Gynecomastia

Adrian Lo, MD, FACS, FRCS (C), a leading Philadelphia male breast reduction surgeon, understands that having a normal looking, muscular chest is important to many men. That being said, Dr. Lo wants to remind you that if you are a young or adult man who is embarrassed about your enlarged breasts, you are not alone. Although not many men talk about it, 40 to 60 percent of men suffer from enlarged breast tissue, a condition known as gynecomastia, or sometimes referred to as “man boobs”. Sometimes, you can eat healthy, exercise regularly — including doing dozens of push-ups a day — and still not get the chest profile that you want. If this sounds familiar, you will benefit from male breast reduction plastic surgery with Dr. Lo.

Gynecomastia Defined

The medical term for enlarged breasts in males is gynecomastia (which derives from the Greek for “women-like breast”). True gynecomastia is defined as enlarged breast, or glandular tissue. Although it can be difficult to pinpoint the cause of this common condition, many factors can play a role in the development of gynecomastia, such as a hormone imbalance, genetics, drug abuse, alcohol abuse and the use of steroids. Often, adolescents develop excess breast tissue that never goes away. Many men develop gynecomastia because of an increase in fat (as opposed to glandular breast tissue) in the breast area. This can occur due to significant weight gain, weight fluctuations over time or hereditary factors. This is called pseudogynecomastia. Dr. Lo can surgically treat your gynecomastia no matter what the cause. During your Philadelphia gynecomastia surgery consultation, he will evaluate your unique anatomy and aesthetic goals, and will develop a customized male breast reduction treatment plan that is best for you. Keep in mind that male breast reduction surgery may be the only way to permanently treat enlarged breasts in men. Clever marketing may lead you to believe that taking a certain pill or following a certain diet will help, but that is not the case. Once you undergo male breast reduction surgery with Dr. Lo, you can focus on strength-building exercises that target your chest area to get the muscular chest appearance you have always wanted. There are three types of gynecomastia that are treated routinely by Dr. Lo: Idiopathic gynecomastia happens in adolescent males at puberty and the teenage years. During this time there is an imbalance of estrogen and testosterone hormones causing the glandular tissue to grow and resulting in the extra breast tissue. This breast tissue often feels hard and may be painful. Many boys have been told it will go away with time but the reality is that it doesn’t. Dr. Lo treats many men in this situation, as early as age 13 and usually around age 18 to 30, when the men realize that their gynecomastia is not going away. Only gynecomastia correction surgery will help give you a normal chest. Iatrogenic gynecomastia is excess breast tissue caused by drugs such as anabolic steroids and other similar drugs or products. Again this is true glandular tissue that will not go away by itself and requires Dr. Lo to remove the breast tissue and gland during the gynecomastia correction surgery. Pseudogynecomastia is enlarged breasts in males who may be overweight or at one time in their life been overweight. Despite exercise, dieting and losing some weight, the extra breast tissue stubbornly remains. Again, Dr. Lo has corrected hundreds of men with this type of gynecomastia giving them a normal chest for the first time in their lives. Gynecomastia may also be hereditary and run in the male members of a family.

An Overview of the Male Breast Reduction Process

When you first meet with Dr. Adrian Lo, he will evaluate your gynecomastia, go over your aesthetic goals, answer any questions you may have, and determine if you are a good candidate for male breast reduction surgery or gynecomastia surgery. If you are a suitable candidate, Dr. Lo will recommend an appropriate surgical plan for male breast reduction, taking into account your overall objectives, unique anatomy and what is causing your enlarged breasts — an increase in glandular tissue or an increase in fatty tissue. Based on these factors, he will decide whether to excise excess glandular tissue, perform liposuction to remove excess fat, or both, during gynecomastia treatment (i.e., male breast reduction surgery). Dr. Lo believes that most patients will require both liposuction and subcutaneous mastectomy at the same surgery to achieve the best results. This is still usually the one-hour, gynecomastia surgery, it will remove all the excess breast tissue, correct puffy nipples, shrink the areolar size and give you the flattest chest contour possible. The occasional male patient may require skin removal as well. During your consultation, you will also have a chance to look at before-and-after photos of Dr. Lo’s gynecomastia patients. Gynecomastia ranges from having puffy, oversized nipples to having a D-cup breast size (usually resulting in Male Breast Reduction, the two-hour surgery. Although each patient’s situation is different, you can often find an example of a situation that is similar to yours, so you can get a good idea of what the surgical results may look like. For your male breast reduction surgery with Dr. Lo, he will give you full instructions on how to take care of yourself before, during and after the surgery. Our patient care coordinators will determine the need for any preoperative testing, but if you are healthy you will not require any preoperative testing or blood work. You will also schedule a pre-operative appointment approximately two weeks prior to surgery, to meet with Dr. Lo one more time, double check the plan,  go over the details of your surgery, prescribe any needed pain relievers or antibiotics, and provide you with post-operative instructions for the recovery period. Making your surgical experience as comfortable and safe as possible is always Dr. Lo’s goal. For more detailed information about male breast reduction surgery, including what to expect on the day of surgery and during recovery, please visit the Gynecomastia Treatment page. To learn more about gynecomastia or to schedule a personal consultation with Dr. Lo, please contact his office by calling (215) 829-6900.