so i got the dreaded keloid (i think could be hypo) AND a crater formation..

[whatamess]

yes im obv gutted

i had the surgery 7 years ago now so i guess ive had time to get used to the mess of my chest  however, I NEVER take my tshirt off in front of anyone which is pretty sad i suppose..

lately tho i've been wondering if there was any thing that can be done for this crater malarky? reading thru these threads ive come to hear about 'fat grafts' and 'fat flaps'

Im aware that there is a doctor on here who is REALLY against the grafts but in reality i dont think i have any other option.  There must be some on here that this 'graft' procedure has worked for?

now about the scars.. they are grim.  its mostly worst on one side and in the centre of my chest. They are red raised and widened. ive had one round of steroid injections recently -last week -to try and improve them  (im gonna post some pics on the progress if anyone would like to see the progress). at the moment they have softened but mostly remain unchanged.   Doc said that i may need up to 5 or 6 before they fade and flatten so its early days yet i guess.

my plan is to sort the scars out first before goin back to see a surgeon to see about the indent. lately im kinda sick of having a ruined chest.. really hoping that someone can sort me out for good.

id love some 'positive' comments tho about these fat grafts as all i ever read on here is dr bermant being negative about them...im looking for abit of hope here 

[Dr. Elliot Jacobs]

Do not despair.  Revision surgery exists and help in many cases.

Obviously, every post op problem is unique and therefore an equally unique plan must be devised to help.  In the vast majority of cases, some improvement can be obtained.

When I evaluate a case for revision, I consider whether there is excess residual tissue that can be removed, tissue that is missing that must be replaced, or scar tissue that can be treated (if small) with cortisone injections.

When called upon to fill in a crater deformity, I first look for available surrounding tissue which can be used as fat flaps.  That is usually the best and most reliable technique.  If there is absolutely no surrounding tissue, then I do consider fat grafting.  Fat grafting does work and in fact, virtually every plastic surgeon does some amount of fat grafting in his practice.  In fact, one of the hottest topics in plastic surgery today is major volume fat grafting to a female breast.

Understand that fat grafting in an overly depleted and scarred male chest is a different story and is harder to perform.  Still, fat grafts (sometimes several times) can make a difference.  Dr Bermant was adamant in his refusal to accept fat grafting -- but clearly his was a solitary voice and not consistent with the majority of plastic surgeons.

Dr Jacobs

[whatamess]

Thanks Dr Jacobs,

Im really trying to stay positive and your comment there has really really helped

I forgot to add to my original post that i'm lining up some surgeons to get an idea of what can been done, that includes  flying over to thailand and getting some opinions from over there. Such a shame that Dr poomee said he doesnt do revisions any more...  Also looking into poland and then im gonna arrange a consultation with Dr. Karidis down south in london.

until then im gonna continue with the steriod shots until my scars are flat and then get some laser action in to blend them in better.

as you can prob tell Im a misson to  sort my chest out- no more hiding it alway! lol

[whatamess]

anyone with stories of having undergone fat flap/flap graft and/or have any  keloid/hypertrophic stories would be really appreciated

thanks 

[Hi_Top_Guy]

Good luck, whatamess! Keep us posted.

I'm a little over two-months in recovery now, but I do have experience with Keloids (not from the gynecomastia surgery). I had two in the middle-top part of my chest from the chicken pox that left two big keloid scars for the longest time.

Going to one doctor and he injected them with cortisone and they reddened for a while. I think it was the same doctor, but he then prescribed Cordran Tape, which is basically the same thing except you cut out this transparent tape and place it over the keloids everyday. Eventually, the scars flattened and lightened enough so that you can't really see them anymore. This all happened when I was in my late teen years and by the time I hit my 20s they were hardly noticeable.

Of course I didn't learn my lesson about leaving my chest alone and in  my late 20s, I picked at some pimples and gave myself two more keloids in the middle of my chest. Another doctor prescribed the same thing Cordran tape and though it was helping, I got tired of putting it on every day. It takes a while but eventually they'll flatten out with the help of the injections and the tape.

Luckily, for my gyne surgery, I didn't get any visible scarring as my PS went through my aureolas, only because he saw the Keloids on my chest and knew not to make any unnecessary incisions there. 

I've read that some guys on here have good results with Kenalog injections for raised scars, I'm not sure if that's the same thing.