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 to 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 are 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 stand-alone 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 three weeks. You will also need to wear a compression garment for three weeks, 24/7, and then 12 hours a day for the following eight 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 areola 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 one to two weeks. Light cardio such as walking is okay, 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.
