Do I have gynecomastia? (photos)

There are three tissue valuables that can impact the appearance of the male chest.
These are skin laxity, excess subcutaneous, fat and development of glandular breast tissue.
All people have breast tissue.
In men the breast tissue typically does not develop because of male hormone balance.
Some people are born with breast tissue that is highly sensitive to normal hormone levels, and that can result in gynecomastia.
It’s important to differentiate between the three variables because it determines which is the correct treatment and if the treatment will be effective.
True gynecomastia will typically have evidence of breast development with larger areolas and slightly larger nipples.
The best way to make the assessment is to put the skin and pectoralis muscle under tension.
If you take one arm at a time and stretch it up like your scratching the upper part of your back with your arm behind your head You can then look in the mirror or have someone take a picture and see the outline of the glandular breast tissue clearly.
You can also palpate or feel how large the breast nodule is.
In most men, the amount of breast tissue is about the size of the areola And most men have about a half inch of breast tissue under the skin.
Skin laxity can be an issue, and Manhoef experienced significant weight loss, and in men who are older.
Subcutaneous fat is best assessed by feeling the thickness of the fat layer in the surrounding areas like in the under arm area.
Glandular breast tissue is best treated with direct surgical, excision, making a cut at the areola edge.
Excess subcutaneous fat is best to treated with liposuction.
Skin laxity when it is an issue is by far the most difficult variable to treat and requires a careful consideration if treatment is warranted, since it tends to leave highly visible scars.
In your case, you may have mild gynecomastia.
If the fullness of your chest bothers you enough that you’re willing to have surgery, then consider scheduling a few in person consultations with plastic surgeons in your community.
Aesthetic, Male chest surgery or gynecomastia surgery is not easy or straightforward.
There’s going to be a significant difference in approach, including assessment and surgical execution, depending on who you consult and choose as your provider if you decide to have surgery.
do not assume all plastic surgeons are good at this type of work.
To find the right provider, I suggest having multiple in person consultations with plastic surgeons in your community who seem to have a proven track record with this type of work.
The most common treatment is generally liposuction combined with open glandular excision.
Liposuction alone is often insufficient if there is excess glandular tissue.
Liposuction, despite what type of device is used is insufficient to remove breast tissue.
Even mild skin laxity can contribute significantly to fullness in the Male chest.
You can see the impact of skin laxity if you have it if you observe the contour of your chest as you slowly move your arm down from the examining position with your arm straight up to your arm, and a down or dependent position.
I don’t think you have significant skin laxity.
You may have slight excess subcutaneous fat and you may have mild gynecomastia.
In the hands of a good surgeon, you should expect a nice improvement if you choose to have surgery.
I cannot emphasize enough the importance of provider selection.
Both in regards to getting a quality assessment and the ability to do the procedure well.
To find the right plastic surgeons scheduled multiple consultations.
Bring pictures of your chest the same way plastic surgeons take before and after pictures.
The pictures you’ve depicted are appropriate.
Use those pictures for reference during any in person consultation.
During each consultation, ask each provider to open up their portfolio and show you their entire collection of before, and after pictures of previous patients had similar body characteristics to your own.
This means they should be approximately the same age, the same amount of body fat, and the same chest fullness.
Being shown a handful of pre-selected images, representing only the best results of a provider career may be insufficient to get a clear understanding of what average results look like in the hands of each provider.
In my opinion and experience provider should have no difficulty showing you the before and after pictures of at least 50 previous patients for commonly performed procedures.
Gynecomastia is not the most common procedure, but it is certainly not an uncommon procedure.
The two biggest mistakes I see being done with this procedure is assuming that Liposuction is efficient when there is glandular tissue that needs direct surgical excision.
The second mistake I see being made is removing too much glandular tissue with direct open excision leaving irreparable indentations.
A provider who can show you what seems like an endless collection of quality outcomes is unlikely to make these type of mistakes.
Providers who don’t have impressive collections of before, and after pictures may not have the skill and experience to get consistent outcomes and make consistent quality assessments.
To find the right provider may require interviewing multiple providers.
There’s no correct number of consultations needed to find the best plastic surgeon for your needs.
The more consultations you schedule the more likely you are to find the better provider.
Considering the impact of the outcome, and that you’ll be reminded of the outcome of the surgery every day for the rest of your life I think, having four or five consultations before choosing a provider seems reasonable.
If none of the providers strikes you as being clearly confident with Expensive experience then continue scheduling consultations until you find one.
Sometimes finally, the right provider is simply a matter of luck.
Never assume that somebody is mastered as single plastic surgical procedure unless you see proof with an impressive collection of before and after pictures.
Having good reviews, years of experience, and being a nice provider, does not mean that they have mastered gynecomastia surgery.
If the condition bothers you enough that you’re willing to have surgery, then you should start the process of provider selection and getting a better assessment and better understanding of your chest.
If you do have gynecomastia, I think it’s pretty mild, and I don’t think it’s obvious to most people.
The reassurance you were given by previous physicians and your parents were well intended.
There may be room for improvement.
There is also the possibility of outcomes turning out much worse than you had anticipated.
There’s always risk involved.
The risk can absolutely be minimized by displaying vigilance and being careful in regards to provider selection.
When in doubt, slow down and schedule more consultations.
No one has to have cosmetic surgery.
Best,
Mats Hagstrom, MD