Gynaecomastia Surgery

This surgery aims to reduce the size of the male breast, by removing excess fat, glandular tissue and sometimes excess skin. The nipple areola complex can also be adjusted, repositioned or reduced in certain more advanced cases. The surgery usually involves the removal of excess fat with liposuction and the direct excision of the breast gland through a small scar at the lower border of the areola. There are a number of different causes for gynaecomastia and some are endocrine in origin. A set of blood tests might therefore be required to exclude any treatable medical conditions, before proceeding with surgery.

There are a number of different causes for gynaecomastia. If there is no reversible medical cause, then the results should stand the test of time. If there is a medical cause however, this will also need to be treated in addition to surgery, for more long-standing results and to prevent recurrence. There are hormonal, medication related and drug related causes and these need to be identified in the consultation and treated before and after surgery. Significant weight fluctuations can also affect the longevity of the result and surgery should best be timed once a person is of a stable weight.

The surgery takes approximately two hours, but this depends on the severity of the gynaecomastia.

As with any surgery, there is an element of ache and mild discomfort. On the whole, patients recover very well after this procedure. Additional local anaesthesia given during the surgery, combined with oral analgesia afterwards, should keep you very comfortable during your recovery.

Only after very large gynaecomastia reduction surgery, where the skin has also needed to be reduced. For the standard liposuction and small gland excision surgeries, no drains are used.

Yes, this is vital for comfort and for reducing complications. Depending on where your surgery takes place, this will either be provided for you (Spire Clare Park), or one will be recommended to you for purchase. It is recommended that this is worn day and night for six weeks following surgery.

Recovery varies between one to two weeks. Incisions are generally healed within a week to ten days. As a general rule, you should avoid any heavy lifting or vigorous exercise for six weeks after surgery. You are of course encouraged to move as normal, to minimise the risk of chest infections and leg clots. The final result including scar appearance is usually evident once all the swelling has subsided and this can take up to 12 months. Using a single layer of the provided micropore tape on the scars for 6 – 12 weeks, will give the best results possible. If this is not tolerated, scar surgical massage is a good alternative, starting after the first 3 weeks when all the wounds have healed. Scars should not be exposed to direct sunlight without the application of a high SPF cream for about a year and products such as Cicaplast contain both silicone and SPF block. There are however other alternatives.

Some of the general risks include mild discomfort, risk of poor scarring, risk of infection (1%), altered nipple sensation or loss, risk of bleeding (main one), need for revision surgery, degrees of asymmetry, delayed wound healing, overcorrection/undercorrection. Your nipple sensation may decrease, increase (hypersensitivity), or lost completely and this might be different between the two sides. This can improve over time as the nerves recover, but it is difficult to predict and it is not guaranteed. I will generally not perform this surgery on active smokers. This is because the risks are far greater, including infections, fat necrosis, seroma and poor scarring. If you smoke, it is best advised that you stop at least for one month before and after the procedure. There is always the risk of stretching of the scars and the development of poor-quality thick scars, such as hypertrophic or keloid scars. Lastly like in all surgery, there are no guarantees for a perfect outcome.