Medically reviewed by Dr. John Rosdeutscher – Written by Sine Thieme
A male breast reduction is a cosmetic procedure that removes fat and sagging skin from the chest. When men develop enlarged breasts, this is a condition called gynecomastia – commonly called “man boobs.” There are various techniques a plastic surgeon can use to treat gynecomastia.
How Does a Male Breast Reduction Work?
Male breast reduction plastic surgery is typically an outpatient procedure and can be completed in a few hours. At NuBody Concepts, we offer two different techniques for reducing enlarged breasts in men: liposuction and surgical excision. A consultation with one of our board-certified plastic surgeons will help determine which procedure is right for you.
Male Breast Reduction with Liposuction
When treating increased male breast size due to weight gain, liposuction may be employed to remove any excess fat and glandular tissue. Liposuction utilizes a narrow cannula which is inserted directly into the breast to loosen and remove fatty tissue from the breast at strategic locations using gentle suction.
Liposuction for male breast reduction is performed using a local anesthetic and causes little downtime. During the liposuction procedure, your plastic surgeon will make small incisions along the areola or within the armpit. Through these incisions, your cosmetic surgeon removes excess fatty breast tissue. At the same time, your surgeon will be sculpting a new chest contour that will look natural to your body.
Recovering from liposuction and/or skin tightening is easy and fast. Patients are typically given a compression garment to wear for the first few weeks post-operation. Although intensive exercise should be avoided for up to two weeks, many men feel comfortable returning to work or school within 1-2 days after their procedure.
Male Breast Reduction with Lipo & Skin Tightening
Liposuction does an excellent job of removing fat. However, it does not do such a great job in getting rid of excess, saggy skin. In fact, quite the opposite – liposuction can result in more sagging skin rather than less, especially in patients who have lost a large amount of weight or have high skin laxity brought on by aging.
In such cases, adding radio frequency assisted skin tightening (also known as radio frequency assisted lipolysis or RFAL) to the liposuction procedure will achieve much better results. The chest will look flatter, and the skin will look tighter and more youthful. Like liposuction, skin tightening is minimally-invasive – little downtime, no scarring. It doesn’t add much time to your procedure since the surgeon will be able to insert the wand through the same small incisions under the skin that were already placed for the liposuction.
Male Breast Reduction with Tissue Excision
For some types of gynecomastia, excision surgery is required. This means that tissue is surgically removed by cutting it out, much like you would see in a tummy tuck. This is performed through small incisions placed carefully and discreetly around the chest in order to quickly and efficiently remove any excess skin or tissues. Severe cases of gynecomastia may require cosmetic surgery to reposition the nipple in order for the final results to appear natural.
The incision placement and length will depend on the extent of the plastic surgery. Often, gynecomastia surgery will involve incisions around the edge of the areola (peri-areolar) or within the natural creases and chest contours in order for any scarring to be as inconspicuous as possible.
Gynecomastia surgery via tissue excision is an outpatient plastic surgery performed under IV sedation combined with a local anesthetic. It is common for some patients to experience soreness or swelling post-op, but many men report feeling ready to return to work within a week or two of surgery.
Summary
Is a Male Breast Reduction Worth It?
Depending on your body type, you may be able to have your gynecomastia treated with liposuction alone. Most patients get better results by combining liposuction with skin tightening, and in some cases surgical excision is necessary to remove the glandular tissue causing the excess volume. No matter which of these techniques works best for you, having your male breasts reduced with a cosmetic procedure can be very gratifying. Many men report a high degree of satisfaction after a male breast reduction.
We hope that we’ve given you a better understanding of the types of male breast reduction available to you. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any other questions. If you are ready to get started, use the pink button to schedule a consultation with our board-certified plastic surgeon in Nashville or Memphis.
