Another "is it Scar Tissue of more gyno"

[silverback22]

Ok, heres the deal. I had my surgery 4weeks ago today with a very good plastic surgeon. Was done under local and only consisted of extraction of the lumps developed on each side. Small pea size lump right behind the nipple on the left side and a crushed grape size lump set about 0.5cm behind the right nipple. First few days was great and could already see the difference, is was about into a week when i began to feel around and felt these new lumps situated right where the previous lumps were. Ther actual cut itself on the aerola has healed great. Now over the last 3weeks i have tried heat, massage mild and vigourous and if its scar tissue it doesn't wanna break down. These lumps feel exactly the same and the nipples are still so damn sensative .The strange thing is i generally tend to recover quite quick, have had many opps over the years due to rugby injuries. And it was only about 6days when i was back in the gym training chest and 2weeks before i was back lifting heavy again. I am basically another parnoid dude with scar tiisue or could i have had a rebound effect and developed growth again. I'm not due to see my surgeon for another 4weeks and was looking for some help especially from any of the Doc's on here. Just need some peace of mind really its in my head 24 / 7.
Thanks

[Dr. Elliot Jacobs]

Assuming gland was indeed removed successfully, then what you probably have is residual swelling/early scar tissue.  This can sometimes mimic the original problem.

Best suggest is to be patient and then consult with your surgeon -- he may recommend massage or perhaps kenalog shots.

Keep your chin up -- it should settle down -- but it will take months!

Dr Jacobs

[silverback22]

Dr Jacobs thankyou very much for your reply, and i'm really hoping scar tissue is the case. I assume the gland was removed successfully, even saw most of it but as with most cases some was left to prevent a cave in and reduce the risk of revsion surgery. I guess as you say time is the key and your professional thoughts boosts my confidence.
Thanks

[bigtrainer]

I have a similar problem. I had my surgery about 6,5 weeks ago, lipo and gland removal. Unfortuneately i got hematoma on the left side which made the healing progress slow. After about 3 weeks things changed for the better and i was starting to look good, and then the scar tissues kicked in and it was not so bad except the left side bcause of the prior hematoma case. So from week 3 i started to massage twice every day and the scar tissues are already, anyway it feels like, dissolving. The hard lumps are dissapearing and the skin is getting back to its normal softness.

NOW HERE IS THE PROBLEM, as the skin is getting softer and the lumps are dissolving, the chest looks to get bigger and bigger and i am afraid it will go back to how it was prior to surgery!!! The left side is worst, i asume bcause of the prior hematoma, and the nipple on the left side is also a bit puffy whereas the right side looks OK. I wore my vest 24/7 the first 4weeks and untill next week (7th week) i will wear it daytime. One way it feels good as it must mean my body is healing but it worries me that my chest seems to be getting fuller and fuller... What does it mean? Was there not even fat sucked out? Or is it only residual swelling which will vanish? I appreciate all replies and would be happy to hear from a doctors as well 

[siphon]

same situation for me. im now 3 months post op, and i still have hard scar tissue under neath. i went and saw a naturopath and she said that its scar tissue and a bit of muscle. basically the musle can harden up when there is trauma involved to the area, and it takes time for the muscle to break down as well as the scar tissue. its annoying as hell, and seems to be getting harder as the weeks go by.

going to speak to my doc about cortisone shots, or any other form of injection for internal scar tissue.

[tali1988]

I wouldnt worry just yet m8, im 8 weeks post op now and have exactly the same situation. Iv just see my surgeon last week who said it was scar tissue and will takes months to go. Although in the back of my mind i am still worrying a bit, but leave it some considerable time i would to allow the body to heal

[silverback22]

I wouldnt worry just yet m8, im 8 weeks post op now and have exactly the same situation. Iv just see my surgeon last week who said it was scar tissue and will takes months to go. Although in the back of my mind i am still worrying a bit, but leave it some considerable time i would to allow the body to heal

Thanks mate, serouisly getting me down, sometimes i think its worse than it was before the opp. See my surgeon in 2weeks, could have gone earlier but was sure he'd just tell me its early days, do you know how he can tell if it is scar tissue or gyno come back?? Looks like i'll be wearing my compression t shirts for a while to come then lol....

[tali1988]

lol. Well i dont think gyn grows back tbh (assuming all hormones etc are balanced), my understanding is the surgeon can sumtimes leave too much gland tissue left coz they never take all of it out (think it creates the crator affect) so im just hoping it is scar tissue. I was/am still a bit worried about it as i thought this was it now. Im gonna leave it 4-6 months then if nothing has changed i will be going back to my surgeon a pissed off guy lol! Hows the healing going now?

[Copespo]

hi dude
I am also on the same boat, my left pec looks amazing but my right is a lil off...to the right of my nipple on my right peck there seems to be either scar tissue or dunno what that makes that part of the skin stick out and make it look like a small gyno effect. Every time I pinch it there is hard tissue there but also skin, I hope its scar tissue and I hope it goes away soon so I can finally put this behind me. Even with this small problem I am more comfortable wearing a shirt without anything under.

my surgeon was Dr. Jacobs I see he posted above ^^ , I got a appointment with him in about 2 weeks. I hope he can answer some of my questions regarding this.

[silverback22]

seems to me guys that there are quite a few of us in the same boat, i guess from that then this is a normal recovery procedure otherwise there is alot of botch jobs out there... my scar tissue on one side seems to have reduced slighty, so much so that if i squeeze quite hard i can actually feel what i believe in the remaining gland left behind to support the nipple. i just hope that its not too much as at the moment both nipples look puffy and pointed with a t shirt on. I just wanna really ask one of the Doc's how much roughly they leave behind. i.e one side for me was a large pea size and when removed looked alot bigger than it felt but the lump i feel now feels about 40% of what was there orginally. Is that 60% a normal reduction on such a small lump?? the other side has still got too much scar tissue as this lump was much bigger.. any reply to this would be highly appreciated...

[i_dont_know]

No worries, guys.. to the best of my knowledge, what you're experiencing is just your body healing itself and going through stages. There is going to be some scar tissue and swelling on and off for a few months post-op. It is more than likely NOT any sort of gyne resurgence. It can resemble it or feel like it, but rest assured, there is a slim to none chance that is what it actually is.

For all of us who have suffered through gynecomastia for years (even decades), it is natural to be completely paranoid about our chests because that's what we've grown accustomed to over the years. The reality is that even with the scar tissue, if you're about a month+ post-op and were to remove your shirt, I doubt anyone would even notice anything. Give your body time to heal and be patient. You won't see the absolute final result until months (probably close to 8 or more) after surgery. Take comfort in knowing that the worst is over and that from now on, you'll continue to heal and improve as time goes on.

[tali1988]

Yea i think only time will tell how successful its been. I know im a lot lot better than i ever was, so that is a huge bonus, dont need to keep wearing vests underneath (altho do still, out of habit lol!) Im hoping that my doc was rite in saying that it was just scar tissue and he seemed certain.
SilverBack, in respect to the percentages i wouldnt know m8, but what im doing is waiting about 6 months and then if i dont feel satisfied i will be going back to my surgeon with some burning questions. Keep ya chin up m8 and let the time do the heeling

[surfdude]

Copespo, I'm coming up on a year now and I too have the same problem. Dr. Jacobs keeps saying to be patient, well easier said then done. My question to you is the side that is a little bigger is that the side where the incision was made a little farther back under your arm pit? Because from day 1 that was the side that had alot more swelling. When I asked him why he did it that way he said so it wasn't so noticeable that I had the surgery,sounded good at the time but if I read a post like this I would tell him to put the incision both in the same spot(CLOSER TO THE FRONT OF MY CHEST). The incision that he made closer is mint, so what I'm saying I rather have a small scare that is almost gone then to have one side of my chest that is not yet completely healed(HOPEFULLY THAT IS THE PROBLEM).

[Copespo]

Copespo, I'm coming up on a year now and I too have the same problem. Dr. Jacobs keeps saying to be patient, well easier said then done. My question to you is the side that is a little bigger is that the side where the incision was made a little farther back under your arm pit? Because from day 1 that was the side that had alot more swelling. When I asked him why he did it that way he said so it wasn't so noticeable that I had the surgery,sounded good at the time but if I read a post like this I would tell him to put the incision both in the same spot(CLOSER TO THE FRONT OF MY CHEST). The incision that he made closer is mint, so what I'm saying I rather have a small scare that is almost gone then to have one side of my chest that is not yet completely healed(HOPEFULLY THAT IS THE PROBLEM).

well to be honest the incisions seem to be exactly at the same spots. All I can say is that since day one, after surgery the right side was much more swollen then the left. The left looked amazing, and still does, there is scar tissue there but it only shows when I flex my chest u can see the hard tissue resting a little below my pec. My right since day one had a bump to the right side of my nipple. Every time I pinch it I feel like a hard strip of scar tissue I guess. My right side was worse then my left to begin with, I just hope its scar tissue and no gyno remains. I would be extremely mad and disappointed if Dr. Jacobs left gyno on my right side. Its been almost 3 months since my surgery, I cant really say things have gotten better. Maybe the swelling decreased a bit and less scar tissue is there, but for some reason my left scar tissue is much harder and more in mass then right.

I thought this might be because I keep pinching my right pec that I somehow decreased the scartissue and softened it. I would love if Dr. Jacobs could tell me exactly what is under my skin. I rather have a honest answer then kill myself thinking if its either scar tissue or left over gyno. I hope its not gyno, I invest all my saved money for this surgery, and I would be extremely mad if I had to drop down more money to get something fixed that should of been done the first time around.

[Banobo]

Hey copespo, I know it's a worrying situation, 3 months is still quite early from what i see on here. I think you have to understand though that things sometimes do go wrong or not so much wrong but may need revision. I'd try to keep a calm approach to things and not get too wound up. More likely to get further that way. Hope things work out for you, try to keep calm