How Visible Are the Incision Scars After Having Male Breast Reduction Surgery?

Your incisions will go through a maturation #process following #Gynecomastia #surgery. For the first few months they will be red and possibly raised and/or firm. As the scar matures, after 6-12 months, it becomes soft, pale, flat, and much less noticeable. You may experience numbness, tingling, burning, “crawling”, or other peculiar sensations around the surgical area. This is a result of the #healing of tiny fibers which are trapped in the incision site. These symptoms will disappear. Some people are prone to keloids, which is an abnormal scar that becomes prominent. If you or a blood relative has a tendency to keloid formation, please inform the doctor.Bruising and #swelling are normal and usually increase slightly after the removal of any tape or foam. The bruising will decrease over 3-4 weeks, but may last as long as 6 weeks. The majority of the swelling will be gone within the first 3-4 weeks. However, it may take 6-9 weeks to disappear completely. Also, as you heal, the area may feel “lumpy” and irregular. This, too, decreases with time, and massaging these areas will help soften the scar tissue. The #compression garment helps reduce the swelling, and the longer it is worn, the more quickly you will #heal. It can also assist in the retraction of the skin. If you have any concerns about #healing, its best to ask questions of your surgeon or their nursing staff.In the future, if you are concerned with scars, with your surgeon's approval you may be able to use scar management treatments such as Biocornuem,  Scar Guard, Scar Fade,  IPL L

In the vast majority of cases a peri areolar incision is
used when treating gynecomastia. This incision is made around the inferior
border of the areola and is extended slightly to each side. It’s hidden nicely
at the border of the areola with the surrounding tissue. As the scar fades,
it’s even less apparent.

                  In
contrast, breast reduction in women is much more complicated with much longer
incisions. This procedure not only reduces the size of the breast, but also
lifts the breast into normal position. The procedure results in a
circumferential incision around the areola, a transverse incision in the
infra-mammary fold and a vertical incision that connects the two.

                  Male
breast reduction is less complicated then female breast reduction. There’s less
scarring, fewer complications, shorter recoveries and shorter operative times.
It’s important to note that both procedures have high satisfaction rates. 

The scars for men are very different than for women. For the female, the goal is not to have an almost flat chest as it is for a man. To reduce the size of the breast in a woman there is usually a vertical scar from the areola down to the breast crease and then for many an additional incision across the breast crease for what is known as an anchor or inverted T procedure. For the man in order to remove breast tissue and fat an incision is made around the bottom half of the areola so that when it heals it is almost invisible. I also do a  tiny incision in the armpit for the cannula for liposuction and for the drain most of my patients have a hard time finding it. Depending on the severity of the gynecomastia breast determines the incisions, sometimes it can be less, in some cases it can be more if a second stage reduction is needed.

The scars from correction of gynecomastia surgery really vary depending on the severity. The most common type of correctin can be done leaving a scar either on the lower border of the areola, or as I prefer, through a small scar off to the side. As the breast becomes larger and saggier, some of the skin may need to be removed leaving you with a thin scar around the entire areola. For the most severe type I perform a nipple graft procedure which leaves you with a single scar along the entire inframammary creasr and another around the areola. I do not like the "T" scar as it is very un-natural for men.

Men's breast enlargement is a combination of excess fat and usually excess breast tissue that is centered right under the nipple, going outwards several inches.

The fat is treated by ultrasonic liposuction, in my practice. The incision is 1/4 inch and is at 6 o' clock under the areola.

The breast tissue, if present, is treated by enlarging the incision under the areola, following the edge of the areola, then carefully and incrementally removing the breast tissue with cautery dissection.

When healed, the incision(s) are barely visible.

Women's breast reduction involves an incision that goes completely around the areola, down the front of the breast, and often in the crease.  Larger amounts of breast tissue are removed and the nipple/areola is moved upwards. The procedure is considerably more involved and more time consuming.