When most people think of plastic surgery of the breast, the first things that come to mind are procedures for women. However, male breast reduction surgery is a more common procedure than you might think.  It is estimated that 40 to 60 percent of men are affected by gynecomastia, a medical term for overly large breasts in males.  No one can say for sure what causes gynecomastia (some attribute it to heredity, others a hormone imbalance), but if you’re a male who’s ever been to the beach or pool during the summer, you can see why this can be an embarrassing and unsightly problem.

Gynecomastia can occur in one or both breasts and affects men of all ages.  Some younger boys affected by this condition will eventually grow out of it naturally. For others, the problem will remain no matter how much they exercise or work to sculpt the pectoral muscles.

Luckily, this problem can be easily fixed.  The answer?  Male breast reduction surgery.  The procedure involves the surgical removal of excess fat, glandular tissue, and skin surrounding the breast area by excision or liposuction – to give men a more sculpted and masculine chest.  Some men seeking this surgery also complain of the size of their nipple area, which may have been stretched due to the effects of gynecomastia.  Therefore, the size of the areola, or the dark skin around the nipple, can be reduced and reshaped during surgery.

Great advancements have been made in the field of plastic surgery, creating surgical techniques that are safer, simplier, and more effective than ever.  Nowadays, inconspicuous incisions for breast augmentation surgery can greatly the appearance of scarring.  At our office, we can make incisions in the armpit, the inframammary (or the crease under the breast), or even around the areola (the dark skin around the nipple).  We also offer the new TUBA approach, one of the least invasive techniques yet, with the implant being inserted through an incision made in the patient’s bellybutton!

The implant itself can either be placed beneath the breast tissue or beneath the muscle of the chest.  If placed under the chest muscle, you can reduce the risk of post-operative tightening around the implant (known as capsular contracture).  Also, this type of placement will not interfere as much with the results of your yearly mammograms.  On the flip side, placement under the chest muscle can cause more pain post-surgery and can create the need for drainage tubes in some patients. (It’s important to note that, using the TUBA approach, placement under the chest muscle is not an option).

The most important thing to know about the breast augmentation procedure is that each patient is unique in their situation. What works for one patient, may not be the best plan of action to give you the kind of results you’re looking for. So… ASK QUESTIONS!  Dr. McCluskey will be happy to meet with you to answer any questions that you may have.  It is his goal to make sure every patient is fully-informed and comfortable throughout the entire surgical process. 

For information on how to set up a consultation with Dr. McCluskey, click here.