Look for a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon

When searching for a local gynecomastia expert, your first move should be to visit the website of the American Board of Plastic Surgery to learn why board certification is such an important credential. Then, check out the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, whose members are all board certified, and locate plastic surgeons near you.

Visit the websites of all the plastic surgeons in your area to find out which ones offer male breast reduction. See if you can get a feel for those who specialize in the procedure as opposed to plastic surgeons who simply include it as part of their repertoire.

Evaluate Skills and Experience

Before and after gynecomastia photo galleries are good places to browse. These web pages can tell you two things: whether the results a prospective surgeon achieves appeal to you and how much emphasis he or she places on gynecomastia surgery. Ideally, the website should offer several sets of before and after gynecomastia pictures, including many body types.

Similarly, the plastic surgeon’s website should have a separate page devoted to gynecomastia, not mention it as an afterthought on another page.

If you find plastic surgeons who appeal to you, arrange consultations. Ask probing questions about their male breast reduction experience, techniques and more. Request the names of a few patients you might contact as referrals.

Keep your Options Open

Finally, as you consider local plastic surgeons, take a step back and look at the big picture. For instance, don’t let differences in fees be the deciding factor. There are many good reasons why one plastic surgeon may charge more than another—including a higher level of experience, more depth and skill in the surgical team, higher facility costs and so on. Since your results will last a lifetime, consider the cost of gynecomastia surgery as an investment.

Finally, if you find a plastic surgeon with plenty of experience near you, and he or she is someone you feel very comfortable with—that’s great. If not, or if you would like a second or third option, we would be very pleased to consult with you. We can work with you over the Internet and via a phone consultation, or you can arrange to see us during a visit to New York. Gynecomastia is one of our top specialties, and we work with many patients who do not live near Manhattan.

Want to find out more? Contact our Park Avenue office at 212-570-6080.

Photo by the U.S. Navy, available under a Creative Commons attribution license.

The anguish involved for these men is evident. It’s natural to wonder, “do I or don’t I?” It’s heartwarming to see people share advice, such as “look in the mirror and raise your arms,” or “tense your muscles.” On forum sites like gynecomastia.org, participants are very supportive of each other.

There’s lots of input we provide for men who are just starting to learn about man boobs. One simple suggestion we end up making much of the time is: Why not arrange a gynecomastia consultation with a male breast reduction specialist?

No, we’re not advocating that every man who suspects he has gynecomastia rush out and sign up for male breast reduction surgery. Plastic surgery is a good choice for many, but not all. But when you visit a highly experienced gynecomastia surgeon, you will get expert answers to questions like “do I or don’t I” and many more that will surely follow:

• Is there a chance it will go away?
• How does my case compare with others?
• Is surgery an option? What factors should I consider?
• What results might I expect from male breast reduction?

Whether you’re considering plastic surgery or not, there’s much to be gained from a visit to a gynecomastia specialist. Write down all your questions before the consultation and be sure to see before and after gynecomastia photos. You should come away feeling much better informed about your physique and equipped to contemplate courses of action—not pressured to have surgery!

The internet is a great resource for all kinds of information, and we’re gratified to see men young and old researching moobs. After patients have spent some time online, it’s a logical next step to see a male breast reduction surgeon.

We would be delighted to help you. We see men with gynecomastia from New York, New Jersey and surrounding states, and we work with patients who fly in for surgery as well. We can even arrange a long-distance consultation. Simply contact us online or call our Manhattan offices at 212-570-6080.

Photo by Stallons, available under a Creative Commons attribution license.

If you have a generalized fear of any surgery, that could be a different matter. No matter how much information we share, you may still be uncomfortable at the thought of having an operation.

In the end, it’s completely your decision; we never pressure patients to choose male breast reduction surgery. But if you are eager to get rid of man boobs and would like to conquer your fear, we may be able to help with some suggestions.

It’s a relief to many New York gynecomastia candidates to learn how we handle anesthesia. Rather than putting our patients under general anesthesia, we use twilight sedation for almost all gynecomastia surgeries. The medication is administered through an IV, and patients sleep gently and awaken quickly after surgery. The risk of effects like headache and nausea is very low. We work with a board certified MD anesthesiologist who has been part of our team for over 20 years.

We can spend extra time with you making sure you know just what to expect before, during and after surgery. You can tour our fully accredited surgical facility and review the rigorous process involved in accreditation. We can also put you in touch with a few of our past patients. You can have a conversation with them about any and all aspects of surgery you would like to discuss, including your discomfort. Knowing what to expect, especially from others who have had surgery, can go a long way toward relieving any pre-operative anxiety.

In addition, there are several techniques you might try to help alleviate your fear of surgery. Some people find “alternative” therapies helpful, such as biofeedback, acupuncture and massage. Some men swear by meditation and/or yoga. You can also seek counseling, to help you confront your fear of surgery or to determine whether you should go ahead with male breast reduction at all.

Finally, keep in mind that male breast reduction is an elective procedure. If you simply cannot make peace with the idea of gynecomastia surgery, you can decide not to move forward! In this case, there are a variety of compression garments you might purchase to achieve a smoother look.

The best way to evaluate the right course of action is to arrange a consultation. We invite you to give us a call at 212-570-6080 or contact us online. We have experience working with patients of all kinds, including those who feel uncertain about what’s best. No pressure, we promise!

Photo by Cara Photography, available under a Creative Commons attribution license.

Before Gynecomastia Surgery

Patients sometimes ask about exercising before male breast reduction surgery to build chest muscles. We do encourage our patients to pursue good health and we applaud those who work out—but it’s not a necessary step in preparing for the procedure.

You also don’t need to stop working out before you come in for male breast reduction. We would suggest you don’t exhaust yourself the night before surgery so you have plenty of energy in reserve for recovery, but a mild to moderate workout is fine.

After Gynecomastia Surgery

Gynecomastia surgery is less invasive than many other surgical procedures. Even so, the recovery process must still be gradual. You can expect to be able to drive after a few days and return to sedentary work and light activities in a few days as well. You can go to restaurants, see movies and enjoy other non-strenuous pursuits.

Workouts should not be resumed for at least four weeks. As you return to the gym, the pool or your jogging route, take it easy at first. The key is to take care not to raise your blood pressure too high too soon. Elevated blood pressure can cause increased swelling, and it can open a blood vessel that was sealed in surgery, leading to post-surgical bleeding or a hematoma even several days down the road.

Avoiding Common Mistakes

One of the most common mistakes men make when recovering from gynecomastia surgery is misunderstanding the reason for avoiding strenuous exercise for a few weeks. Occasionally one of our New York City gynecomastia patients will think, “I’m more fit than the average guy, I can take it,” and grab the free weights too soon. Others go back to their regular exercise circuit the first day back at the gym, without resuming the routine a little at a time.

Make sure you understand that maintaining low blood pressure the first few weeks after surgery will be of tremendous help in reducing swelling and guarding against bleeding. No matter how strong and eager for a workout you may feel, the inevitable rise in blood pressure is not worth the risk.

After all, shrinking those man boobs as fast as possible is what it’s all about, right?

Find more information about recovering from gynecomastia surgery and other aspects of enlarged male breasts in the list of frequently asked questions on our website devoted to gynecomastia surgery.

Photo by Spirit-Fire, available under a Creative Commons attribution license.

As we tell our New York gynecomastia patients, it’s essential that each male breast reduction procedure be fine-tuned to the specific needs of the patient. And that means some decisions must be made in the operating suite as the gynecomastia surgeon gets a close up look at exactly what kind of tissue is present throughout the entire chest area.

Through our experience working with 2,000 gynecomastia patients over two decades, we’ve learned a great deal. We know enough to make educated guesses about what we’ll find under the skin during surgery, and we’re right most of the time. Still, we make final decisions during the male breast reduction procedure to achieve optimum results for each man. It’s important to understand that no one, not even a plastic surgeon well versed in male breast surgery, can predict exactly what type of tissue lies beneath the skin prior to making incisions.

We think of the surgical process as a “decision tree.” We start with a tiny nick near the armpit and perform liposuction with instruments we’ve designed for this purpose. In about a third of our patients, we discover a modest amount of breast tissue that can also be removed with a cannula through this same incision.

When we find a larger amount of dense breast gland that can’t be taken out this way, we make small incisions around the edge of the areolas. This allows us to remove the balance of the breast tissue and achieve a smooth, contoured appearance.

The decision tree doesn’t apply to the breasts alone. We also take a look at surrounding areas and determine whether there are stubborn fat deposits along the sides of the chest or into the armpit that should be removed. Each case is unique, but the goal is the same: to achieve a natural looking, masculine result.

We understand that every patient hopes for the least invasive male breast reduction procedure possible, and that’s our goal as well. But even when our New York gynecomastia patients need multiple small incisions to achieve a great-looking outcome, we assure them that scars will be minimal, or even nearly invisible. Take a look at our before and after gynecomastia photos to see what we mean.

Photo by David Mican, available under a Creative Commons attribution license.

There’s a reason before and after plastic surgery photos are some of the most highly-trafficked pages on plastic surgeons’ websites: patients are naturally curious about what they might achieve if they should elect to go under the knife. We find this to be the case with just about every procedure patients are interested in, including male breast reduction. New York patients are informed consumers, and they want to see what they can reasonably expect.

In truth, before and after gynecomastia photos can do more than fuel your imagination—they can be used in other ways too. Here are some suggestions to get you thinking about what before and after gynecomastia pictures can do for you.

• Use them in consultation. An obvious way to benefit from male breast reduction photos is to use them to facilitate mutual understanding with your plastic surgeon. Look for images of men with “before” physiques similar to yours, and surgical results you admire, to express your desires to your surgeon. He or she can use the photo gallery to illustrate anyspecial considerations, such as the shape of your ribcage or your skin’s elasticity, that need to be taken into account.

• They can be a decision factor in choosing your plastic surgeon. Another way patients use before and after gynecomastia photos is to find a surgeon with a high level of male breast reduction experience. Many cosmetic surgeons perform the procedure—along with 20 or 30 other surgical procedures—and handle several gynecomastia patients annually. But few perform dozens or even hundreds of male breast reductions each year. A robust photo gallery can indicate that your prospective plastic surgeon operates on man boobs frequently.

• Use them to help you indentify a gynecomastia specialist. Here’s a bit of inside information from a plastic surgeon’s point of view—posting and maintaining photos on the Web is time consuming. At a minimum, the surgeon needs to obtain permission from patients, take a set of comparable photos, develop a website with photo gallery management software and commit to keeping it up to date. What this means is that a plastic surgeon with an extensive library of before and after gynecomastia photos invests in treating men like you.

Whether you’re seeking male breast reduction in New York or New Mexico, it really does pay off to choose an experienced plastic surgeon who performs many of these procedures each year—a surgeon who is highly interested in treating gynecomastia patients and takes time to demonstrate their expertise. Photo galleries can be good places to get a feeling for this.

We’re always pleased when we hear questions like these from patients seeking treatment for gynecomastia in New York, or online at gynecomastia.org. Men who wonder about how best to prepare their bodies for gynecomastia surgery are signaling that they’re ready to do their part to achieve the best outcome possible.

While you research male breast reduction methods, seek out an experienced gynecomastia surgeon and review before and after gynecomastia photos, you also need to learn what you can do to ensure you’re in great physical condition for your procedure. Here are some considerations:

Nutrition: Pay attention to getting good nutrition prior to gynecomastia surgery. Protein is particularly important in the healing process, so if you’re a vegetarian or vegan you may need to find ways to supplement your protein intake.

Alcohol: There are several reasons to curb your alcohol intake both before and after surgery. If you are a heavy drinker your liver may be stressed, making surgery more risky. Alcohol dilates blood vessels, meaning you may bruise if you’re drinking around the time of your surgery. And alcohol can interact with medications you may need. Be sure to be honest about your habits with your plastic surgeon.

Weight: It’s not necessary to be at your ideal weight prior to surgery, but weighing close to the optimum level for you is best. If you plan to drop many pounds, it may be to your advantage to wait to have male breast reduction. If you lose a few pounds after surgery, your results will get even better!

Smoking: If you’re serious about male breast reduction surgery, this is an excellent time to quit smoking. Nicotine slows blood flow to the tissues, thereby inhibiting healing. It also robs skin of its elasticity, meaning your skin may not tighten up as effectively as a non-smoker’s will after surgery. If you can’t quit, most surgeons insist you stop smoking for a period of weeks prior to your procedure.

If you’ve indulged in habits that may very well have contributed to the development of your man boobs, now is the time to evaluate where you want to go from here. If you can’t commit to discontinuing known gynecomastia triggers—like marijuana, anabolic steroids, and excessive alcohol consumption—you should delay planning plastic surgery until you can. Although moobs seldom reoccur after male breast reduction, we tell all our patients with gynecomastia in New York that ongoing use of these substances can cause additional breast tissue growth.

Photo by Martin Cathrae, available under a Creative Commons attribution license.

The truth is, there are many foods that contain what are known as phytoestrogens. According to the Tulane/Xavier Center for Bioenvironmental Research at Tulane University, phytoestrogens are part of a larger class of plant-produced chemicals called phytohormones that “mimic or interact with hormone signals in animals.” You can read Tulane’s comprehensive overview of phytoestrogens here.

Since soy products are consumed in quantity by infants (in soy-based formula) and in Asian cultures, soy products are some of the leading phytoestrogen-rich substances under study. Still, there’s no clear answer as to whether soy can cause gynecomastia or not.

A 2008 article on “An Unusual Case of Gynecomastia Associated with Soy Product Consumption” by two endocrinologists suggests there may be a link between moobs and soymilk. The physicians describe the case of a 60-year-old man with elevated female hormone levels, gynecomastia and impaired sexual function. The patient reported consuming three quarts of soymilk daily, and when he discontinued the practice, his enlarged breasts and sexual symptoms disappeared and his hormone levels returned to normal.

But many other physicians remain unconvinced about the possible link between soy products and gynecomastia. Dr. Steve, the host of Weird Medicine on Sirius XM Radio, gives one fan some fairly typical input on the topic via the Men’s Fitness website. He says the notion that soy products stimulate breast growth “appears to be a myth, or at least is not supported by the medical literature.”

So what’s an average guy struggling with gynecomastia to think of all this? One important thing to know is that phytoestrogens are not rare. Read through the information on the Tulane website and you’ll find that foods that contain these mild estrogen-like chemicals include apples, cherries, garlic, parsley, wheat, rice, beans, carrots, potatoes and coffee. Most of us enjoy many of these foods in average amounts on a daily basis. So, we reassure our New York male breast reduction patients that their diet is most likely not the source of their problem.

On the other hand, if you happen to consume a large quantity of a food containing phytoestrogens, like soymilk, it certainly doesn’t hurt to discontinue the practice and see what happens.

Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on your point of view, most cases of gynecomastia cannot be influenced for the better by changes in diet. We urge you to contact a board certified plastic surgeon who specializes in male breast reduction to find out more about your specific case. If you’d like to contact us, give our offices a call at 212-570-6080 or fill out our short contact form.

Photo by Drab Makyo, available under a Creative Commons attribution license.

In fact, you should probably consider yourself lucky if arranging for insurance coverage for gynecomastia surgery is difficult. Some insurance companies refuse to cover the procedure at all. As one poster put it on the gynecomastia.org forum, “My insurance company specifically excludes gyne surgery.”

Companies that will consider coverage for male breast reduction often present many hurdles. It’s not unusual for patients to give up pursuing the issue. Men who are up for the challenge usually have to demonstrate at least the following:

• They have had gynecomastia for a certain period of time
• There’s no indication of an underlying condition
• There’s no history of drug use that could contribute
• The extra tissue is glandular, not fat, and the patient is not overweight
• The condition is painful, physically and psychologically

If you have insurance that does not automatically refuse coverage for gynecomastia surgery, it is possible to be successful with a claim. Having worked with nearly 2,000 New York gynecomastia patients over many years, our recommendations are as follows:

• Take good photos of your chest from a variety of angles
• Make sure you understand your insurance carrier’s requirements
• Call a representative at the company to discuss anything that’s not clear
• Review the requirements point by point and determine how to satisfy them
• Make an appointment with your primary care physician to strategize
• See an experienced gynecomastia surgeon for additional ammunition

Even when you prepare your case strategically and complete all the steps, your insurance company may deny your request for coverage. Sadly, this isn’t unusual. Don’t be discouraged if this happens—instead, appeal the decision.

Like most plastic surgeons, we don’t accept insurance coverage as payment. But we will gladly advise you and help you plan to make a claim for reimbursement. This is one topic we can cover when you schedule your consultation.

Photo by David Hilowitz, available under a Creative Commons attribution license.

We understand the logic behind the question, but we usually find a hormonal workup to be unnecessary prior to male breast reduction surgery. Let us explain.

The many decisions we make together with our patients start with an open, honest discussion and a complete medical history.  In most cases, the men who consult us report noticing signs of gynecomastia during puberty, when hormone levels can swing widely.  But while other aspects of sexual development proceeded normally, with male characteristics falling into place eventually, moobs did not disappear in time for these men.

This is a very common scenario.  Over the years we’ve found that these patients who do elect to have their hormones evaluated discover the levels are normal.

Some patients’ hormones may be out of whack due to drug use.  This is another topic we cover in our medical history conversation.  Whether a patient has been using prescription drugs that can trigger gynecomastia—such as Propecia—or street drugs like marijuana and anabolic steroids, it’s important that we talk about the matter frankly, including the patient’s future plans.  In most cases, gynecomastia surgery can produce a very satisfying outcome.  But patients need to understand the implications of using certain drugs.

Occasionally we see patients with an underlying medical condition that interferes with hormone levels, thereby contributing to gynecomastia.  We evaluate these cases with care, working with other physicians when needed to determine whether male breast reduction can be performed safely and effectively.

Rarely, we meet a patient whose history indicates hormone levels may indeed be awry.  An example could be a man who sailed through adolescence with no evidence of man boobs, then suddenly developed gynecomastia in his 20’s or 30’s for no apparent reason.  We would likely refer a case like this to an endocrinologist.

In fact, we never discourage our Manhattan gynecomastia patients from having their hormone levels tested if they so desire.  Medicine is one field in which you rarely hear someone complain about “too much information.”

Photo by Keith Ramsey, available under a Creative Commons attribution license.