Gynecomastia Surgery BEFORE & AFTERS | Patient 22015

Patient Details

There is a lot of advanced, real life information to learn from this case. This is a Zone 1 gynecomastia before and after that was seen in the office for follow up recently. I try to get patients back in for follow up and photos when possible so I can see how they are progressing and possibly use their case to provide education for those who suffer from gynecomastia.

My nurse told me that he was doing well and that he was happy. I hear this all the time from my nurses but I often don’t believe them….sometimes my peeps show up in the office because they have some issues or concerns. There is a big difference in how my patients interact with my nurses and how they engage me. I saw that his new chest was hugely better than what he had. Large masses were removed. I did notice that he has some fine skin creases about the nipple-areola complexes. This was a clue. I asked him if he was a weight loss patient and low and behold he told me he lost 100 pounds! This explains the imperfect retraction of his skin because it had lost all its elasticity with his weight loss.

But there is more to this story. I wasn’t sure if he was “owning” his new chest. I wasn’t sure if he thought his chest was better off with treatment. I asked him if he took his shirt off in public and he said never. I asked him why he didn’t do that as his chest looks quite good. We talked about the psychological issues related to gynecomastia and I suggested that maybe he visit with a therapist. He then told me that he sees a therapist already. So this tells me that he has underlying psychological issues that may interfere with his ability to accept and embrace his new chest. More information from him included that he has anorexia as well. This indicates a much higher degree of psychological input into his inability to accept his new chest.

What is the moral of the story? Simply put, it’s one thing improving the physical appearance of a mans chest who has gynecomastia, it’s another story in some cases to make them embrace their change for the better so they are HAPPY. There is a mind-body connection with gynecomastia. I want all my patient’s to recovery both physically and mentally but this is not always the case. Body Dysmorphia/Muscle Dysmorphia is very real and is likely to be involved in almost a third of my patients! I do my best to work with them to help achieve the ultimate goal of mental and physical well being but it’s fair to say that the psychological component of treatment can be beyond my expertise and the benefits of an excellent “therapist” may help.