Removal of gynecomastia by surgery and treatment of pathology with conservative methods
Gynecomastia is an increase in the mammary gland in men. This problem in adolescence and childbearing age can cause great discomfort. A man may be ashamed of his body in situations where he needs to bare the torso.
Enlarged breasts sometimes cause ridicule from the outside and can cause difficulties in dealing with women. Often, due to the onset of gynecomastia symptoms, a man has an inferiority complex with which a psychologist needs to work.
If there is a problem with the mammary glands, you should first of all contact a mammologist and an endocrinologist. After diagnosis and treatment, if it has proved ineffective, the question of surgical treatment is considered.
Before the operation in the clinic, the patient will be referred for consultation to an oncologist-mammologist. Removal of gynecomastia is a standard procedure. With the proliferation of glandular tissue, its excess is dissected, with a parallel correction of the amount of skin and the position of the nipple.
In case of pathology caused by obesity, liposuction is performed in the problem area with a laser and excision of skin surplus. The treatment takes place under general anesthesia, local anesthesia does not apply. Before making a decision, it is useful not only to consult a doctor, but also to read patient reviews.
The price of the surgery depends on the chosen clinic and the method of the operation.
The main causes of gynecomastia
Gynecomastia in men appears when estrogens prevail over androgens. Often this happens in infancy, adolescence and old age. During these time intervals, it is physiological and in most cases takes place independently. If this does not occur, surgical removal of the gynecomastia is indicated.
In medical practice, there are cases when the cause of breast growth is the presence of diseases of the sexual sphere in a patient. This is especially true of problems with one or two testicles, when there is a lack of testosterone in the body.
This can lead to Klinefelter syndrome, anorchia, insufficient synthesis of the male sex hormone. Acquired pathologies can also cause gynecomastia .
Its development is observed in patients who have been injured or have had severe infectious diseases. Decreased blood flow and testicular cancer have repeatedly caused breast growth in men.
Do not forget that gynecomastia can be caused by taking medications, the list of which is quite long and includes several groups of drugs.
Increased estrogen production often becomes the cause of pathology. This phenomenon can occur with testicular or adrenal tumors, as well as lung cancer or chorionic carcinoma. Breast augmentation may be a symptom of diseases of internal organs. Hunger and obesity are not the best way to affect the state of the body, disrupting the normal metabolism.
What drugs cause the development of the disease
The cause of the pathology can be taking medications.
Before making a decision that it is necessary to remove gynecomastia, the patient must provide the doctor with a list of medications that he takes to make sure that they do not contribute to the growth of the mammary glands.
Breast augmentation is often found in men who are undergoing chronic disease therapy.
It is necessary to control the condition of the breast when prescribing and taking drugs with antiandrogenic effects, such as Tsiproteron, Flutamide and Leuprorelin.
Calcium antagonists, antitumor agents and H2 blockers (especially Cimetidine and Ranitidine) can cause gynecomastia. If the enlargement of the glands is caused by taking the medicine, it should disappear one month after the cancellation of their administration.
There are many cases of gynecomastia in people with alcohol or drug addiction. This should also be taken into account when determining the cause of breast growth in men.
Types of gynecomastia
Depending on the cause, pathology is divided into three main types:
- True gynecomastia . It is caused by the proliferation of breast tissue. In some cases, this may be a physiological process, but there is also a pronounced pathology. Most often, the appearance of physiological gynecomastia coincides with periods of hormonal adjustment in men, when the balance between testosterone and estrogen, which are sex hormones, is disturbed.
- False gynecomastia . Breast augmentation occurs due to an increase in the amount of adipose tissue in the breast area in men.
- Mixed gynecomastia combines the presence of enlarged glands and fat deposits in the chest.
Although the process of removal of gynecomastia is the “gold standard” in the treatment of this pathology, you need to make sure that there are no contraindications to it. Before the operation, the doctor must make a diagnosis and find the cause of the disease.
Symptoms of gynecomastia in men
The main symptom of gynecomastia is an increase in one or two mammary glands in men. In most cases, it is bilateral, only in a third of men pathology appears only on one side.
In rare cases, there is a discharge from the breast, similar to colostrum. Soreness is very rare, but the patient may experience increased sensitivity and mild discomfort.
Problems with potency are observed only if the problem is caused by a hormonal imbalance, with increased estrogen production or low testosterone levels.
It is worth noting
Unilateral gynecomastia, the presence of a dense neoplasm in the breast area, changes in the skin, as well as an increase in the axillary lymph nodes, are a reason to consult a doctor as soon as possible in order to rule out the presence of an oncological process.
Indications and contraindications to the treatment of pathology by surgery
The operation is indicated to those patients who want to get rid of this pathology, if the treatment with conservative methods did not bring results. With the help of massage, exercise or bandaging, it is impossible to cope with an enlarged breast; these attempts are doomed to failure.
The operation is not carried out in patients with bleeding disorders and diabetes mellitus. Contraindication is the presence of hypertension and certain diseases of the thyroid gland.
Treatment without surgery by conservative methods
In children, physiological gynecomastia goes away by itself. If there is a problem in transitional age, then the adolescent needs to see a doctor.
The lack of positive dynamics for more than 6 months, as well as a significant increase in the level of estrogen is the basis for prescribing medications, which are aimed at correcting hormonal levels. For these purposes, the doctor prescribes Danazol, Clomifen or Tamoxifen.
It is recommended in parallel to seek help from a psychologist so that he can help a teenager cope with psychological problems, if they are present.
Treatment of pathological gynecomastia in adults is carried out after finding the cause of hormonal imbalance. Men with a lack of testosterone are prescribed drugs to increase their blood levels. If the patient has increased estradiol levels, the doctor prescribes drugs that reduce the level of estrogen (Clomifen, Tamoxifen, etc.).
Surgery to remove gynecomastia: preparation, conduct, rehabilitation and patient reviews
Treatment of breast augmentation should take place under the guidance of a competent endocrinologist.
In the absence of a result from conservative therapy, an operation to remove a gynecomastia is prescribed, since if there is no reduction in the mammary glands for a long period of time, then it is no longer necessary to hope for an involutionary process. In addition to surgery, there is no other way to reduce the breast in a man, if the use of drugs did not help.
How is the preparation
Patients who decide to have surgery to remove gynecomastia should stop smoking and drinking alcohol before performing a surgical procedure. The patient needs to eat right and not take medications without the permission of the doctor.
He is necessarily sent to an endocrinologist, who will give direction to the delivery of tests for hormones. The general examination of the patient’s body will not interfere.
Immediately before the operation, an ultrasound of the mammary glands and nearby lymph nodes is done. A few hours before the operation can not eat or drink. Before surgery, the patient must perform hygienic procedures.
How is going
The operation of reduction mammoplasty is usually performed in combination with liposuction under general anesthesia. Its purpose is to remove excess breast tissue, reconstruction and pumping excess fat. The excised tissue must be submitted for histology.
An incision is made either along the edge of the halo, or in the region of the axillary hollows, depending on the technique chosen by the plastic surgeon. After the necessary surgical procedures, dissected tissue is sutured. Drainage tubes are placed in the wound and sterile dressings are applied to the damaged areas.
Postoperative period and rehabilitation
Despite the fact that the operation to remove gynecomastia is not very difficult, the patient may feel discomfort after it, so the doctor prescribes anesthetic. In places where surgery was performed, swelling and seals may occur.
For two weeks, the patient needs to wear compression underwear to avoid possible complications of the early postoperative period, such as bleeding, as well as the appearance of gray and increased swelling.
As a rule, the patient is discharged on the same day. The stitches are removed after 10 days. In order for rehabilitation to go faster, physiotherapy procedures are prescribed to the patient, as well as special ointments that need to be used to treat wounds for better scarring.
Laser removal of false gynecomastia
Laser surgery to remove gynecomastia is used to eliminate its false form. After anesthesia, a thin cannula is inserted through a small puncture under the skin, with which adipose tissue is destroyed.
After it turns into a homogeneous mass, it is removed using a vacuum device. After the operation, barely noticeable small scars remain. Despite the high cost, this method is popular because it is gentle to the patient.
Patient reviews about treatment
On the Internet there is a huge amount of patient feedback on the operation to remove gynecomastia and photos of the result. They are mostly positive and the people who turned to the surgeon were satisfied.
If a man has the opportunity to resort to the help of a doctor and there are no contraindications to the operation, she will help to get rid of the problem once and for all. Plastic surgery today is sufficiently developed, which minimizes the possibility of complications in the patient.
