According to the NIH (National Institute of Health), upwards of 70% of boys in early- to mid-puberty experience gynecomastia due to natural hormonal fluctuations. However, 65% of middle-aged and older men also experience this embarrassing, uncomfortable condition. At Body By Bloch in Glenview, IL, Dr. Steven Bloch, M.D. believes every man should be happy and confident in his own skin. That is why he proudly offers male breast reduction, arguably the most effective treatment for gynecomastia.
10 Benefits of Male Breast Reduction for Gynecomastia Treatment
1. It Enhances Confidence and Self-Esteem
Besides the obvious physical changes of gynecomastia comes not-so-obvious side effects. Hundreds of thousands of men who suffer from gynecomastia also suffer from depression due to their poor body image. Insecurities can also trigger social anxiety, which can make it harder to earn or ask for a raise at work, meet new people and take part in spontaneous activities, such as a trip to the pool or a pick-up game of basketball.
You may not even realize how much your gynecomastia is affecting your mental health. Our clients find that after their procedure they feel more comfortable in and out of their shirts and enjoy life much more. If you struggle to talk to women or wear a muscle shirt at the gym, male breast reduction may be just what you need to take back control of your life.
2. It Offers a More Masculine Figure
Society has a very good idea of what men and women are supposed to look like. Women are supposed to have hips and a bust proportionate to each other and smaller than their waist. Men should have a toned, sculpted chest, large traps, bulky rhomboids, long lats, larger anterior delts and a torso that tapers down to the hips.
You can have perfectly toned back muscles, but strong, bulky pectoral muscles can pronounce the fact that you have the same glandular tissue in your chest as women do. One of the most significant benefits of breast reduction for gynecomastia treatment is the return to a masculine appearance.
If you’ve already done all the heavy loaded incline presses in the world, everyone will be able to see and appreciate the definition of your chest. Breast reduction for men may also include liposuction of the flanks to help you achieve the tapered, masculine look that women love. Start rowing or swimming to build your back muscles and nobody will ever know that you suffered from gynecomastia at one point. With just nine to 12 months in the gym, the future is yours.
3. It Makes It Easier to Maintain a Healthy Weight
Not everyone with gynecomastia is overweight. But maintaining a healthy weight is incredibly difficult for men who suffer from the condition. All that excess adipose and glandular tissue can make physical activity uncomfortable or even painful.
Swimming, one of the best ways to maintain a healthy weight, cardiovascular system and pulmonary system, is too embarrassing for many men. Any sport involving running or jumping can lead to painful tissue bouncing. Compression shirts just don’t cut it, and there are no sports bras for men.
By removing excess skin, adipose and glandular tissue with breast reduction for men, you don’t just have the self-confidence to engage in calorie-torching activities. You’re also no longer held back by discomfort and pain. If you loved lacrosse or backyard football as a kid but find you can’t do it anymore, and you believe a smaller chest would allow you to get back into your favorite physical activities, you may be the perfect candidate for breast reduction for men.
4. It Can Alleviate Back Pain
Lower back pain isn’t just for women with significantly augmented breasts. Breasts can cause severe chronic back pain for men, too. If you have a substantial chest and don’t have the back muscles to support it, your upper spine can round extensively and become permanently disfigured. Over time, this causes a permanent hunch and chronic spinal pain. Depending on the severity of the gynecomastia and poor posture, the spinal pain can reach all the way down to the buttocks and low back region.
The worst part about spine pain is it worsens your posture is you can’t push past the pain to achieve proper posture. When your spine becomes deformed, proper posture becomes next to impossible. The strength of your entire core can be compromised, making you look reserved or withdrawn.
Who wants to approach someone who looks like he is terrified of talking to people? Some men ever bring this problem on themselves by slouching on purpose to minimize the appearance of their chest. With a smaller chest, you can stand straight, tall and proud, exuding confidence and approachability. With time, you can strengthen your weakened core and upper back muscles and alleviate back pain.
5. It Frees Your Mind
When you’re self-conscious about your body, you can find the same few negative thoughts running through your mind constantly. Which shirts do I have in my closet that fit the most comfortably? Will this shirt hide my condition well enough for my board meeting today? Has she noticed my breasts? Is that guy on the treadmill staring at my chest? These thoughts are unproductive and just a few that men suffering from gynecomastia think about repeatedly throughout the course of the day.
Gynecomastia treated by male breast reduction will free your mind so you can think about the important things in life, like how comfortably all your shirts fit, how great your chest looks in all your shirts, how to tell the girl at the gym that you love the rims on her truck and how to outline to your supervisor all the contributions you’ve made over the past 18 months which mean you deserve a 10% raise. Don’t let intrusive thoughts about your chest keep you from achieving all your goals in life. Schedule an appointment with Dr. Steven Bloch, M.D. at Body By Bloch in Glenview, IL.
6. It’s Right for Nearly Anyone
If you’re obese, we encourage you to try to lose weight before seeking breast reduction for gynecomastia treatment. You may be mistaking fatty tissue for glandular tissue. If your male breasts are caused by excess fat rather than glandular tissue, liposuction may be a better treatment than breast reduction. Ask your physician to help you create a diet and exercise program you can stick to until you get closer to a healthy body fat percentage.
Breast reduction for gynecomastia may also be wrong for you if you consume alcohol in excess, smoke marijuana or take anabolic steroids. However, if none of these apply to you, you’re in good general health, you have realistic expectations about the results and you don’t suffer from a blood disease, there is an excellent chance that you’re a good candidate for this procedure. During your initial consultation, we will review your lifestyle, medical history and health to determine if breast reduction or liposuction is right for you.
7. The Procedure Is Quick
Breast reduction for gynecomastia is performed on an outpatient basis under local anesthesia and sedation or general anesthesia. This means you will feel no pain or discomfort during your procedure, you’ll be asleep the entire time and you can go home after a brief observation period on the same day as your procedure. The procedure itself only takes between 90 to 120 minutes, so you won’t even spend the whole day in our state-of-the-art facility for the entire day to improve the rest of your life.
During the procedure, an incision is made, usually around the nipple, to remove the glandular tissue and fat tissue from your breast. Depending on how much fat you need removed, liposuction may also be performed using the same incisions as were made for the breast reduction. Once all excess skin has been removed and the remaining skin has been tightened, the incisions are closed and the procedure is over.
8. Recovery Is Quick
You will only need to take analgesics to mitigate the risk of discomfort for around 72 hours after your procedure. Wearing a compression garment for the first one to two weeks mitigates the risk of discomfort from swelling and speeds the recovery process. After a month, you are free to go back to any activity you previously enjoyed, including vigorous exercise, and countless activities you were previously too self-conscious or uncomfortable to enjoy.
While a month might seem like a long time to “be in recovery”, it’s really only heavy weight lifting that’s restricted for this extended time. Even better, you’ll only be out of work for at most seven calendar days. Besides, who doesn’t need a whole business week off from work to read and play video games?
9. You’ll Enjoy Long-Lasting Results
The results of breast reduction for gynecomastia are considered permanent. Once the fat cells are removed from the chest, they cannot grow back. However, depending on genetics, you may find that if you gain a significant amount of fat in the future, the remaining fat cells in your chest will expand. If the initial trigger of your gynecomastia, such as hormonal imbalances, was accurately diagnosed and treated, you will not develop any more glandular tissue in your chest.
There are essentially four steps in ensuring permanent results from male breast reduction for gynecomastia treatment. First, diagnose and treat the cause of the gynecomastia if it is indeed glandular tissue and not excess adipose tissue. Second, maintain a healthy weight so there is no risk of fat cells in the chest expanding.
Third, abstain from smoking marijuana and drinking alcohol to excess. Fourth, do not take anabolic steroids unless prescribed by your doctor. If your doctor prescribes anabolic steroids, let him know of your history of gynecomastia and he may prescribe a medication that is safer for you.
10. You’ll Have Unlimited Wardrobe Options
You can’t wear baggy shirts to the office, but you may have been shying away from tighter, better-fitting shirts. Now, you can shop with confidence for form-fitting shirts that aren’t several sizes too large for your stomach. You’ll feel more comfortable, look more confident and attract much more of the right kind of attention when you wear clothes that fit your new, masculine form after breast reduction for gynecomastia correction.
Discover the Best Treatment for Your Gynecomastia Today
Male breast reduction is one of the best treatments for gynecomastia because it is so effective and offers so many benefits. To determine if this procedure is right for you, contact Body By Bloch in Glenview, IL today to schedule your initial consultation. Dr. Steven Bloch, M.D. will review the severity of your condition, medical history, current health and goals to determine the safest, most effective treatment plan for you.
