Male breast Reduction…

It’s taken me three years to talk openly about this, but if this post can help just one man who’s in the position that I was three years ago, it’s a topic worth discussing.

In 2019 I underwent male breast reduction surgery, also known as gynecomastia surgery.

First off, what is gynecomastia?

Gynecomastia is an overdevelopment or enlargement of the breast tissue in men or boys. It is often caused by changes in levels of the hormones estrogen and testosterone.

The problem with gynecomastia is that once developed the only option is surgery. Although through diet and exercise we can improve the overall aesthetics making this issues less prominent, gyno itself can not be corrected by diet and exercise (contrary to what some will tell you). That said, anybody who’s thinking about surgery is recommended to get themselves in to the best possible physical condition first in order to achieve the best results and quick recovery post-op.

So as somebody’s who was otherwise very confident, and who’s always taken pride in my body shape, this was a shadow hanging over me that determined what I could wear and how I held myself in certain clothes and situations.

But the truth is, I was ignorant to the real problem. In my eyes, I had ‘man boobs’ and that was that. It wasn’t until I got chatting to a client who I knew was a surgeon that I realised:

a) what the real problem was

b) that it could be fairly easily (in terms of minor surgery) be corrected.

It wasn’t long before I was in the consultation room being drawn on with marker pen. With some trepidation, I decided to go ahead and book the surgery.

Before we talk about the long term effects (mental and physical) let’s briefly chat about the procedure and post op. Although under general anaesthetic, It was quick and I was home within the day. Aside from some localised discomfort I was able to get back to normal day to day activities within a few days, and back to exercise within a few weeks.

Physically, the results were 100 times better than I’d ever have imagined. It was gone! I had a ‘normal’ chest for the first time in my adult life. The scars healed flawlessly and within a short number of months we’re totally invisible and I could suddenly wear a tight T-shirt and see the shoulders that I work hard for rather than just nipples!! (That’s all I could see when I looked in a mirror!!)

The effects mentally were instant and although this sounds extreme, life changing.

Up until recently I kept this under wraps (much like my pre-op nips!!) but having recently had a conversation with somebody who’s where I was three years ago, I decide to suck it up and talk about it. Maybe after this post somebody will want to pick my brains, maybe it’ll plant a seed for somebody or maybe it’ll encourage others to talk more openly - I don’t know.

What I do know is having this conversation with this individual recently helped him come to terms with and feel more confident with his decision to opt for surgery.