My case with pics - Surgery July 15!

[gyne75]

Hey all-

I've been reading these boards for some time & found them to be an invaluable resource...now it's time for me to actually post...

I am 33, and I've had gyne since my teens. I've always been relatively thin (though my metabolism sure ain't what it used to be), so the gyne has always looked even more distinctive than it might otherwise would if I'd have been heavier. Anyway, I've lived with it for this long, I think it's moderate, but I'm sick of it for all the usual reasons that have been mentioned on this site many times before.

I live in NYC and after some research I decided to go with Dr. Jacobs. I've already had my consul and surgery is scheduled for July 15. All in all, it's been a very fast process...had my consul with him on June 16 and was able to schedule a surgery for a month later. He has all the good personality traits that I've read about on here...was friendly, seemed to care, etc. He seemed very confident that he would be able to get me flat. The only part I don't like is his cost...very spendy but I do think his expertise is worth paying for.

He apparently doesn't usually try and make an analysis on sight or feel whether I have mostly gland vs. fat, though from what I understand most gyne is some combo of both. I don't feel any hardness beneath the nipples that might indicate gland, but I've also read that the gland can be softer and more spread out. Anyway, Jacobs has developed his own custom cannulas that are sharp and remove both fat and gland at the same time, eliminating the need to do an excision under the nipples (he first goes in near the armpits)...though he doesn't always get all of the gland in this way, in which case he will do an excision under the nipples...he makes this judgment in the operating room.

Links to pics are below...what do some of you think in the sense of how much gland I might have vs. fat? (I realize it might be hard to tell)...I worry that mostly fat extraction with lipo might not be enough...but I think I am just being a little paranoid. But this is just a big investment for me and I can't help but be a little worried over the final results! I will email him about my concern, though.

Anyway, that's my story. Over the years at times I've felt like my case is not that bad and I should just live with it. I think from the front they usually don't look so bad, but from the sides it's another story. The contour is off, and their shape is a bit too round and feminine-looking, I think. But the bottom line is, my gyne still been enough to prevent me from taking my shirt off in public, which has stopped me from swimming, beachgoing, etc. Not to mention affecting the kind of clothes I wear.

Another thing, since I am going to be wearing the vest for three weeks during the hottest part of the NYC summer, can anyone here tell me how easy or tough it is to hide underneath short sleeved button up shirts or even T-shirts? How obvious is it?

PICS:

Side: http://img370.imageshack.us/img370/1594/img0405ay8.jpg

Front: http://img104.imageshack.us/img104/7735/img0404mt3.jpg

Thanks for any input, advice, or encouragement!

[trojan213]

Hard to tell how much is gland vs. fat, but from your front pic, it looks like there is asymmetry, and I'm guessing that's from gland (I'm no Dr.).

I also live in NYC, and Dr. J is at the top of my list right now, but I share your concern that liposuction might not be enough. Surgery is something I only want to do once and the idea of leaving significant gland behind concerns me. Did you look at pics in his office? Each person's case is unique, but you might get a sense of what you can expect based on pics of people with gynecomastia similar to yours.

Also, please don't take offense, but it doesn't look like you lift weights. Do you work-out? Run? Committing to a good fitness routine and getting into shape may help with the diagnosis of fat vs. gland. Just seems like you could firm up overall...

Best of luck and let us know what you decide and how everything goes.

[gyne75]

Yes, I've looked at plenty of pics from Dr. Jacobs and for the most part the "after" pics are very encouraging. There were a couple that I thought were close matches to mine and I really liked the afters with those, too. He does do something like an avg. of 6 of these a week, I believe, which is another reason why I'm going for him...it's his specialty.

I hadn't noticed any asymmetry until you mentioned it...it does seem that the left may be a bit bigger than the right...is this what you noticed?

And I hear you about working out...no, I haven't worked out regularly for awhile. But this week I started a cardio and light weight routine, which I plan to do regularly up until the surgery...the surgery is only 18 days away at this point, so I'm just doing what I can to tone up and lose a little fat in that time frame. I don't expect any dramatic results in such a short time but I want to at least do something positive to lose some fat and just get my body into better shape leading up to the procedure.

I'm contacting his office tomorrow about my worries over the gland thing. Like you, NO WAY do I want any significant gland left after investing so much $ and time into this...

[tenncast]

good luck....i think you will end up amazed at just how easy this surgery will be....we all mystify our problems ...making it so much bigger than it really is....

After my surgery i found that i told almost everyone that i had just had a boob job....just told them that i has some fat rearranged to make my pecks look better....no one thought it was a big deal

as far as hiding the vest....try to find one that does not have velcro fasteners at the top  of the shoulders....if you find that it willl be a breeze to hide....

good luck...don't worry sooo much. I think you will relate with me after you have it finsished.......

[gyne75]

Thanks for the encouragement, tenncast, and the tip on the vest. Yeah, I'm trying not to obsess over all the details of this right now & just relax. It's practically all that's on my mind at the moment, though, so it's a bit tough sometimes...but it's nice how you were able to be so frank with people about what you'd had done. Not sure if I'll ever be able to do that, but yeah, I could indeed have a whole new perspective on this once it's all over...

[Nakamura19]

Congratulations on getting the surgery scheduled and everything.  I too have my surgery with the great Dr. Jacobs on July 10th.  Future quality of life prospects have never been this good.