The American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons’ (ASPS) monthly publication, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery®, provided some excellent results for bodybuilders who have gynecomastia.
Correcting overdeveloped breasts in men is done via cosmetic surgery and is often referred to as male breast reduction. Between 40 to 60 percent are diagnosed with gynecomastia and can be present in one or both breasts. It exists due to redundant glandular tissue growth or localized fat.
For some bodybuilders, the use of hormone supplements or anabolic steroids can play a role in gynecomastia.
Plastic surgeon and ASPS member, Dr .Mordcai Blau, and Dr. Ron Hazani co-authored this piece.
In the article, it highlights how Dr. Blau is considered an expert in breast reduction in men, having performed almost 1,600 surgeries for bodybuilders or other men in excellent physical condition.
The report highlighted more than 1,000 patients, ranging from 18 to 51 years old, had the surgery one to five years ago.
The men in the report did not have any indication of a disease which causes gynecomastia and were void of a hormonal disease. Gynecomastia is also caused by those who are overweight, too.
Rather than removing fat, the technique is different for bodybuilders.
The report states, “In contrast to other groups of gynecomastia patients, who tend to be overweight or obese, bodybuilders usually don’t need removal of excess fat or skin. It continues, “However, they do need special attention to prevent bleeding and scarring. Bleeding risk is higher because of increased blood flow in the highly developed chest muscles. Steroids and unregulated supplements including protein shakes, vitamins, and fish oils may also increase bleeding risk.”
In his report and analysis, Dr. Blau pointed out that bodybuilders are perfectionists in terms of body and structure. So the outcome and expectations of the surgery are quite high.
With that said, Dr. Blau shared how he performs the surgery through a mere one-inch incision, and the incision is located underneath the areola.
The report goes on to say how, “Dr. Blau highlights the need for complete removal of all breast gland tissue. After surgery, pathology reports usually show excessive development (hypertrophy) of the gland tissue, although a few patients had precancerous cells.”
According to Dr. Blau, most of his bodybuilding patients were “extremely satisfied” with the surgical outcome.
Dr. Blau also shared that the, “…vast majority of patients continued to use anabolic steroids. Because the gland was completely removed, there were no problems with recurrent gynecomastia.”
While every surgery has its own share of side effects for this particular procedure, complications were minor and infrequent. Only six percent experienced hematomas.
The article noted, “…these problems became less common after he [Dr. Blau] began providing stricter instructions regarding preoperative and postoperative care: stopping all use of steroids and supplements before surgery, and resuming exercise gradually after surgery.”
The article concluded that board certified plastic surgeons may begin to notice a surge in breast reduction surgery among male bodybuilders.
