Plastic surgery abroad - Latvia

Male breast reduction is a procedure to treat gynecomastia, development of abnormally large mammary glands in males. It means "woman" and "breast" from Greek. Gynecomastia may happen due to female hormones from the mother, because of distress, and in most cases due to obesity.
The difference between the breast enlargement caused by ill health and breast enlargement caused by other reasons is that it must be approached differently. It is not possible to cure gynecomastia which is not caused by health conditions.

Dealing with gynecomastia

Men with gynecomastia often avoid wearing tight clothing or affraid of being seen without shirts on. Normal everyday activities like swimming, sporting, sunbathing and sex are disrupted, because men feel embarrassed about own masculinity.
When the primary cause has been identified, one should see a surgeon to stop the enlarging. If the breast still keeps getting bigger, the surgery would be of no help. It may be necessary to have an x-ray, which in worst case scenario can help discover breast cancer. In any case, it reveals the condition of the breast which is essential for choosing the technique.

Gynecomastia can be treated only with breast reduction surgery. However, before having breast reduction, one should understand possible reasons for a disease. If the reason is overvweight, the surgeon can recommend sport and/or diet, and consider breast reduction surgery only if this did not work.

How male breast reduction surgery works

The breast reduction operation is performed as a rule under general anesthesia. The surgeon will make marks in places of future incisions. Techiques, employed for breast reduction were discussed in chapter about breast reduction for women. , but in overall it's as follows:

• a minor incision is made under the areola or under the armpit, and the fatty tissue sucked out through a slim tube- cannula, connected to pump, removing fatty tissue out of the breast.

• a minor incision is made under the areola or armpit and the excess mammary gland tissue will be removed surgically. The surgeon will use a scalpel as the mammary gland tissue is harder than the fatty tissue, and it is impossible to suck this out through the cannula.

If breast consists mostly of fatty tissue, liposuction is usually employed.
Liposuction and the surgical procedure are used because liposuction alone may not always give the desired result. The more tissue required to remove, the bigger the cut is made. If necessary, the excess skin is removed to avoid sagging.

• Size of nipples is corrected if they have expanded or protruded.
• the breasts need to be given a new shape, which is usually done by liposuction, but sometimes by changing the location of the breast tissue in the deeper layers. Otherwise, the breast may look unnatural.
• Finally the incision will be stitched with absorbable or nonabsorbable sutures.

Before and after male breast reduction surgery

One may need detailed examination of problematic areas and deciding the best individual method of treatment
It is likely that a mammogram or X-ray to be made to have a better understanding of breasts structure and whether there is more fatty or mammary gland tissue in the breast.
One need to provide a detailed medical history of his previous illnesses and current medical condition and medications he takes.
The surgeon must give guidelines about dietary requirements and alcohol and smoking limitations, because these habits reduce oxygen amount in a blood, hindering recovery process and leaving more noticeable scars.
Aspirin or medicinal herbs are also prohibited before the surgery; before taking any medications you need to consult your surgeon.

It is important to buy some painkillers as well. It is also wise to think through the possible alternatives for transportation from/to plastic surgery clinic and to find a help for the first couple of days when return at home. You should keep the scar area dry until the sutures are removed.

You need to wear special underwear for a couple of weeks and sutures will be removed in 8 days. It is recommended to keep the scar from direct sunshine for about 6 months as sunlight can change the scar pigmentation and make it darker. We recommend using silicone plasters afters the sutures have been removed.

Sport activities should be moderate in first 2 weeks, with gradual increase step by step since sport supports the recovery process. You may be asked to stop to avoid sexual activity for one or two weeks after breast reduction surgery. One should avoid lifting any weights. You can see the final results after 3 – 5 months.

Maintaining good shape

In gynecomastia body developa abnormally big mammary gland tissues, resulting in enlarged breasts. And this is not only one breasts suffers from the disease.
One should keep good shape following dietary and exercise requirements, because weight loss reduces size of breasts in most cases. However, in case the breast has enlarged as a result of increased mammary gland tissue, the outcome of exercise can be totally opposite. Surgery will guarantee flatter, firmer breasts with a more attractive shape.