Are There Any Chances To Develop Gynecomastia Again After Surgery?
Did you know that gynecomastia affects about every 1 in 4 men between the ages of 50 to 80? Shocking it is! In fact, the cause of Gynecomastia is the unbalancing of estrogen and testosterone levels in males.
Moreover, it further causes an enlargement in the breast gland tissue. The individual might also experience slight pain or tenderness over time or even swelling in some cases.
Notably, it is possible that this problem may go away on its own but if it persists then surgery is the only way to cure it.
Factors To Consider:
Some factors that increase its probability are:
- Obesity
- Anabolic steroids
- Contaminated environment
- Kidney failures especially when they are not able to filter blood properly
- Illegal drugs
- Thyroid problems as it is responsible for the regulation of hormones
- Injury or disease that is affecting the testicles
- Liver disease
- Cancers, or tumors in lungs or pituitary gland, etc.
Bear in mind that if you leave this condition untreated, then the appearance of the male breast will typically get worse. What’s even worse? The progressive years will cause the individual to gain weight along with the loss of elasticity in the skin. if so happens, they will have to face sagging similar to women.
What About The Procedure?
Non-surgical alternatives adopted sometimes for its treatment are as follows;
- Dieting
- Change in lifestyle
- Exercise
- Pills
But all of these are used only for mild gynecomastia.
What’s more? When the doctor diagnoses gynecomastia, he will refer the individual to an endocrinologist who specializes in the study of hormones.
He will prescribe an efficient treatment plan depending upon the following factors;
- Your age
- Health
- Past medical issues (if there are any)
- Response to medical drugs will also affect your treatment.
The Prescription:
Thinking of the prescription? Your doctor might prescribe you the following;
- Blood tests
- Urine samples
- Biopsy
- MRI scans
- CT scans
- Mammograms
- Testicular ultrasounds
Adding more to this, surgical treatments involve liposuction and gland incision. This procedure doesn’t require any admission to the hospital and it usually takes two hours.
The Side Effects:
The side effects may include bruising of the chest area, pain or discomfort, swelling, or even numbness. However, these are temporary and subside from 7 to 14 days.
The Post Surgery Recommendation:
It is compulsory for the patient to follow the surgeon’s post-surgery recommendations. The results are instantaneous and long-lasting. Noticeably, the fat and the glandular tissues are the main causes of gynecomastia and when they are removed there are very slim chances of recurrence.
After the surgery, the individuals might experience some discomfort and swelling in the breast area. Therefore, the chest area is wrapped with a compression garment. The doctor also provides instructions that are helpful in reducing swelling.
Gynecomastia And Male Breast Cancer:
Individuals suffering from gynecomastia are 5 times more susceptible to developing male breast cancer in comparison to the general population. Although this condition does not trigger cancer the imbalance in the hormone levels might later become the cause of it as per research.
Gynecomastia And Its Complications:
Gynecomastia contributes a lot to individuals’ mental health and social life. People suffering from it may feel embarrassed or insecure about their bodies. In addition to this, anxiety and depression soon follow if this condition persists.
In fact, most boys going through puberty may develop this condition but it goes away on its own during the period of 6 months to 3 years. But if it gets worse or reoccurs, you should seek out a permanent solution immediately.
Participating in support groups or talking with your friends and family will help in understanding those feelings and allow you to look for solutions.
Reasons Why Gynecomastia Might Occur Again:
Keep remembering that the results are permanent in most of the cases. Anyhow, if the person maintains a healthy lifestyle along with optimal body weight, there could be multiple reasons responsible for gynecomastia to reoccur. Especially, if the procedure has not been done right in the first place or the exact location has not been targeted during the procedure.
Some other reasons are also given as follows:
- If the initial cause of gynecomastia was the use of marijuana or other drugs then if the consumption is not halted even after the surgery or lessened, this issue might occur again.
- Similarly, if the cause was a pituitary or adrenal tumor that has been left untreated or undiagnosed then the same issue might reoccur.
- Some cases have also been reported where this issue reoccurred when the individual gained weight followed by a breast reduction surgery. Although the fat cells that are removed will not grow back the continuous weight gain might cause the remaining fat cells to grow bigger.
- Other reasons might be the use of certain medications or hormonal imbalance if left untreated. Patients are made to wait for at least six weeks allowing their body to heal and get clearance before indulging in weight training and continued exercise.
However, you cannot get rid of gynecomastia just by doing exercise or losing weight if it reoccurs as pseudo gynecomastia is a completely separate condition where fat cells develop around the chest area possibly due to obesity.
The Takeaway:
As we have deduced that there are possibly very slim chances of developing this condition again but there always a probability. You just need to keep a close eye on any changes that you might feel and get it checked immediately.
Above all, always seek an expert cosmetic surgeon such as Dr. Arif Hussain. Holding years of experience and with hundreds of successful gynecomastia procedures, he is there to do the job meticulously.
