Gynecomastia has been a focus of my practice for over 15 years.
As a body contouring surgeon, I have always had a passion for helping my patients to look and feel their best. My goal is to deliver a safe, exemplary result that fits your aesthetic and individual anatomy. It’s why I am always incredibly honest about what any given procedure can and cannot achieve for your unique body.
While this is important with any body contouring procedure, it is especially critical with gynecomastia procedures.
If you’ve done your research online, then you know that there are various treatment options for improving the appearance of your chest. The simplest of these is liposuction while the most involved is male chest reduction surgery.
Almost every new gynecomastia patient who walks into one of my Boston area offices tells me that he wants liposuction to fix the full appearance in his chest. The problem, of course, is that not every patient is a candidate for liposuction alone. And if you want a long-lasting improvement, it makes no sense to spend the money and time on a procedure that will not get you where you want to go.
Why an In-Person Consultation Matters
This is one of the many reasons why I always encourage patients to schedule an in person consultation with a Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon, such as myself, who specializes in gynecomastia.
You want a surgeon with deep expertise, who is up to date on the latest techniques and who has a keen artistic eye.
I’ve always described body contouring procedures as existing at the crossroad between art and science.
And while your gynecomastia surgeon does not need to be male, I do feel that my gender gives me a deeper understanding of the male psyche, the emotional effects of gynecomastia as well as the best way to deliver your ideal chest contour.
Every Treatment Plan Is Personalized
It’s not about what is popular on social media. It’s about creating a treatment plan that will address the underlying causes of the fullness in your chest.
This may be due to:
- Excess fat
- Excess glandular tissue
- A combination of the two
Gynecomastia can be the result of a hormone imbalance, certain medications and/or recreational drugs.
The solution, therefore, needs to address the whole picture — your physical anatomy, desired outcome, diet and exercise regime, and lifestyle.
I will spend considerable time during our initial consultation going over all of these factors in detail.
Armed with this information, I can then utilize the deep knowledge that I’ve gathered in my 15 years performing hundreds of successful gynecomastia procedures to devise the best treatment plan for giving you the smooth, flat chest of your dreams.
Gynecomastia in Boston
Understanding Gynecomastia
Gynecomastia is an incredibly common medical condition that exhibits as an unwanted fullness in the chest. It is estimated that up to 36% of young men and 57% of older men in the Boston area exhibit some degree of gynecomastia.
Often derisively referred to as “man boobs”, this unwanted chest fullness may be the result of an increase in breast glandular tissue, fat or a combination of the two.
Treatment Options
There are several different treatment options for improving the appearance of your chest. These include:
- Liposuction
- Male Chest Reduction Surgery
- Extended Male Chest Reduction Surgery
The ideal one for you is always going to depend on your:
- Individual anatomy
- Desired outcome
- Underlying cause(s) of chest fullness
Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Sean Doherty, has devoted his career to helping his patients look and feel more comfortable in their skin. Body contouring procedures are his area of expertise, but gynecomastia is also a personal passion.
For over 15 years, he has helped men in the Boston area to achieve a smoother, flatter chest. He understands how emotionally and physically upsetting this condition can be as well as the fact that most men do not like the idea of a surgical intervention.
While his goal is to deliver a safe, exemplary, natural looking result with minimal downtime, he is also adamant about being completely honest as to what any given procedure can or cannot achieve on your unique body.
The internet has been an incredibly positive resource for men as it allows you to educate yourself on options within the privacy of your own home. It has also helped to normalize gynecomastia, removing much of the stigma and shame that kept many men from even discussing their chest dissatisfaction with their own doctor.
This is fantastic.
The only downside to the web is that the advice is not individualized. While liposuction may have worked for your favorite influencer, it might not be the right option for your needs. This is why it is so important to schedule an in-person consultation.
Gynecomastia Consultation in Boston
For any treatment plan to work, it has to be the right one for your anatomy and desired outcome.
During your meeting, Dr. Doherty will listen closely to what it is that bothers you about your body contour. He will ask detailed questions into your family history, medical history, lifestyle, any prior procedures that you may have had, aesthetic or otherwise, as well as how your body recovered.
Healing is individual so your answers are a critical component in establishing your body’s baseline of healing.
Some of these lifestyle questions may feel intrusive. However, it is imperative that you be incredibly honest. There are a variety of things that could be adversely affecting the appearance of your chest including many medical and recreational drugs.
Oftentimes, if the latter is a factor, stopping said drug could resolve your issue without any further procedure.
After your in-depth conversation, Dr. Doherty will perform a thorough physical exam to assess:
- Degree of extra fat
- Presence of excess breast glandular tissue
- Skin laxity, if any
As mentioned, most men prefer the idea of liposuction for improving their chest contour, but this will only work for patients whose gynecomastia is the result of excess fat alone.
In my experience, most men with a too full looking chest are going to need some form of gynecomastia surgery.
One of the deciding factors in devising an appropriate treatment plan is assessing your specific type of gynecomastia.
Types of Gynecomastia
In general, gynecomastia is due to a hormone imbalance between your estrogen and testosterone levels. This is why it often manifests during puberty and the 50’s. Even babies can exhibit this condition.
While younger patients sometimes grow out of their full looking chest, this is not the case with most older patients.
Furthermore, as mentioned, there are also any number of lifestyle choices that may be affecting the appearance of your chest.
In my Boston area practices, I generally divide the types of gynecomastia into the following categories:
- Adolescent
- Adult
- Senior
- Weight Loss
- Pseudogynecomastia
- Steroid Associated Gynecomastia
It surprises many patients to discover that all men have some degree of estrogen. When this level gets too high, the end result is gynecomastia.
Furthermore, like women, your hormone levels fluctuate with age. The first three types of gynecomastia reflect this fact.
Weight Loss & Gynecomastia
GLP-1 drugs have profoundly changed the weight loss landscape.
Many patients who have struggled with trimming down excess pounds despite embracing a healthful diet and exercise regime are now able to reach their goal weight. This is a boom for their self-esteem and overall health.
However, many weight loss patients have also carried around 10 or more extra pounds for decades. And though much of the fat is now gone, you may find that you are left with excess skin and/or pockets of fat in the wrong places.
An appropriate gynecomastia procedure allows Dr. Doherty to rejuvenate your chest by removing unwanted fat in order to resculpt the chest contour, excise any loose skin and possibly reposition the nipple and areola so that they are centered on your sleeker looking chest.
Understanding Pseudogynecomastia
As mentioned, doing your research online is overall a positive thing. It’s important to keep in mind, however, that many of those posting on social media are not actually medical professionals. And they will oftentimes use terms interchangeably that actually refer to two distinct conditions.
This is the case with pseudogynecomastia and gynecomastia.
The former refers to a type of gynecomastia that is due to excess fat only. This stubborn fat is generally located in your pectoral region.
The first course of action with pseudogynecomastia patients is to see what kind of improvement can be obtained through changes in diet and exercise.
For many patients, adopting a more healthful lif
Steroid Associated Gynecomastia
The last type of gynecomastia is steroid associated gynecomastia.
Many men today are monitoring their testosterone levels and taking hormones. Appropriate HRT is not likely to cause your breasts to enlarge, but changes to the chest should be monitored while on HRT.
However, there are also some men who are injecting anabolic steroids in order to increase muscle mass. This type of steroid use can and does cause gynecomastia as your body will convert any excess testosterone into estrogen. This then creates the hormone imbalance that leads to breast tissue growth.
Again, going off the steroids may improve your chest contour without any additional gynecomastia procedure.
For men who still have bothersome glandular tissue, gynecomastia surgery will likely improve the appearance of steroid associated gynecomastia.
It’s important to accept that if you subsequently decide to go back to using anabolic steroids, however, your improved chest contour results may not last.
Schedule Your Consultation
To find out more about treatment options for gynecomastia with Dr. Sean Doherty at his Boston or Chestnut Hill offices, contact us today at (617) 450-0070 to schedule a consultation.
