Gynecomastia (Male breast reduction)

Gynecomastia is the enlargement of breast tissue or boobs in boys or men. All males have breast tissue, and just as in women, it is under the control of hormones in our bodies. Both men and women produce the ‘male’ hormone testosterone and the ‘female’ hormone estrogen. Breast tissue responds to high levels of estrogen by growing. Normally in males, the level of testosterone is much higher than the level of estrogen, so boobs do not grow.

• An increase in the amount of breast tissue (glandular type) or fat tissue (adipose type) or both can lead to this condition. Depending upon the extent of breast projection, gynecomastia can be categorized into mild, moderate and severe gynecomastia.
• In a man with gynecomastia, there are two types of surgery that may be offered. The first is fat removal surgery or liposuction. In this technique, fatty tissue is removed, not the true breast glandular tissue. In some men, particularly those who are overweight, this may be sufficient to improve the chest’s appearance to an acceptable level.
• If liposuction is not thought to be suitable or likely to be effective, the surgeon may suggest doing a mastectomy. A mastectomy is a surgery to remove breast tissue and is the more major form of man boobs surgery. A mastectomy that is done for gynecomastia can be done as ‘open’ surgery or using keyhole instruments. Where keyhole surgery is carried out this can result in smaller scars and less pain after the procedure, meaning the recovery time for the man after surgery is shorter.