Gynecomastia

Gynecomastia occurs as a result of the increase in estrogen hormone levels in men. Liver disease, cirrhosis, or medication use can also cause gynecomastia.

Before a gynecomastia operation, the cause of gynecomastia should be investigated first. If the cause of the discomfort is a hormone disorder, medication is possible. All other cases are treated surgically.

Gynecomastia is seen commonly in adolescence or those over 60 years old, those who use steroid or androgen-containing supplements for athletic performance, and those with some chronic diseases.

Types of Gynecomastia

Gynecomastia consists of three types: Glandular, lipomatous, and mixed type.

Glandular type: It is the growth of breast tissue. Patients have a type of breast growth similar to female breast tissue.

Lipomatous: It occurs as a result of an increase in adipose tissue.

Mixed type: There is both an increase in adipose tissue and breast tissue. Gynecomastia patients are mostly treated with mixed type diagnoses.

The Stages of Gynecomastia

Gynecomastia is divided into three groups according to its size and the abundance it creates on the skin.

1st-degree gynecomastia: Breast growth is very small. There is no excess in the skin, no sagging.

2nd-degree gynecomastia: There is a growth in the breast; usually, this image reminds of the female breast. There is the possibility of excess skin, but there is no sagging.

3rd-degree gynecomastia: There is an advanced growth in the breast, and excess skin is seen. It is normal to see sagging.
Surgical Methods

Gynecomastia operations are performed under general anesthesia in the operating room environment. It is possible to remove gynecomastia by the liposuction method. Apart from this, if the patient has excess breast tissue, Vaser Liposuction may be required.

If the patient has extremely large and sagging breasts, only fat and mammary gland intake may not be sufficient. In these cases, the skin over the breast tissue can also be removed during the operation. There is also shrinkage in the nipples. Thus, a completely flat breast and an unclear rib cage are obtained. Patients with advanced breast size may have scars after the operation.

Gynecomastia Surgery Techniques

Gynecomastia surgery may vary depending on the breast size seen in the patient and the reason for this growth. To solve the gynecomastia problem, it should be decided at what stage the disease is and whether the excess tissue is breast tissue or fat tissue. In some patients, both are seen together. In such cases, several different surgical techniques are combined.

In the endoscopic technique, the breast tissue is removed together with the adipose tissue. Endoscopic surgery, known as closed surgery, can be applied together with liposuction if needed. In this case, the surgical scar and other risks are minimized.

In the endoscopic technique, which is entered through 1 cm incisions with illuminated cameras, excess of the breast tissue is removed, and the breast is reduced in the patient. The most important advantage of the endoscopy is that the breast tissue can be removed without large incisions. Due to 1 cm incisions, there are no obvious scars on the person's body after the surgery, and the patient returns to his daily life quickly.

Open surgery is mostly preferred in third-degree gynecomastia patients. In these cases, the chance of self-recovery is very low just because the skin stretches too much. In this operation, excess skin is removed along with the breast tissue. Thus, the patient does not encounter a sagging breast appearance after the operation.

Liposuction is suitable for patients who have 1st and 2nd-degree gynecomastia. No incision is applied. In this process, the breast adipose tissue is dissolved by the liposuction method, and the fat is extracted with micro inlets. This process will not damage the nerves and vessels. In gynecomastia performed with liposuction, swelling and bruising are not seen like classical surgeries.

Recovery Process

Gynecomastia operations are performed under general anesthesia in an operating room environment. The operation takes up to 2 hours, depending on the area to be operated. The procedure is not painful. 3 hours after the procedure, the patient can eat and stand up.

It is recommended to wear a chest corset which is fairly easy to use for 3 weeks immediately after the operation. After three weeks, it will be enough to wear a corset only during the daytime. This process takes about 6 weeks.

There may be bruising, edema, and swelling in the treated area after gynecomastia. The breasts take their shape after about 3 months. You can contact Gotocure for more information about gynecomastia.