Gynecomastia

Gynecomastia surgery; The breast structure of men and women is anatomically very similar. During puberty, breast tissue begins to grow and develop due to the increased estrogen and progesterone hormones in women. Hormonal changes also occur in men during puberty. During this period, breasts turn into a male-type breast structure to some extent and over time and become smaller.

In men, breasts that are larger than normal are called “gynecomastia”. In other words, the formation of female-type breasts in men is called gynecomastia. It is a common condition in the world and in our country. It causes psychological problems especially in young individuals.

Causes of gynecomastia: There are 3 main reasons for the emergence of gynecomastia

1- Idiopathic causes: It is the condition in which the person has large breasts even though they do not actually have an organic or hormonal disorder or disease. The majority of individuals with gynecomastia fall into this group.

2-Physiological reasons: It occurs due to the effect of changing hormones during adolescence and old age. It is not a symptom of a disease, but a physiological condition brought about by normal life.

3-Other reasons: Hormonal disorders, systemic diseases (cirrhosis, chronic renal failure), drug-related reasons are indicated. It can also occur in people who do bodybuilding sports due to the use of hormone-containing drugs. In such cases, it is necessary to eliminate the condition causing gynecomastia before the operation.

Pre-Surgery

The initial examination of people with gynecomastia is extremely important. The cause of gynecomastia should first be investigated during the examination. A meticulous examination is necessary for this. When deemed necessary, a hormone test is performed. As I mentioned earlier, the majority of patients have gynecomastia of unknown cause, and considering that there is no underlying disease in these people, further examination may not be necessary.

Surgical Techniques

The treatment of gynecomastia is surgery. There are two main techniques in surgery. If the breast tissue is soft, i.e., fat-dense, liposuction (fat removal with vacuum) is sufficient for treatment. The biggest advantage of this surgery is that it leaves almost no scars after the surgery. If there are hard and palpable tissues in the breast that we call glands and cannot be removed with liposuction, in addition to the fat tissue, an open technique surgery is performed. In this surgery, a scar of approximately 2 cm is left around the nipple. Since this scar is hidden between the colored tissue and the breast skin, it is difficult for an eye looking from the outside to notice.

Laser liposuction (Laser Lipolysis) and Gynecomastia

It is a new technology developed for irreversible damage to the fat cell membrane and the destruction of fat cells with laser energy and rays. Dr. Erhan Şafak, in order to respond to regional fattening problems, one of the most advanced methods of laser lipolysis, lipotherme, is used. Its biggest advantage over other systems is that the procedure can be performed much faster and more safely. In order for the laser lipolysis method to be used in gynecomastia, there should be no structures called glands in the breast tissue and it should contain pure fat. The most important advantage of laser lipolysis is that the recovery period is much shorter and bruising and swelling are less common.

Complications (Problems)

Infection and bleeding are rarely encountered after gynecomastia surgery. There may be swelling and bruising in the surgical area, but these are considered normal and resolve spontaneously in 1 week. If the laser liposuction method is used, the possibility of bruising and swelling is much lower. Problems can be minimized by performing the first examination meticulously and determining which surgical technique will be used.

Post-Operative

Gynecomastia surgery takes approximately 1.5 hours. A corset must be worn for a certain period after the surgery. Pain is not a common condition. Surgery can sometimes be performed with local anesthesia, and in this case it is possible to be discharged from the hospital on the same day. Patients can return to work after 3-4 days. The dressings are completely removed 2-3 days after the surgery. When self-dissolving stitches are used, there is no problem with stitch removal.