it is very often/almost always incorrectly used in a poor diagnostic sense to tell men that they do not have any glandular component of their gynecomastia in order to say either A) no operation is required or that B) excision is not required. 

This of course is utterly wrong and something that you have thankfully detailed for us.