Gynecomastia Surgery Techniques

For men with prominent breasts (man boobs), there are a number of different Gynecomastia Surgery techniques available in the UK. Deciding upon the most suitable treatment for you varies according to the composition of your enlarged breast tissue or excess chest skin. This is best determined through consultation with your surgeon, who can advise on the optimum course of treatment for you.

What factors decide the most suitable gynecomastia surgery for me?

Gynecomastia (male breast enlargement) is generally composed principally of:

• Fatty tissue


• Breast tissue


• Skin excess

Of the above three elements, it is the percentage of breast tissue present which decides which course of treatment is most appropriate for your Gynecomastia. Additional factors might include your preferences regarding scarring and anaesthetics.

What gynecomastia surgery techniques are available?

Generally, the following treatments are available to treat Gynecomastia:

• Liposuction techniques


• Excisional techniques

Liposuction gynecomastia surgery techniques:

Liposuction is very commonly used - either alone or with other treatments - to improve enlargement of male breast tissue.

There are a number of different types of liposuction including:

• Tumescent liposuction


• Vaser liposuction


• Smart liposuction


• Power-assisted liposuction

Similarities between Liposuction techniques:

All of these techniques are similar in that suction via a tube is used to remove the fatty breast tissue.

Differences between Liposuction techniques:

They differ in that each of the above techniques uses a different energy source to help dissolve the fat before it has been removed by suction.

In tumescent liposuction, fluid is injected to help dissolve the fatty tissue, whereas in vaser therapy, sound energy is used to disrupt the wall of the fat cell making it easier to remove via suction. Smart liposuction is a less invasive form, using a laser on small localized areas. And power-assisted liposuction uses a vibrating cannula to loosen fat cells from the body for easier suction.

Liposuction techniques for Gynecomastia Reduction have the following pros and cons:

Pros	Cons
They are relatively simple to perform.	Liposuction techniques only remove the fatty element of breast tissue and do not remove the breast gland. If the breast gland is the principle cause of gynecomastia this will not be removed with liposuction and some gynecomastia can remain.
They involve minimal scarring.	Over time, enlargement of the male breast tissue generally stretches the skin. Liposuction techniques remove the fatty elements within the breast and rely on natural skin contraction to tighten the skin. Skin tightening only occurs to a limited extent and tends to occur more in younger people. Therefore, liposuction techniques only deal with relatively modest amounts of skin excess.
They have a relatively quick recovery.

Excisional gynecomastia surgery techniques:

If the skin excess is significant and the nipple has descended due to skin stretching, an excisional technique may be used to lift the nipple and tighten the skin of the enlarged and stretched chest skin.

• In excisional gynecomastia surgery, your surgeon will make a cut in your breast to access the breast tissue. This cut is usually located around the outside of your areola (the round area around the nipple).


• This allows the surgeon to directly access the breast tissue and remove any excess tissue from the breast area.

Excisional techniques have the following pros and cons:

Pros	Cons
More ability to remove the breast tissue as well as the fatty tissue from the breast.	Involves more scarring than liposuction, which is normally located around the nipple.
It also has the ability to tighten up the stretched skin of the breast area.

Things to be aware of when considering gynecomastia surgery:

• It is important to achieve a normal weight before any surgery for Gynecomastia: Gynecomastia surgery is NOT a solution if you are carrying excess weight.


• You need to discuss with your surgeon which type of surgery is most appropriate for you.


• Following excisional surgery and liposuction you will have scars on your chest which (although they will fade) will be permanent. The scarring from surgery varies from different techniques and may involve a semicircular scar at the bottom of the brown area of the nipple (areola) at the junction with the skin.


• If more of the skin needs to be removed, the scar may stretch all around the nipple, allowing your surgeon to remove a doughnut area of skin and pull it inwards. For more severe Gynecomastia, scars may be required on the normal chest skin itself, although this is normally avoided if at all possible.