The Survey Says: Gynecomastia Surgery 98% “Worth It”

If you have ever wondered whether men who choose gynecomastia surgery find the procedure “worth it,” you don’t need to speculate any longer. RealSelf just announced its “2020 Most Worth It Ranking” – a list of top-rated cosmetic procedures as rated by patients. Gynecomastia surgery tied for third place on the list of worthwhile surgical procedures, an impressive result indeed.

Patients ranked man boob surgery as 98% worthwhile, the same as female breast reduction patients and breast augmentation patients. Only one form of weight loss surgery and one model of breast implants were ranked more highly by RealSelf members.www.realself.com

The View from South Florida

Gynecomastia surgery is a procedure we have performed and perfected for over three decades. As pioneers of male breast reduction, we witnessed very early procedures that tended to be lengthy, require drains, leave noticeable scars and produce reasonable to not-so-great results. Having designed our own instruments and developed techniques that minimize OR time, blood loss and tissue trauma, our typical Boca Raton gynecomastia patient experiences a very manageable recovery period, no drains, minimal scarring and great results.

While we don’t perform statistical analysis on patient satisfaction rates, we would hazard a guess that at least 98% of our gynecomastia patients are quite happy with their results. We believe this is due to the expertise we have gained in thirty years of practice, and also because of the huge sense of relief guys experience when their chest looks normal and masculine. Many patients comment that surgery is truly “life-changing.”

Pros and Cons of Gynecomastia Surgery

The overview of male breast reduction on RealSelf offers clues as to why the procedure is so highly rated. For most patients, surgery is performed on an outpatient basis, meaning they’re home to rest the same day. Most importantly, results are permanent as long as patients don’t gain huge amounts of weight down the road or use certain medications.

The only real “con” mentioned is scarring, which for most guys is very light. Risks and complications are possible, as with any surgery, but the article notes that these are minimal when patients choose a board certified plastic surgeon with plenty of experience.

The few guys who give man boob surgery a thumbs-down on RealSelf tend to have chosen surgeons who used local anesthesia only, performed liposuction only and/or are not board certified in plastic surgery. Some traveled outside the U.S. in order to save a few dollars.

Gynecomastia Surgery and “Pseudogynecomastia”

There’s one main difference in the way we view man boobs, compared to the overview on RealSelf. It may seem inconsequential at first, but it can be behind a “not worth it” rating by some patients, as we hinted above.
Guys whose breasts seem to contain plenty of fatty tissue are often diagnosed with “pseudogynecomastia.” The RealSelf article mentions this as a possibility—that some guys have breasts made up of fat only. We’ve argued for years that physicians should drop that idea.

It is true that overweight guys may have breasts that are mostly fat. One thing to know is that, since fat tissues produce their own hormones, even hefty guys will have extra breast gland that needs to be eliminated. And this gland can be challenging to remove in that it tends to be interlaced with fat tissue. Another important thing to realize is that it’s impossible to tell what’s under the skin until incisions are made. Fat can feel lumpy, like gland tissue, and breast glands can feel soft, like fat.

This is why we:

• Create a flexible surgical plan for each patient
• Are ready for anything we discover once we get “in there”
• Quote a fee for surgery and stick to it, no matter what we find
• Use instruments of our design that can suction fat, gently remove gland and re-drape skin to lie smooth

Surgeons who want to perform liposuction only on men with so-called pseudogynecomastia tend to be doctors without the experience to know that both fat and gland need to be dealt with. They also may not know how to handle each type of tissue to create smooth, natural-looking contours. We have performed dozens and dozens of gynecomastia revision procedures for their patients.

What This Means for You

In our view, the chief takeaway from the impressive RealSelf ranking for gynecomastia is how guys—some initially reluctant to commit to surgery—say they feel after healing. Those who are satisfied with their results encourage other men to take the plunge:

“Don’t wait,” they say. “Self-confidence alone is worth the money.” “My only regret is that I did not do this sooner.”

Are you ready to take the next step? Call us at 561-367-9101 for a no-obligation consultation today.