Pre op Visit coming up soon

[jurdy0]

My 13 year old son is scheduled to have Gynecomastia surgery at the end of this month.  Our pre-op visit is coming up this week.  Does anyone have any suggestions on KEY questions to ask?  The surgery is being performed by Dr. Delgado in the Bay Area.  I feel very confident and comfortable with his assessment thus far.  Because my son is young and very athletic, my main concerns are post op issues which I realize vary dramatically from person to person.  My son is in very good physical shape.  Are there any Gynecomastia swimmers or basketball players out there who could shed some light on when he can return to playing sports?  How bad was pain a day or two post surgery?  How was swelling? Scarring?  How long did you have to wear the compression wrap?  When could you return to school?  What did you tell your friends you had done?

Thanks in advance. 

Nervous mom

[Dr. Elliot Jacobs]

Congratulations to you and your son -- you are in very good hands with Dr Delgado.

Every surgeon has his own routine for post operative care, recommendations for activities, etc.

For my own patients, I recommend 3-4 weeks of avoidance of strenuous physical activities.  And I do strongly recommend compression garments to be worn a minimum of 4 weeks -- and perhaps longer if possible (it cannot do any harm).  For most patients, there is soreness, not pain.  It usually peaks on the day of surgery and lasts only a day or two after that.  Yes, there are all sorts of odd twinges after that -- but no serious pain.

Best of luck with the upcoming surgery!

Dr Jacobs

[DrBermant]

My 13 year old son is scheduled to have Gynecomastia surgery at the end of this month.  Our pre-op visit is coming up this week.  Does anyone have any suggestions on KEY questions to ask?  The surgery is being performed by Dr. Delgado in the Bay Area.  I feel very confident and comfortable with his assessment thus far.  Because my son is young and very athletic, my main concerns are post op issues which I realize vary dramatically from person to person.  My son is in very good physical shape.  Are there any Gynecomastia swimmers or basketball players out there who could shed some light on when he can return to playing sports?  How bad was pain a day or two post surgery?  How was swelling? Scarring?  How long did you have to wear the compression wrap?  When could you return to school?  What did you tell your friends you had done?

Thanks in advance. 

Nervous mom

These are all good questions and will depend on the actual problem to be treated, what needs to be done and vary from surgeon to surgeon depending on technique and many other factors.

Pain Comfort After Gynecomastia Surgery: for my patients although I prescribe a strong pain pill, most tell me that just plain Tylenol was more than enough to manage their comfort. They describe their discomfort just like after having a monster work out.

Swelling After Gynecomastia Surgery for my patients is typically minimal but this is also a variable answer depending on the above mentioned factors.

Gynecomastia Surgery Scars are another variable.  Each surgeon has his / her own scar crafting skills. This link shows the details of one of my revision surgeries hiding the scars of another surgeon.  How tissues move after surgery is also a factor. It is not just the surface scar. The entire surgical sculpture is subject to scars. These are shown particularly with flexing muscles and arms over head. Video Before and After Gynecomastia Surgery are even more critical showing scars.

Recovery After Gynecomastia Surgery also depends on the above factors. Recovery will depend on the degree of bruising, swelling, and injury to tissues. This is real surgery and tissues need a chance to recover before being stressed too far. My desk job patients are typically back to work the day after surgery. Heavy duty activity and active sports take longer. This surgery is like having a sprain. Easing back into activity is better. With bodybuilding, no pain, no gain. In healing, ignore the pain and you will hurt the gain.

I use two types of After Surgery Compression Garments after Gynecomastia Surgery. Stage One Compression Garments are for protecting tissues. Stage 2 Compression Garments are for the scars. Scars that evolve under pressure do better than scars without. Learning to have pressure on the healing tissue until it softens seems to have really made a massive difference in scar quality. I used to caution my patients I could see the scar on all of my gynecomastia surgery. Over the past several years several patients have returned to the office and I had a hard time finding the scars. My feeling is that the garment pressure is making a major difference!

So time to wear garments depends on what needs to be done, how someone heals, scar care, and varies from patient to patient. You have had cuts before. How long until those scars softened?

As you can see, there are just too many variables and why asking your questions directly to your surgeon is best way to find out about specific surgical and recovery experiences.

Good luck on your son's surgery!

Hope this helps,

Michael Bermant, MD
Learn More About Gynecomastia and Male Breast Reduction