Can I Still Have Man Boob Surgery: Part II

A while back, we wrote a “what if” blog post to address questions guys often pose online and in our man boobs consultation appointments in South Florida. The aim was to answer frequent gynecomastia questions from men who wonder if they’re candidates for surgery if they have a chronic condition, take certain medications and so on.

Now, we’d like to take on some of the “infrequently asked” questions we hear about going ahead with man boob surgery in New York. With the caveat that patients almost always need a quick visit to their primary care physician for the thumbs up, here are our views:

• I had a staph infection at one time, will surgery be safe?

If you have had a staph infection in the past, we’ll want to talk over why it may have occurred. You may be one of the estimated 30% of people who carry staphylococcus aureus on their skin or inside their nose. You may have been infected due to a weakened immune system, a chronic disease or a hospital stay.

As we discuss man boob surgery, we’ll talk about extra precautions we can take to ensure bacteria stay far away from your surgical sites. You’ll be glad to know that your incisions will very likely be tiny and well covered after surgery. Furthermore, you will not be staying with us for more than a few hours. With a little extra vigilance, there should be no reason you would contract a staph infection from gynecomastia surgery.

• I am prone to keloid scars—should I go ahead with man boob surgery?

Keloid scars do occur on the chest, but we don’t see them often in our practice. For one thing, the small nicks we use for minimal scar surgery—at the side of the chest and sometimes at the base of the areolas—don’t usually trigger keloid growth. For another thing, we ask our patients to wear a compression garment for a time after surgery. This helps tissues remain flat.

Should a raised scar develop, we can treat it with cortisone injections, silicone gel or silicone strips. On rare occasions we may recommend laser treatment. We’ll discuss the possibilities during your in-person appointment with us.

• Can I still have moob surgery if I have chest acne?

The double whammy of enlarged breasts and chest acne can be hard to bear. Maybe it’s time to deal with both!
What we mean to say is, you can probably still have man boob surgery with us if your acne is under control or at least quiet. Some people can manage their own cases with the increasingly effective over-the-counter remedies available, but for others, heading to a dermatologist to seek expert care is a good idea. Typically the doctor will start with less drastic treatment (prescription creams) and progress to more aggressive methods as needed. If you need a more aggressive approach to clear your skin long enough for surgery, you don’t necessarily need to continue it forever.

• What about a case of psoriasis? Is surgery still do-able?

Our view on operating when guys have psoriasis is similar to our feelings about acne. Male breast reduction can be done on guys with psoriasis, but we feel much more comfortable about going ahead if your dermatologist approves and if your chest skin is clear. Given the availability of effective medications today, we would want you to try to rid your chest of plaques in the area where incisions would be needed.

• I can’t swallow pills easily, how will I manage discomfort?

This question is an easy one! Oral painkillers can be formulated as liquids rather than capsules or pills. At worst, you may have to visit a compounding pharmacy to get medication in liquid form, but it’s really not a problem.

You’ll be glad to know that most of our man boobs patients report mild, sometimes moderate discomfort after surgery. Some take Tylenol only, and if you can’t take pills, you probably already have some liquid Tylenol on hand. But you should be prepared with something stronger and we’ll discuss that with you.

Good news for you: we have thirty plus years of experience specializing in man boob surgery in, and we have handled it all. The best thing to do is come in for a consultation and let’s talk about your man boobs and related health conditions. We are ready!

Contact us and we’ll get back to you.

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