Gynecomastia Surgery and Armpit swelling

[dayeh33]

Well I had surgery for my gynecomastia 1 week ago. The doctor did liposuction to get rid of excess fat around my chest and armpit area then the gland removal on both sides.  My chest looks great except for the areas between my chest and armpits. I told the doctor to target heavily on the areas between my chest and armpits, and remove any excess fat. Now 1 week after my surgery those areas look like they were never touched. Could it be that he forgot to liposuction those areas, or is it normal to have swelling after? Please let me know its really bothering me.

[Dr. Elliot Jacobs]

You have to understand the anatomy of the tissues under the skin.

On the chest, there are many attachments of the skin to the deeper tissues.  These attachments limit swelling in most circumstances.  There are not as many attachments in the armpit area -- so if surgery is done in that area, the swelling can be spectacular.

Don't worry, the swelling will go down.  It would be best if you could get a compression garment which would cover the area and provide some tightness -- it will help the swelling.

I often perform additional lipo of the armpit and/or lateral chest in order to sculpt the entire chest and not just deal with the gyne alone.  And by the way, with appropriate techniques and instruments, I am able to reduce excessive sweating in the armpit during the same procedure!

Dr Jacobs

[dayeh33]

Thank You. Yea my doctor does the armpit area to sculp the whole chest and bring out the muscle more. I was just concerned because it looks like fat was never removed from that area. but now i know its just swelling and hopefully it will go down after a couple weeks. Oh and i am wearing a vest and was instructed to wear it for 6 weeks