Hi, this is Dr Prashant. I’m a plastic and cosmetic surgeon based in Cardiff, UK. Gynecomastia or male breast enlargement is an extremely common condition about 20 to 30 percent of young men are afflicted by this problem. It happens because of the hormonal imbalance during the pubertal period, or because of taking anabolic steroids for bodybuilding. Also known as male boobs, or moobs, gynaecomastia can be quite disabling in terms of the cosmetic appearance and also the psychological implications of having enlarged breasts for young men. The video shows a 32 year old male with grade 2 to grade 3 gynecomastia with excess of both fat and gland on his chest he also has a bit of puffy nipples and deep grooves under the breasts. We mark out the excess preoperatively to demarcate the extent of the gland and the extent of the liposuction to remove the excess fat build up on his chest. We also do liposuction of the side of the chest and try to define the definition of his pectoralis muscle by aggressive liposuction along the muscle edges. All the liposuction happens through small hidden incisions which are about four millimetres which are placed in the armpit and at the areola border. Cosmetically these incisions are very hard to notice after the healing has taken place. We do this surgery under the local anaesthesia with mild anxiolytic medicine, the patient doesn’t feel any pain as we inject a lot of numbing solution into the area from where the liposuction and gland removal is done.
Once the numbing has acted, we do the liposuction using stealth incision. After completing the liposuction, a small cut is made at the junction of the areola and a normal skin of the chest and we dissect out the gland which most instances looks white with a little bit of fat interspersed amongst whitish glandular tissue. We then check the contour of the chest made sure that
both sides are symmetrical that there is no for the gland tissue left behind and that the contours are good.
At the end we dissolve the cuts with absorbable sutures and place a dressing and pressure garment which the patient will have to wear for a period of a month.
Gynecomastia surgery can completely transform a young man’s life; the chest can become flatter or the muscles better defined. No longer does the patient have to be embarrassed about his appearance on the beach or in the pool, or in the shower.
Gynaecomastia or male breast reduction surgery is gratifying both for the patient and the surgeon as it can transform the patient’s life making them confident and comfortable about their appearance.