Matthew McConaughey

You read it here first!

Back in June, 2009, your humble blogger reported that British surgeons had crunched the plastic surgery statistics for 2008 to reveal that gynecomastia surgery had increased 44 percent over the previous year.

Well, the beat goes on with male breast reductions in the U.K. surgeries up again.

If you haven’t already read the news, here’s how USA Today presented the growing gynecomastia surgery statistics over there.

For 2009, male breast reduction surgery in the British Isles increased 80 percent, from 328 surgeries in 2008 to 581 in 2009, reports the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS. )

The BAAPS represents one in three cosmetic surgeons in the U.K., so the actual number can be closer to 1000.

But only five years ago, British surgeons counted just 22 gynecomastia surgeries.

It’s unusual because a worldwide slowdown seemed to have shrunk the number of almost all invasive plastic surgery procedures.

Moreover, all male U.K. surgeries are up 21 percent from last year. Included are:

• Nose jobs
• Ear pinning  (otoplasty)
• Liposuction
• Eyelid lifts

Some British surgeons reckon that the media is partly responsible by featuring more pictures of very flat-chested celebrities like Matthew McConaughey. And, like their female counterparts, more British men are learning they can do something about their “man boobs.”

(Check out what some American teens, bodybuilders and other dissatisfied guys have done about their own female-like chests in these before and after male breast reduction pictures.)

Some plastic surgeons have suggested that an increase in female hormones in the drinking water may be causing more cases. (Read our previous post about female hormones in the water causing more British gynecomastia surgery.)

In contrast, according to American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), gynecomastia surgery in the United States actually declined (Surprise! Due to the economy!)  5.7 percent from 2007 to 2008. While 2007 saw 20,280 gynecomastia surgery procedures on U.S. shores, only 19,124 were counted in 2008.

Crunching the same data, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) figures male breast reduction declined from 2007 to 2008 by 16 percent. (From 21,311 procedures down to 20,351 operations.)

According to one men’s health site, the cost of gynecomastia surgery in London appears to be around 4000 British pounds (US$6485) and takes about 90 minutes.

Compression vest

While talking with patients during a first consultation, some often remark they have read about creams, pills, lotions and other elixirs that purport to remove or reduce large male breasts or “man boobs.”

A few have actually tried some and found only their size of their wallet is reduced.

It’s a fact of life that faulty information abounds all over the Internet.

But my eyes really widened when I read an off-the-wall Ezine article about why men with fleshy, female-like breast should eschew gynecomastia surgery in favor of wearing a compression vest – full  time!

A compression garment, an extremely tight fitting vest, is usually employed to promote healing after gynecomastia surgery. The vest can also be used to provide a better shape for a patient before surgery – but only while trying to lose weight in preparation for surgery.

(Read our last post about the proper use of compression garments after gynecomastia surgery.)

At first glance, I thought I was reading satire. But after a closer read, I found the purpose of the article was a link to a website that sells compression garments.

The author, who passes himself off as an “expert” revealed his shocking lack of knowledge while writing about gynecomastia surgery. He observes that patients must be “euthanized for the surgery.”

He’s is probably struggling to serve up the word “anesthetized.”

But if he does not actually know the difference between euthanasia and anesthesia — which is the difference of life and death, after all — he shouldn’t be writing about any medical procedures.

The author goes on presenting bad information and then really goes over the top, trying a hard sell to sway gynecomastia sufferers into giving up any thoughts of surgery in favor of wearing a compression garment all the time.

Nor does he allow logic to stand in the way!

He actually suggests wearing a vest poolside, and I quote: “With the vest, it is possible to do such things as sun bathing, playing basketball, and swimming in public.”

Man boobs getting in the way of your love life? No problem, assures our glib author: just wear a “gynecomastia vest” in the sack and your performance anxiety will disappear as will any problems you may have at work.

Besides the ton of illogical information and bad medical facts, he is probably embarrassing the eight pay-per-click plastic surgeons whose ads appear right next to this laughable article.

Here is the article if you want to read the “Gynecomastia Vest” article for yourself.

One of the things I like about the media is when news writers and broadcasters reach past me and bring interesting — indeed, often heart wrenching — anecdotes and details about how gynecomastia affects the lives of both teens and adults.

One of my all time favorites is a letter written by a troubled mother who tells of watching the anguish, shame and embarrassment her teen son goes through because of an increasingly female-like chest that started when the lad was only 10. But it ends well.

Read her story of teen gynecomastia at a leading website.

When Newsweek Health stopped in for an interview, they briefly outlined the story of an associate, Merle Yost, a psychologist who founded and operates the excellent gynecomastia.org website.

In this segment, Merle tells how he suffered the slings and arrows of a chest with womanly breasts until he was 37.  For instance, in junior high school, he was nick-named “Tits.” (Read more about Merle and his two gynecomastia operations.)

And then the ABC affiliate in New York City told about how more about teen boys and their parents are requesting male breast reduction surgery these days because the condition is so much more difficult for youngsters to handle.

The topic apparently struck a nerve because the online version drew no less than 63 reader comments.

One response was from a man, 38, who did not know a treatment for his so-called “man boobs” existed. But he played golf one day with a plastic surgeon, mentioned his embarrassing chest and then had gynecomastia plastic surgery several days later.

Afterwards, the lab found cancer in the breast tissue taken in the operation. He then had treatment for the cancer and now has a flat, more masculine chest and is cancer-free.

(Read our previous post about gynecomastia and cancer.)

Perhaps because teen boys and men are about 40 percent of my practice, The Plastic Surgery Channel filmed a segment about teen gynecomastia and how a boy and his parents may opt for surgery.