Puffiness after surgery

[bumpin_the_road]

Hi guys,
I'm 26 y/o, 5'11, 163 lbs, had gynecomastia ever since early puberty.
Hormonal tests all came back fine.
I had liposuction + excision done 3 weeks ago. I used a compression garment for 2 weeks, as my surgeon said I should.

Overall there's an improvement in the appearance of the chest,
however there is some puffiness of the areolas. It's not as bad as before the surgery, but it's still bothering me. One side was worse before the surgery, and on that side the puffiness is also more noticeable now. The puffiness came back after I stopped wearing the garment. It looks like there's just excess skin of the areola/nipple.
My plastic surgeon hasn't seen it yet, but he did make a general comment last time that I should expect shrinkage over the weeks/months to come.

Assuming that he took out the right amount of gland and fat - Is this normal? Should I expect an improvement over time? If so, how much time does it usually take for the areolas to shrink and tighten? Could it be swelling that's causing the puffiness? How common is this problem that I'm having?

If it's caused by glandular tissue that was left behind - Is revision surgery the only way to fix it? I would definitely do everything to avoid general anaesthesia.

I would really appreciate any information.

[macman213]

I think a lot of us are told to wear compression vests for a little bit longer, generally 4-6 weeks. Swelling starts hitting hard right now and my guess is that is likely what you're seeing. The compression garments generally minimize this.

[bumpin_the_road]

I think a lot of us are told to wear compression vests for a little bit longer, generally 4-6 weeks. Swelling starts hitting hard right now and my guess is that is likely what you're seeing. The compression garments generally minimize this.

I hope you're right... I did start wearing the garment again yesterday, but I'm thinking about doing it only at nights. Hopefully it would be enough.

Thanks.

[macman213]

I really think, for the first couple of weeks, you should be wearing it 24/7. It seems 95% of us are universally told 4-6 weeks. Anything else seems like you're likely either going to not get the ideal results and/or slow down the amount of time it takes for you to fully heal and see the results.

[Dr. Elliot Jacobs]

Fully agree with macman213.

Dr Jacobs