Will Gynecomastia Reduction Surgery Get Rid Of My Man Boobs Completely?

Q: Dr. Eppley,  I am interested in gynecomastia reduction surgery. I’m a 36 year old who has had man boobs my whole life. I’ve tried dieting and exercising to try and get rid of them with no success. They’ve caused great embarrassment for me over the years. I won’t swim in public and am very unconfident when it comes to dating and any sort of relations with the opposite sex. 

A: Your feelings of embarrassment and some degree of social restriction is not rare and exactly replicate what many men with similar problems state about their gynecomastia problem. Once gynecomastia has formed, there is no diet or exercise regimen that is going to get rid of it. While in extreme weight loss cases, breast tissue can be lost in a male, many men with gynecomastia do not need extreme amounts of weight loss. Gynecomastia reduction surgery can be very effective and is usually most effective when open excision is combined with liposuction. This is an outpatient procedure done under general anesthesia that takes about two hours to perform.

The success of gynecomastia reduction surgery is based on how completely the removal of breast tissue is done. There is always the risk of removing too much breast tissue causing a crater deformity or not taking enough leaving a residual areolar protrusion after all the swelling has gone down. This is the delicate balance plastic surgeons walk when performing this type of male chest surgery. For these reasons, there is about a 15% to 20% risk of desiring a revisional or touch-up surgery to optimize the chest contour.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana