Serving Knoxville, Sevierville, Knox County & Nearby Areas of Tennessee
Gynecomastia comes from the Greek words meaning “woman” and “breast.” To put it plainly, gynecomastia is the medical condition in which larger, womanly breasts appear on a man. This condition can be hereditary or it can be caused by factors including weight gain, medications, illness, puberty, and aging. No matter what the cause, the appearance of male breasts can be bothersome.
Board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Dean Kleto understands how embarrassing male breasts can be. He is pleased to offer men throughout Knox County, Tennessee options for male breast reduction to help eliminate gynecomastia, and restore a masculine physique.
Male Breast Reduction
Gynecomastia may be caused by excess fatty tissue, excessive glandular tissue, or a combination of the two. When excessive fatty tissue is the culprit, Dr. Kleto will need to make a small, easily concealable incision and use liposuction to remove the tissue. Liposuction is often sufficient on its own.
However, in cases where a large amount of glandular tissue must be removed, Dr. Kleto may need to make a slightly larger incision to completely eliminate the appearance of breasts. Each body is unique. Dr. Kleto will carefully assess your chest to determine what method will best provide you with the manly upper body you deserve.
Male Breast Reduction Recovery
Following your male breast reduction procedure, Dr. Kleto will supply you with medications and compression garments to help keep pain and swelling at bay. These temporary discomforts are easily dealt with, and should subside within one to two weeks. Despite some mild pain, many men are able to return to work within one week, and resume normal activities within three to four weeks. However, heavy lifting and strenuous exercise should be avoided for at least six weeks, or until Dr. Kleto gives you the go ahead.
After your initial recovery period, any scars from your incisions should begin to naturally fade.
You should avoid direct sun exposure for a few months to prevent permanently altering your skin pigmentation. Swelling and bruising may be visible for several months, after which time your final results will be apparent.
Male breasts can make you feel embarrassed and uncomfortable in your own skin. A male breast reduction procedure will take some minor recovery time, but can provide you with the strong, manly, attractive upper body you have always dreamed of.
Indications of candidacy include:
- Men with enlarged breast tissue
- Men who appear to have womanly breasts
- Excess fat and/or glandular tissue is present
If you are bothered by the excess tissue in your chest, then you are probably a candidate for surgery. It’s completely normal to feel self-conscious about male breasts, and this procedure may be the right way to remove that impediment to your quality of life.
Other candidacy factors related to health, underlying medical conditions, and preparedness to undergo surgery will be discussed at your consultation with Dr. Kleto.
As is the case with any surgical procedure, male breast reduction requires your informed consent to surgery and understanding of the possible complications. That being said, gynecomastia surgery has a low rate of serious complications and most of our patients are happy with the results.
As part of your consultation, we will discuss all of the associated risks, which include:
- Risks associated with anesthesia
- Risks associated with undergoing surgery
- Hematoma
- Seroma
- Changes in nipple sensation (most often temporary)
- Unfavorable scarring
- Need for revision surgery
Part of mitigating the risk of complications is to have your candidacy thoroughly vetted by Dr. Kleto. He will make sure that you don’t have any underlying health conditions that would significantly increase your risk. We will make sure you know and understand all of the possible risks and have your concerns addressed before you go forward with surgery.
We will of course provide you with complete downloadable and printable instructions for how to prepare for surgery. These instructions address shaving, bathing, medications to take, medications to avoid, what to wear to surgery, and other aspects of getting ready. Other ways to prepare include:
- Quit smoking. Smoking and using tobacco will increase the risk of complications and impede healing. You must quit at least 3 weeks before surgery and continue to abstain for 3 weeks following.
- Eat well and get plenty of sleep. It will generally put your body and health in a strong position before surgery, which could help with recovery.
- Follow our directions for when to stop eating before surgery. You must refrain from eating and drinking after the cutoff.
- Fill any prescriptions provided by Dr. Kleto. You will have them on-hand right after surgery instead of having to make a run to the pharmacy.
We always make sure our patients are well-prepared for their procedures. You will have our contact information as well, so you can ask us any questions you have before or after surgery.
Male breast reduction is completed with the following techniques:
- Liposuction to remove excess fat
- Surgical removal of excess glandular tissue
Many people can benefit from liposuction alone. It may very well be the presence of excess fat tissue in your chest that is causing the appearance of male breasts. If, however, there is also gland tissue causing the appearance of breasts, Dr. Kleto will remove that as well.
Although the area will be quite swollen immediately after surgery, you will probably notice an immediate difference. These results will continue to get better as the area heals and swelling dissipates.
A great deal of swelling will be gone in about 3-4 weeks. At this point, your chest should start looking really good. It’s important to note, however, that it takes about 3-6 months for all of the swelling to go away and for the tissue to settle into place.
Some scarring is to be expected. Dr. Kleto always places incisions in the natural contours of the skin to try to hide them as well as they can be hidden, but it is possible that some visible scarring will result. Know that Dr. Kleto prioritizes the most minimal incisions possible for your procedure.
- Liposuction of other areas of the body
- Body lift
- Thigh lift
- Tummy tuck
The procedure itself is not painful because you will be properly numbed and anesthetized. Once you wake up from surgery, at first you may not feel any pain because of the residual effect of anesthetics. But soon you may experience some discomfort and post-operative soreness. The pain will begin to dissipate over the next several days. Use the prescription or over-the-counter pain medicines as instructed by Dr. Kleto.
Contact us Today
The only way to know if this is an option in your situation is to consult Dr. Kleto. He may recommend spacing procedures apart, or it may be possible to combine them into one surgical appointment.
For more information about male breast reduction in or around Knoxville, Sevierville, or Knox County, Tennessee, please contact us at 865.524.2442 to schedule a consultation with experienced plastic surgeon Dr. Dean Kleto