Different Goals and Different Techniques for Women and Men

Hello,

For the woman, breast reduction surgery is designed to relieve discomfort (frequently) and restore a youthful appearance. That youthful appearance includes the re-shaping of  smaller breasts.

For the man with gynecomastia, the operation is designed to virtually eliminate the appearance of breasts entirely. Men do not tolerate incisions to re-shape the skin envelope so the usual technique is a combination of liposuction and a smaller  "open" operation to remove firmer components under the nipple. This can at times leave some "looseness" in the skin that some patients (particularly older patients) dislike, but the reduction in volume and improved masculine appearance is the "crowd pleaser" here.

Best Regards,

John Di Saia MD

Absolutely not.

Male breast reduction is more like a mastectomy than a breast reduction. Breast tissue in a male is removed completely; only the nipple and areola remain while achieving a desirable contour to the chest.

The goal in a female breast reduction is to remove some of the breast tissue and leave a beautifully shaped breast.

The incisions and the surgical techniques are different. Liposuction is a significant component of most male breast surgery, with small incisions around the areola to remove the remaining breast tissue. Only when there is significant skin excess are incisions made on the breast to remove skin.

Female breast reduction is done with direct tissue removal through incisions around the areola extending down the center of the breast and occasionally extending along the breast fold.