05 Aug 2024 | by Dr. Vickram Tandon
Gynecomastia or “man boobs” is incredibly common. Occurring in men of all
ages, it affects up to 36% of young men and 57% of older men in Boston. Though
not harmful for your health, it can be devastating to your self-esteem. The good
news is that there are surgical options to reduce the size of your chest. Many men,
however, are adverse to the idea of surgery because they do not want to deal with
the downtime required for recovery. Unfortunately, non-surgical body contouring
techniques are often less effective when it comes to treating gynecomastia. So in
order for you to make an informed decision, I wanted to discuss recovery time and
gynecomastia.
Gynecomastia Treatment Option Drives Recovery Time
One of the most important things to understand when it comes to treating
gynecomastia is that the right procedure or procedures is going to depend on the
root cause of your man boobs. These may include:
• Excess fat
• Too much breast tissue
• Loose skin
A smooth, flat chest is the masculine ideal. If your dissatisfaction with the
appearance of your chest is due to fat alone, you could be a candidate for standalone liposuction. The recovery time for returning to your daily routine is going to
be faster with liposuction than gynecomastia surgery. Most liposuction to the chest
patients are back to regular life in a couple of days. I do ask that you refrain from
strenuous exercise, however, for about 3 weeks. You will also need to wear a
compression garment for 3 weeks 24/7 and then 12 hours a day for the following 8
weeks. This will not only help to speed up your body’s healing process, but it is
also a critical component for ensuring the excellent result that we both want.
Gynecomastia Surgery in Boston
For men with excess breast tissue and loose skin on the chest, gynecomastia
surgery is the only option. This is often referred to as a male breast reduction as it
involves the removal of glandular tissue, fat and skin. This is a procedure that
allows me to literally re-sculpt your chest into its ideal proportion. And though the
idea of incision scars in such a prominent area may sound scary, I practice
exquisite surgical technique that puts very little tension on your tissues, one of the
underlying causes of scars, and I place the incisions in inconspicuous locations
such as the border between the edge of your areolar and chest skin. The extent of
your recovery time from gynecomastia surgery is going to depend on exactly what
we do, but generally, you can expect to be bruised and swollen for about 1-2
weeks. Light cardio such as walking is ok, but no running or heavy lifting until I
give you the all clear. And, again, wearing a compression garment is a must, but
most men find this to be a fair trade off for a smooth, flat chest.
To find out more about gynecomastia surgery or any other surgical or non-surgical
procedure with Dr. Vickram Tandon at the Boston Center for Plastic Surgery,
contact us today or call 617-402-2768 to schedule a consultation.
