Gynecomastia
Conveniently located to serve Tacoma and Seattle
Men affected by gynecomastia are often self-conscious about the appearance of their chest. In many cases, surgical intervention is the best way to eliminate excess breast tissue in gynecomastia patients. If you are dealing with enlarged male breasts and you want them reduced, it’s time to get male breast reduction surgery for gynecomastia in Tacoma.
Board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Roy Semlacher is a top provider of gynecomastia surgery in Tacoma. He has helped many men achieve more masculine chest contours with this procedure. His patients frequently report increased confidence and an improved quality of life as a result of gynecomastia surgery.
What is gynecomastia?
It is common to hear about women having issues about breasts sizes, but it is not very often that we hear about men wanting to reduce their breast size. However, enlargement of the male breast tissue, also known as gynecomastia, is a condition that affects an increasing number of men.
Some men with gynecomastia may experience tenderness, pain, and nipple sensitivity when breasts rub against clothes. The condition may start as fatty or lumpy tissue under sore nipples before the male breasts begin to grow.
Gynecomastia is the most common male breast disorder, affecting 50-65% of the male population worldwide. It may affect over 50% of male newborns due to their mother’s estrogen levels and over 50% of teenage boys due to fluctuating hormones. Gynecomastia usually affects men over 50 due to their lower testosterone production.
It can negatively affect a man’s confidence and cause emotional pain. It even causes some men to avoid engaging in physical activities and intimacy.
Weight loss might not be enough to reduce enlarged male breasts. Only male breast reduction can help if you want permanent results.
What causes gynecomastia?
- Gynecomastia is mostly a result of hormonal imbalance in a man’s body when there is an excessive production of estrogen, or the female hormone, making its content-level higher compared to androgen, or the male hormone. This is commonly seen in puberty in developing young boys, when hormonal activity is significantly increased. However, it may also be seen during infancy when the infant breast-feeds and consequently ingests high levels of the mother’s hormone through breastmilk. This condition has also been seen in increasing incidences with middle-aged to older men.
- Gynecomastia has also been seen as a result of certain medications. This includes some antibiotics, some hypertensive drugs, anti-ulcer drugs, and anti-androgen drugs. Anti-androgens, anti-anxiety drugs, cancer treatments, AIDS medications, heart medications, amphetamines, and tricyclic antidepressants may also trigger the condition.
- Similarly, drug abuse of certain substances like heroin, marijuana, or alcohol may also result in gynecomastia
- Certain conditions like liver cirrhosis, kidney failure, hyperthyroidism, malnutrition, and testicular cancer may also cause gynecomastia. Any health problem that disrupts men’s normal testosterone production may cause enlarged breasts, too.
How is gynecomastia diagnosed?
Gynecomastia is almost always misconstrued in overweight men as the deposition of large amounts of fat around the breast tissue. On the contrary, patients with gynecomastia experience an enlargement of the actual glandular tissue that is generally centralized around the patient’s nipples, often in the absence of fat.
Enlarged breast tissue in a male patient that is greater than 0.5 cm is usually already indicative of gynecomastia, especially because men normally have so little of this tissue. In most cases, a thorough physical examination is needed to properly diagnose the condition.
Blood tests will also be carried out in order to assess thyroid, kidney, and liver function in affected patients. These tests will also give the doctors the measurement of the levels of hormones present in the patient’s bloodstream.
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What are the treatments available for gynecomastia?
In most cases, gynecomastia disappears on its own, about six months or so after the male patient reaches puberty. However, in cases when the condition already requires intervention, the following options are available:
- Hormone therapy to normalize the levels of testosterone in the body
- Reduction mammoplasty is a surgical procedure that reduces the size of male breast tissues in cases of severe or long-term gynecomastia that can no longer be managed using conventional drug therapy.
Treatment recommendations will be based on your age, the severity of the condition, overall health and medical history, how long the problem is expected to last, your response to certain treatments or medicines, and your preference.
What is reduction mammoplasty?
Reduction mammoplasty, also known as male breast reduction, is a very effective way to remove excess tissue from the chest in order to address male breasts. At the start of the surgery, anesthesia is administered.
To remove excess stubborn fatty tissue, liposuction is used. To remove excess glandular breast tissue, excision of the tissue is performed with a scalpel. Excess skin can also be removed with a scalpel during this process. Finally, any incisions that were created are closed using sutures.
Aftercare instructions will be provided to guide you through your recovery. It is important to follow these instructions carefully to support optimal healing.
Reduction mammoplasty cost
The price of addressing gynecomastia with male breast reduction varies. Cost depends on the amount of tissue removed, the techniques used, the anesthesia used, and the overall time required to perform the surgery.
Arrange your consultation
To schedule a consultation about gynecomastia in Tacoma and learn more about your treatment options, contact the office of Dr. Roy Semlacher. He has the skills and experience needed to give you a more masculine chest.
