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Gynecomastia: is the abnormal enlargement of the male breast that can range from mild heaviness to overt breast development. It is a combination of fat and sometimes glandular tissue that can result in considerable embarrassment, poor fitting of clothing, and an uncomfortable situation, both with and without clothes. Surgical intervention is warranted when weight loss does not prove to be of benefit and hormonal causes have been ruled out. Most cases of enlargement of male breasts are related to being a bit overweight and do not have a specific medical cause.

Surgical intervention usually involves liposuction utilizing ultrasonic techniques in order to maximize the removal of fat, as well as glandular tissue, and get shrinkage of the skin envelope. Sometimes a second treatment is necessary and occasionally an excisional treatment is necessary because of the degree of development or the amount of glandular tissue. Older techniques involving routine excisions are usually not done these days except in the most severe cases due to the potential for a significant irregularity.


Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: Is gynecomastia a common problem? I’ve heard the term “man boobs” for a long time, as well as other street names for this.

A: The abnormal enlargement of male breasts is a fairly common problem, particularly as more people tend to be on the side of overweight. For some people this comes as a result of some medications, not to mention steroid abuse and possibly as a result of marijuana abuse. This is a very common problem that people consult a plastic surgeon for.


Q: Do you do more of a liposuction or excisional type procedure?

A: The type of procedure that is necessary will depend on the degree of overdevelopment that exists. Over 90% of cases in our clinic we treat with ultrasonic liposuction usually utilizing the Vaser type apparatus. This is sufficient and does not leave significant scars and has a much quicker recovery and healing time. Occasionally, it is necessary to excise some glandular tissue or take out some skin at the same time, but this is somewhat more unusual. Obviously, matters have to be customized depending on the degree of overdevelopment.


Q: Why do you use the Vaser ultrasonic apparatus?

A: Just as in regular liposuction cases, the Vaser offers the best results I have seen in terms of skin retraction with minimal risks of skin burns and other problems.


Q: What about smart lipo or one of the other laser liposuction procedures?

A: In our experience, the smart lipo and other laser procedures are not sufficiently well developed as to be reliable for this. Also, these are very small, low energy lasers that, at least in my experience, do not deliver enough energy to be worthwhile in most gynecomastia cases. While we are eager to embrace new technologies, the new technologies have to simply be better than the technologies they replace before we adopt them and not just have a cute sounding or gimmicky name.


Q: How long do I have to wear a compression garment after this, and can I wear it under clothes?

A: Most patients wear the garment between three and four weeks. It is easily concealed under a dress shirt or a golf shirt and doesn’t usually represent too much of a problem from the standpoint of going back to work and being out and about, including in public.


Q: If I am going to have this done, can I have some other liposuction done elsewhere?

A: Almost always we can do suction around the waist, including the love handles and abdomen if those are areas of concern. Details of combining procedures, such as a nasal reshaping, eyelid surgery, and others can frequently be done, but this would require a detailed consultation with Dr. Wallace to answer fairly.