Male Breast Reduction in Manchester, Liverpool, Newton Le Willows & Bolton.

All babies, whether male or female, are born with breast glands. They are usually not noticeable in men however because they remain small and underdeveloped. Gynecomastia is a very common condition where the breast tissue swells to a unusually large size that can very often interfere with a man’s confidence and self esteem. It most commonly affect teenage boys and older men although all ages can suffer with the condition. It can also affect babies, although this usually corrects itself without outside interference.

The causes in could be contributed to a number of factors.

• Hormone imbalances: Estrogen, or oestrogen, is primary known as a female hormone. It is this hormone that causes breast tissue in humans to grow. Whilst all men do produce oestrogen, they also produce higher levels of another hormone called testosterone. The presence of this male hormone usually halts any breast production. For sometimes unknown reasons, the ratios of these hormones within the body changes; in these instances a male can then start to develop larger breasts.
• Obesity is also another common cause of exceptionally large breasts in males. This is due to the fact that the body produces excess oestrogen in overweight people – which then causes the breast tissue to develop. The excess fatty tissue then makes the problem worse. Although weight loss can help with the issue as the excess fatty cells reduce, it does not completely eliminate the problem in a large percentage of patients.
• Puberty – Hormone levels can become unstable during this time in a males life. The problem usually settles as the male gets a bit older and his hormone levels balance out.
• Older age: Excess weight is a problem that males tend to struggle with on a larger scale as they get older. The excess fat can cause raised levels of oestrogen. Coupled with the fact that testosterone levels tend to reduce as men get older – this creates an ideal scenario where a man’s hormones are unstable and hence excess breast tissue can then be produced as a result.
• In rarer cases, the abnormally sized breasts could come about as a result of a side effect of a medicine that the man is taking.
• Other uncommon causes could be associated to: the use of illegal drugs, Excess alcohol, an underlying health condition such as liver disease or failing kidneys, Klinefelter syndrome  or a problem that may interfere with testosterone production such as an infection in the testicles.

In a lot of cases the problem may resolve itself on its own, but if there is an underlying reason to why its happening or it doesn’t resolve itself within 2 years, you may need treatment.

If the large male breasts are causing psychological problems such as low confidence and poor self esteem, or are causing physical problems such as pain –  then again you may wish to consider treatment.

Male breast reduction surgery, performed by expert  Mr El Gawad in any of his clinics in Manchester, Liverpool, Newton Le Willows or Bolton,  is usually done under general anaesthesia. This means you will be totally asleep during the operation.

If you are having a general anaesthesia you will be asked to avoid food or anything to drink for several hours before the operation takes place. However, it’s extremely important to follow your anaesthetist’s advice that will be relevant to your unique case.

You should expect to have one or more consultations before the breast reduction operation takes place.  During these consultations, Mr El Gawad will discuss what will happen before, during and after the breast procedure. He will also prepare you for any pain you might experience.

Your breast area will be reassessed on the day of surgery. Photographs will be taken for your medical records. Mr El Gawad will mark the position of the intended surgical cuts on your body with a surgical pen before you go to theatre.

Other considerations may include:

•  Smoking. If you smoke it is advised that you stop smoking before your breast reduction surgery takes place. This it to maximise healing.
• It is advisable that you are as close to your ideal weight as possible before surgery takes place.

Male breast reduction surgery usually takes two to three hours. Depending on your individual case, you may have to stay overnight in hospital for up to one night to check everything is ok.

There are several techniques that are used in male breast reduction surgery, but typically the operation involves:

• your surgeon will make a small cut (incision) around the nipple area
• A technique called Liposuction may be used to to suck out any excess fatty tissue
• In the case where there is also a lot of loose saggy skin present (such as after extreme weight loss) your surgeon will extend the cuts, remove the excess skin and then reposition the nipples.

You will be offered pain relief to help with any discomfort you have after your male breast reduction surgery has taken place.

You may need to wear a compression garment after surgery. This is to help reduce swelling and to aid the overall result.

You will not be able to drive after having this type of surgery, therefore someone would need to drive you home.

It’s recommended that you have someone stay with you for the following 24 hours after leaving hospital.

Your stitches will need to be removed after several weeks. Unless your surgeon has used dissolvable stitches for your male breast reduction surgery, in which case they will disappear on their own.

The results of male breast reduction surgery aren’t always visible until the swelling has gone down. It can take up to six months for the area that was treated to settle completely.

Most men have only a small scar around the nipple after having male breast reduction surgery. In cases where there is lots of excess saggy skin and tissue present,  the procedure also result in a larger scar that goes down vertically and horizontally across the breast crease.

This usually happens in the early few hours to few days. This may require a visit back to theatre.

This usually happens in the first few days. This may need a course of antibiotics.

This may need frequent dressings and would leave a stretched scar. The scar could be revised at a later stage.

This should improve on its own in few months time. However, it could be permanent.

This would would show after swelling settles. This might need correction.

This may improve on its own or needs skin graft.