Step 1: Prepare Thoroughly for Male Breast Reduction

Preparing for gynecomastia surgery is a process in itself. Once you’ve found an experienced male breast reduction surgeon, make note of his or her instructions and follow them. They will include paying attention to your nutrition prior to surgery, getting plenty of rest and limiting alcohol intake. It also means quitting or at least suspending smoking if you do smoke. Your plastic surgeon will have these and other pre-op guidelines for you.

In addition, give some thought to your personal needs. You will want someone to pick you up after your procedure and be close by to help you—perhaps prepare a meal or walk your dog—should you need it. You may also want to collect books, movies and other materials to help you take it easy for a few days.

Step 2: Get Plenty of Rest After Gynecomastia Surgery

Even though male breast reduction is less invasive than many other types of surgery, you will still need some time to recover from this “controlled trauma.” Resting allows your body to devote its resources to the healing process.

Resting, especially upright, helps with another post-surgical objective: controlling swelling. And the more measures you take to limit swelling, the faster your new, sleek look will appear.

Step 3: Limit Your Movements

Most men are very eager to get back to their normal lives, including exercise, as soon as possible following gynecomastia surgery. While this is understandable, be advised that doing too much too soon definitely leads to increased swelling, and can lead to complications.

It’s well worth it in the long run to limit your movements after male breast reduction. This means avoiding raising your arms and lifting much weight. It also means bypassing anything aerobic for a few weeks. It’s important to understand that elevated blood pressure also contributes to swelling, so it’s not enough to simply avoid weight lifting. It can also contribute to a late hematoma (bleeding under the skin), which can occur days or even weeks after surgery.

Step 4: Listen to your Gynecomastia Surgeon

No matter what your man boobs may look like, no matter what specific concerns you may have and no matter what happens along the way from consultation to recovery, if you’ve chosen your plastic surgeon wisely he or she will be well equipped to advise you. Listen carefully to their counsel.

To learn more about gynecomastia surgery and recovery, visit our website devoted to male breast reduction and take a look at the extensive list of Frequently Asked Questions.

In our Manhattan practice, we perform hundreds of male breast reduction surgeries each year and find working with patients like you extremely gratifying. We would like the chance to assist you with your own unique case of gynecomastia, whether New York is your home or you live thousands of miles away. Fill out our short form online to get started.

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

Some patients have heard about this item in passing but became really well acquantainted with it immediately after the operation…..by living with it 24/7!

It’s the compression garment. I include them in the surgical fee because the garment is actually a medical grade piece of clothing. Moreover, it’s absolutely essential for a good outcome of the surgery.

Although the incisions in your skin for routine gynecomastia surgery are tiny, a lot of injury takes place under the skin.

Thus, the body’s reaction to an operation is swelling, oozing blood and bruising.

Plastic surgeons discovered long ago that many operations besides male breast reduction require a compression garment.

For most men, I used a double strap binder (pictured) that covers the body from above your  navel to the level of your armpits. The garment puts constant pressure on the surgically treated area, reducing the swelling and bruising while making it heal better and faster.

If you’ve played sports, it’s the same concept as tightly wrapping a sprained ankle in an Ace bandage.

For guys who are at,  or near, their ideal weights, the double strap binder fastens with Velcro and can be changed to accommodate  many patients.

But there is a slight downside: the binder is purposely tight and, frankly, a pain in the neck to wear for up to four weeks. But it’s necessary for optimum healing and the outcome of your chest’s new appearance. (However, it can’t be spotted under your clothing.)

I’ve found that virtually all gynecomastia patients will gladly suffer the compression band in return for a flatter chest!

If I operate on a gentleman who has a barrel chest or is over his ideal weight, I put him in a vest compression garment. That fastens down the front with hooks and eyes plus a zipper. This approach has a small downside, too.

While it’s more comfortable, slightly more swelling takes place because the vest doesn’t apply as much pressure.

So the tradeoffs are: the vest is more comfortable but the binder does its work better.

Torsoplasty patients are put into a one-piece body suit compression garments which also closes with hooks, eyes and zippers.

I’ll blog about Torsoplasty later!