Everyone is born with glandular breast tissue, including men, so it should come as no surprise that many people have more glandular breast tissue than they would like. Whether you’re a man or a woman, enlarged breast tissue can cause problems for your day-to-day living, such as preventing you from participating in certain physical activities or fitting into clothing. For men, enlarged breast tissue is a condition called reduce gynecomastia.
However, enlarged breast tissue for men has an added layer of being a devastating blow to body confidence and self-esteem, particularly when enlarged glandular tissue refuses to budge no matter how much you diet and exercise. At DrYoungForever in San Antonio, TX, our compassionate staff understands the troubles experienced by men who have gynecomastia, or enlarged breast tissue, and we are prepared to help all men meet their aesthetic goals.
How Can I Reduce Gynecomastia?
While there may be a few methods of reducing gynecomastia – such as diet, exercise, and medication management – there is truly only one effective way of completely resolving enlarged breast tissue in men.
Male breast reduction surgery is the single fool-proof method of reducing enlarged male breast tissue, which means it’s your best option if you want to refine your masculine figure.
Male Breast Reduction Surgery
Male breast reduction surgery is a combination of a couple of surgical techniques that help reduce the size of glandular tissue on a man’s chest. This surgery involves liposuction to reduce fatty tissue and excision to remove excess skin and unwanted glandular tissue.
Similar to female breast reduction, this is a mastectomy for males that poses very little risk of scarring. This surgery is the ideal solution for men who have not been able to resolve their enlarged glandular tissue through natural methods.
Why Should You Choose Gynecomastia Surgery?
There are quite a few reasons why men turn to gynecomastia surgery in San Antonio as a final solution for unwanted enlarged glandular tissue. For example, men can count on this procedure is effective, whereas other solutions may not produce the desired results. Other reasons men should consider male breast reduction surgery include:
Quick Recovery
The immediate recovery period for this procedure is one to two weeks, which is when your activities will be the most limited. Most men return to work and other light activities at the end of the first week, although we strongly encourage men to limit any strenuous activity until at least two weeks after the surgery.
After the immediate recovery period, there is usually a following two-week period where most normal activities can be resumed, with the exception of continuing to wear the compression vest as directed. Overall, most men can expect their total recovery time for this procedure to be about one month long before all normal daily activities, including chest exercises, can be resumed.
Permanent Solution
This procedure is usually a permanent solution for enlarged male breast tissue. As a permanent solution, this means that enlarged breast tissue will not return after you are recovered. The majority of men can expect the results of this treatment to last for several years, sometimes even a lifetime.
However, it’s still important for men to remain vigilant. While enlarged glandular tissue will have difficulty growing back, there are still other factors that could give the illusion of enlarged breast tissue.
For example, if you gain a significant amount of weight, fatty tissues will expand and give the appearance of a fuller chest. Likewise, the use of some medications and substances (such as alcohol) can undo procedure results. Men should make healthy lifestyle choices to maintain permanent results.
Customizable
This surgery is also entirely customizable. Although the condition itself may be common, many men have different aesthetic goals for how they want their results to appear, which means it’s important that each step of this surgery is tailored to your specific preferences.
For example, depending on how large the glandular tissue is, it may be necessary to excise additional skin to achieve your aesthetic goals; likewise, some men require more liposuction than others.
Fast Results
Similarly to how the recovery of this procedure is relatively quick, so is how quickly you can see your results. On average, most men are able to fully enjoy the results of this procedure after four to six weeks, which is the tail-end of the general recovery period.
The fast results mean there is no lingering swelling, soreness, or scar healing that is visible, and that you can be confident in your newly masculine figure.
Masculine Figure
Obtaining a masculine figure is also a prime reason to consider this treatment. Whether your goal is to be as sculpted as your favorite male athletes or celebrities, or you simply want to slim down the shape of your chest, the main objective of this treatment is to contour the body and restore a masculine, flat-chested figure.
Who Is This Procedure for?
This procedure is for any man who has enlarged glandular tissue that has either not resolved itself naturally or has not gone away after dieting and exercise. Any adult male with an adequate amount of glandular tissue is a good candidate for this procedure.
We will determine candidate eligibility based on a consultation appointment, where we will examine the degree of chest enlargement and discuss all of your available treatment options.
Other Gynecomastia FAQs
1. What Causes This Condition?
There are actually several possible causes for this condition. For example, one theory is that genetics play a role in determining how large male breast tissue will be, which means if your direct blood relatives have larger glandular tissue, you may be more likely to have larger glandular tissue, as well. Other common causes for this condition include:
Hormones
Hormones fluctuations are likely the largest contributor to this condition. This is because hormone fluctuations – particularly those related to testosterone and estrogen, which men have in small quantities – determine many aspects of our body composition, including the growth rate of certain types of tissues.
For men, this condition can occur when testosterone levels in the body are lower and estrogen levels are higher. A blood hormone analysis may help you determine if this is the cause of your condition.
Weight Gain
Weight gain is also commonly at fault for the development of enlarged breast tissue – or at the very least, the appearance of enlarged breast tissue. Although being overweight can alter the way your body produces hormones, which may contribute to growing larger glandular tissue, the more common result is that increased fatty tissue on the chest due to weight gain creates the appearance of this condition.
Medication and Health Conditions
There are also certain medications and health conditions that can cause this condition. For example, hyperthyroidism and kidney disease are commonly associated with this condition. There are many medications that can also impact your body composition, including medications for prostate cancer, anti-biotics, and even anti-depressants.
2. When Does This Condition Emerge?
While some men certainly do encounter this condition seemingly out of nowhere, there are actually two key points during the lifespan where men should expect this condition to develop to some degree. Both puberty and andropause involve extreme hormonal fluctuations that can unsettle the growth hormones in the body and the way those hormones cause the body to behave.
Of course, if you are no longer experiencing puberty and you have not yet started andropause (common between ages 50 and 60), then it’s likely your condition is not caused by expected hormonal fluctuations.
3. How Common Is This Condition?
This condition is common during puberty and becomes even more common during andropause. Generally speaking, roughly 40% to 50% of men will experience this condition at some point during their lifespan.
That means half of all men will experience this condition. However, not all men will have enlarged breast tissue that does not resolve itself naturally, so a smaller portion of that percentage must also account for men who have prevalent cases.
4. How Common Is This Surgery?
Would you be surprised to find out that male breast reduction surgery is a fairly common procedure? About 18,000 men have this surgery a year to reduce enlarged glandular tissue with great success. Although this is less common than female breast reduction surgery, this procedure is still performed regularly across the nation.
5. Can This Condition Go Away Naturally?
For many men, this condition does go away naturally. For example, during puberty, enlarged male breast tissue typically resolves itself within six months after hormone levels settle and more testosterone is produced. And if the enlarged breast tissue is mostly composed of excess fat, then men may be able to diet the enlarged breast tissue away, as fat cells can shrink in relation to how much fat is stored in the body.
But for other men, there is no natural path to reducing this condition, which means the only option available is male breast reduction surgery. Of course, men should only consider treatment for this condition if they have been living with symptoms for over six months, or if they have concerning symptoms such as:
- Tenderness
- Pain
- Swelling
- Discoloration
- Discharge
- Lumps
If you have any of these symptoms in conjunction with gynecomastia that has not resolved itself within six months, then it’s important to seek medical advice as soon as possible.
6. Why Doesn’t Exercise Work?
When enlarged glandular tissue occurs on a man, the first instinct men have is to usually try and exercise the excess breast tissue away. To some degree, this may work if the excess tissue is largely composed of fatty tissues due to increased weight gain. However, many men find that exercise doesn’t work at all and that no progress is made in the amount of unwanted breast tissue they have, no matter how much they exercise.
This is because glandular tissue behaves differently than fatty tissue or even muscular tissue. For example, while fatty tissue can change volume throughout the lifetime, and while muscular tissue can become larger, most glandular tissue is not dependent on environmental factors. This is because glandular tissue is directly influenced by hormonal levels in the body, which means all the exercise in the world will not eliminate unwanted glandular tissue.
Refine Your Masculine Figure With Male Breast Reduction Surgery
Enlarged glandular tissue can be a difficult challenge to overcome, particularly when enlarged male breast tissue does not resolve itself naturally or respond to traditional dieting and exercise. Fortunately, because this condition is fairly common, there is an equally common surgical solution to resolving unwanted enlarged breast tissue.
If your goal is to eliminate excess glandular tissue for the purpose of refining your masculine figure, then male breast reduction surgery is likely a good option to help you reach your aesthetic goals. Contact DrYoungForever in San Antonio, TX to schedule your initial consultation appointment today to see if this procedure is right for you.
