How Much Does Gynecomastia Cost?

The cost of gynecomastia depends on the procedure. At our clinic, we offer...

Am I Eligible for Gynecomastia Surgery?

We only treat patients that have had a consultation with Dr. Hassan Nurein. This gives us the opportunity to correctly diagnose you and talk through different treatment options. However, if you are under...

What is gynecomastia?

Gynecomastia is enlarged male breast tissue; gyno means female, whereas mastia refers to breast, so gynecomastia is enlarged breast tissue in men, and it can range from puffy nipples to enlarged breast with excess skin.

What causes gynecomastia?

Most commonly we don't find a reason and blood tests for hormone levels come back as normal, but physiologically meaning normally, one may have enlarged breast tissue at birth due to maternal hormones, during puberty when male hormone production is increased or old age when there is imbalance of male to female ratio likely due to changes in production or breakdown of male hormones.

How do I know if I have gynecomastia?

Gynecomastia is enlarged breast tissue in men which can also be caused by fat deposit that is stubborn and not easy to lose. It can range from puffy nipples to enlarged breasts with excess skin. Not all cases of enlarged breast tissue need surgery however, if it is bothering you or if it is affecting your self-confidence or well being then you are likely to be suffering from gynecomastia.

What grade of gynecomastia am I?

Most surgeons use Simons classification for standardisation. For easier communication I grade gynecomastia in my patients according to how big the gland is and if there is skin laxity.

Can anabolic steroids cause gynecomastia?

Yes, men who use anabolic steroids can end up with enlarged breasts due to imbalance of sex hormones leading to enlarged breast tissue. The use of androgenic drugs or substances like androgenic steroids or prohormones or even some prescription medications side effects include gynecomastia.

How we treat gynecomastia

For glandular tissue only surgery can get rid of it as far as we know. And the way we treat gynecomastia depends on what you’re presenting with, the grade of your gynecomastia, it ranges from puffy nipples to large pendulous breasts with excess skin.

How do I know if I need gynecomastia surgery?

Some patients ask us how do they know if they have gynecomastia and need surgery.

Is the gynecomastia surgery procedure painful?

Everyone's pain threshold is different, luckily with our experience we are able to manage this including the anxiety and apprehension that comes with having this. We use local tumescent anaesthesia meaning you are awake during surgery. We start with injections which can sting initially but goes numb and we are able to do the surgery. Following surgery, the majority of the patients have some soreness for 2 days or so and In fact we only give Paracetamol which is usually enough.

How long does the gynecomastia surgery procedure last?

Depending on what type of gynecomastia surgery you are having done, it usually takes about 1 to 2 hours, depending on whether you're having skin excision, VASER liposuction or radiofrequency skin tightening.

Can you remove the whole gland?

During gynecomastia surgery we leave a bit of breast tissue under the areola, so that the areola doesn’t sink in. This means that what we leave behind is as important as what we take out. So that’s the reason why the gland can grow back, because we’ve left behind a little bit of tissue to support the areola.

How long does gynecomastia recovery take and how soon can I resume work and exercise?

Basically I do these surgeries under local anaesthesia, the incision in most cases is done just on the lower part of the areola, or the border of the areola, and this incision takes about a week or two to heal.

Do you use drains for gynecomastia surgery?

Most of our cases are grade 1 to grade 2 and because of the type of anaesthesia we use bleeding is reduced and hence complication rate is very low. We use double compression and don't see the need for drains but for very big cases occasionally drains are used.

Can the gynecomastia gland grow back?

A lot of patients ask me whether the gland, the breast tissue, that is causing gynecomastia can grow back. Sometimes it’s fat that is also causing the gyno look.

How will the scar heal after gynecomastia surgery?

Immediately after surgery the scar is clean and without visible stitches. In the first 2 weeks you may have darkening of areola skin or scabbing and hardening of the incision area, this can take 2-6 months to go back to normal or soft as the skin is remodelling itself after the surgical trauma. That is one of the reasons we wait 6 months.

What is the scarring like after gynecomastia surgery?

Scarring depends on what sort of surgery you’ve had.

This can range from just liposuction where the incisions are small, and in my practice these are less than half a cm incisions in the areola, one or two in the axillary crease, and depending on how much fat there is, I occasionally add one on the side, but these are all small scars, less than half a cm, which usually fade over time.

What is the patient journey for gynecomastia surgery?

Patients get in touch with the clinic and request for an appointment, we are able to offer initial video calls or telephone consultation after you submit your photos and a MQ and once you are happy with our initial assessment we arrange a face to face appointment but sometimes some patients prefer to come straight for the face to face appointment. During the f2f we revisit the medical history, do a physical examination and go through your goals and expectations. We then discuss what is realistically achievable.