Gynecomastia, a common condition characterized by the abnormal development of male breast tissue, can be caused by hormonal imbalances or the use of certain medications. In contrast, people typically gain excess fat in the chest due to weight gain and can reduce it through diet and exercise. It’s important to distinguish gynecomastia vs fat in order to determine the most appropriate treatment options.
Gynecomastia differs from regular chest fat in that it’s caused by excessive glandular breast tissue in the pectoral region. Fat can congregate in the chest due to weight gain and it responds to diet and exercise. Gynecomastia, however, often requires surgical treatment.
It is important to note that while both conditions can cause the appearance of breast tissue in males, they are not the same and require different approaches to treatment. Here we can help you learn more about gynecomastia vs fat, symptoms and treatment options respectively.
While gynecomastia sometimes clears up on its own, it typically requires surgical treatment. Surgery can be performed under intravenous sedation or general anesthesia depending on patient needs.
In many cases, liposuction in addition to excision of glandular tissue may be necessary for proper contouring of the chest.
Breast liposuction removes excess fat tissue that does not go away with diet and exercise. It is a surgical procedure. The surgeon will use a hollow stainless steel tube called cannula. Dr will insert the cannula through small incisions in the skin and suction out the excess fat. The surgeon will do this to treat gynecomastia, a condition that causes the development of excess breast tissue in men.”
The specialist surgeon may recommend excision surgery if you have excess glandular tissue or skin causing a feminine breast-like appearance. This procedure will help reducing the size of the chest. It involves removing excess glandular tissues and excess skin around the breast through an incision around the nipple-areola complex (peri-areolar incision). After removing excess skin, the nipple, areola complex may be repositioned giving your chest a chiselled manly look. Excision surgery allows the surgeon to remove excess glandular tissues and/or excess skin that liposuction alone would not be able to treat sufficiently.
Men who gain weight in their chests may develop the appearance of enlarged breasts, or “man boobs.” If this situation happened due to excess fat accumulation in the chest area, changing lifestyle would help to get rid of that.
There are several ways to lose chest fat, but it’s important to keep in mind that spot reduction is not possible. This means that you cannot target chest fat specifically when trying to lose weight. Instead, you will need to focus on losing fat overall through a combination of diet and exercise. Here are a few tips that can help:
Any surgical procedure carries risks and needs an adequate recovery period. Always seek a second opinion from a qualified professional.
The results post-operatively are usually permanent in most cases but there could be a need for repeat surgery to treat complications or in cases with suboptimal results. It is essential to adhere to a healthy lifestyle post-surgery. Significant weight gain, steroid use, or certain medical situations can result in a recurrence of gynaecomastia. Additionally, drugs that affect testosterone levels could also influence the results.
Surgical options such as male breast tissue removal and liposuction may be necessary for those with hormonal imbalances or a genetic predisposition to reduce breast size. For those with obesity, a combination of diet and exercise may also help reduce or eliminate man breasts. In some cases, a combination of both glandular tissue removal and liposuction may be required.
The gynecomastia surgery cost can vary based on several factors, but the starting price is $12,270. It’s important to note that the final cost may be influenced by factors such as the extent of the procedure, the surgeon’s experience, the location of the surgical facility, anesthesia fees, and any additional services required.
If you are still struggling differentiating fat vs gynecomastia, book a consultation session with Specialist Plastic Surgeon Dr. Doyle at Gold Coast Plastic Surgery in Gold Coast.
Dr Mark Doyle is a Specialist Plastic Surgeon with over thirty years of experience performing Breast, Body, Face and Nose surgery. Dr Doyle is a fully qualified Specialist Plastic Surgeon with 30+ years of experience. He has completed all required training and only carries out approved surgical practices. There are absolutely NO undertrained doctors or cosmetic doctors acting as surgeons in our clinic.
As a highly esteemed plastic surgeon, Dr Mark is committed to achieving the best possible results for all his breast, body, face and nose patients, both men and women.