Pros And Cons Of Treating Your Gynecomastia With Surgery
If you're a man with gynecomastia, you may be looking into treatment options and considering whether surgery is right for you. Living with enlarged breasts can be challenging in many ways, and there are surgical methods that can change your appearance. However, there are also non-surgical alternatives, such as hormone supplements, that your doctor may urge you to consider. It's important to fully weigh your options and to pay particularly close attention to the pros and cons of undergoing surgery for this condition. Here's an overview.
Pro: The results are almost instant
Other treatments for gynecomastia may take months, or even years, to work. But gynecomastia surgery yields nearly instant results. There will be a healing period, which lasts a few weeks, and there will be some swelling during this time. Once that swelling dissipates, though, your chest should immediately look much flatter. This is because the surgical process involves the removal of both fatty tissue and glandular tissue from the breasts, which decreases their volume substantially.
Con: You need to be in good overall health
Like any surgery, this one has risks. It has to be performed under anesthesia, which means you need to be healthy enough to go under anesthesia. You also need to be healthy enough for your body to heal the incisions post-surgery. If you have an underlying health condition, such as a heart problem, your doctor may tell you that you're not a good candidate for gynecomastia surgery.
Pro: You can tailor your results
To some degree, you can tailor the way your chest looks post-surgery. For instance, you can have your doctor remove a little more or less glandular tissue, depending on how much chest volume you want to retain. You can ask for a more sculpted look, or for a little more fat to be left behind, resulting in a fuller look. With non-invasive treatments, you have far less control over your final appearance.
Con: You will have scars
Surgeons make the incisions as small as possible when performing gynecomastia surgery, but they are generally still a few inches long, and there will be one under each breast. These scars will fade over time, but they will likely always be present to some degree.
Is gynecomastia surgery right for you? Consider these pros and cons, and talk to a surgeon near you to learn more. You deserve to feel comfortable and confident before booking this procedure.
Contact a local doctor to learn more about gynecomastia treatments.