SCARLESS GYNECOMASTIA SURGERY IN SPAIN. MALE BREAST REDUCTION.

Gynecomastia (enlarged male breasts) is a disorder which causes an increase in the volume of the mammary glands in men.

Gynecomastia affects six out of every ten adolescents. It is also common in men over 50 years of age. Three out of every ten adults have gynecomastia (enlarged male breasts).

But we have good news for patients with gynecomastia (enlarged male breasts).

Gynecomastia which appears during puberty is normally benign and goes away naturally after three years.

In the case of those whose pubertal gynecomastia doesn’t disappear and in the cases of gynecomastia in older men, surgery is considered. Surgery to correct gynecomastia (enlarged male breasts) usually has very good results.

Pubertal gynecomastia appears during puberty due to hormonal changes and disappears naturally. For that reason it is recommended that the patient wait and if it doesn’t resolve itself, it is necessary to remove the breast surgically to correct the obvious aesthetic alteration and the possible psychosocial repercussions in the adolescent.

Secondary gynecomastia is related to the use of certain medication (corticosteroids, anabolic steroids, diuretics, antacids…) or to having some illnesses (adiposogenital dystrophy, liver cirrhosis…).

Pseudogynecomastia is caused by an increase in fat tissue in a man’s breast, because of obesity or because of a lower production of testosterone in old age.

The plastic surgeons at Antiaging Group Barcelona (Spain) have developed a new technique for gynecomastia. This technique allows for the extraction of the mammary gland and the fat through a small incision of less than 1 cm in the side of the chest.

Noninvasive surgery

 Doctor Jesús Benito has developed a minimally invasive technique which combines liposuction and the use of a device called “shaver”, which permits the extraction of the mammary gland and the accumulated fat with an incision which is less than 1 centimetre, in the side of the chest.

“This technique, published in Aesthetic Surgery Journal is applicable in the majority of cases, although there are patients who need to have the glandular tissue extracted through the areola or through the armpit”, explains Doctor Jesús Benito.

Doctor Benito is the director of Antiaging Group Barcelona (Spain); he is an internationally renowned surgeon in male cosmetic surgery in Spain and co-author of this renowned noninvasive technique for the elimination of gynecomastia in men.

The gynecomastia surgery (male breast reduction) is usually done under general anaesthetic.

After the intervention for gynecomastia (male breast reduction), a drain is left in to avoid the formation of bruises and a dressing is applied for 24 hours which will be substituted by a compression garment that has to be worn for a month. After having the stitches out, it is recommended to start with massages and physical exercise should be avoided for the first 15 days.

The main problem in patients over 50 years old who have gynecomastia is that there is usually flaccidity and skin retraction is less effective. In these cases, it may be necessary to remove skin.

Even then, Doctor Jesús Benito (Antiaging Group Barcelona, Spain) always prefers in the first place, to use the technique of liposuction and removal of the gland using a minimum incision, to wait for the skin to retract and then to decide whether to remove skin.

Gynecomastia in older men is caused by various factors:

• Reduction in the production of testosterone, which is related to aging.
• Accumulation of fatty tissue (partly because of the reduction in physical activity and also for the reduction in muscle mass). The fatty tissue is rich in an enzyme called aromatase, which contributes in the production of oestrogen.
• Increase in the production of a hormone called Luteinizing, which stimulates the production of oestrogen in the testicles. The imbalance between androgen and oestrogen is what favours the formation of gynecomastia (enlarged male breast).
• Increase in the incidence of illnesses and in the use of medication. Certain kidney and liver diseases, hyperthyroidism, testicle or adrenal tumours, are associated with gynecomastia (enlarged male breast).
• There are countless medications that can cause gynecomastia (enlarged male breast): diuretics (spironolactone), antiandrogens that are used to treat prostate diseases, antihypertensive drugs, digoxin, some antidepressant medication, antihistamines for the treatment of gastric ulcers, statins for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia and a few others…

Yes, it is possible. In first place, it is necessary to do a hormonal study to determine the possible causes of the gynecomastia (enlarged male breast).

It is possible for men of this age to suffer from breast cancer. If there is any doubt a biopsy or an adenectomy (excision of the gland) is required to get a definitive diagnostic.

The patient exhibits a type II gynecomastia. There are 3 types of gynecomastia: Type I or when there is only gland under the areola, type II in which there is a larger volume (normally with an excess of gland and fat) and type III, which is when there is sagging (ptosis, very similar to a sagging female breast). We opted for treating the patient with the Prado-Benito technique, a noninvasive technique for the correction of gynecomastia in which Doctor Prado (Chile) and Doctor Jesús Benito (AntiAging Group Barcelona, Spain) are pioneers and which allows them to correct gynecomastia using liposuction and excision of the gland with the cartilage shaver without having to remove skin or leave visible scarring. The patient can again enjoy pectorals that don’t look feminine and overcome the psychosocial impact that gynecomastia supposes for men

There is a solution for gynecomastia but it needs quite complex treatment which requires a surgeon with wide experience in this field.