During a male breast reduction, men with enlarged breast tissue often need excision surgery to remove it. Glandular tissue is too thick to be easily suctioned out with liposuction, so surgeons need to cut it out using a scalpel; this is known as excision.
If the composition of the patient’s breast area is more glandular tissue than fatty tissue, excision will be used. One way of ascertaining whether or not excision is necessary is by looking at the amount of overall excess tissue. If the patient is overweight, liposuction may make more sense, but if the excess tissue is mostly concentrated in the breast area, excision is needed.
Patients undergoing a male breast reduction procedure are first given either general anesthesia or local anesthesia with sedation. An incision is then created on the edge of the areola or sometimes in the armpit. Typically, excision surgery requires use of the areola edge site, since this allows for the easiest access to the glandular tissue. The armpit site is more likely to be used in conjunction with liposuction of fatty breast tissue.
Endoscopic male breast reduction is sometimes also an option. An endoscope is a small medical tool that features a camera and a light. It is connected to a large television monitor in the operating room. It allows surgeons to create several very small incisions and then look inside them, greatly increasing accuracy. The smaller cuts lead to a shorter recovery time for the surgery.
After the incision is made, the surgeon uses a scalpel to carefully excise any excess glandular tissue from around the areola and from the bottom and sides of the breast area. The nipples and areolae may need to be moved as a result of the breast area’s newly reduced contours. Because the breast contains both fatty and glandular tissue, excision and liposuction are often used during the same procedure.
Being educated is one of the most important aspects of male breast reduction. Your next step is setting up a consultation. Doctors Marcelo Ghersi and Jason Altman are acclaimed, board-certified plastic surgeons in the Miami area. Contact our office today and set up an appointment.