Treatment of lipomastia – All important
Lipomastia, also called pseudogynecomastia, refers to the proliferation of fatty tissue that leads to the formation of a man’s chest. In contrast, it is a “real gynecomastia” when there is excessive glandular tissue. In both cases there is the same problem, which can lead to psychological stress. Many men hide the feminine-looking chest under a loose T-shirt to look “normal” and cache the augmentation. Do you suffer from your chest shape and use loose shirts and sweatshirts to cover it up? Do you feel uncomfortable when you see yourself in pictures or in shop windows? Would you like to feel comfortable in your skin again?
Opt for a man chest that you no longer have to hide:
- Wohlfühlen auch in körperbetonten T-Shirts
- Durch die richtigen Proportionen den Körper ins Gleichgewicht bringen
- Attraktivität erhöhen
- Kaum sichtbare Narben, schnelle Regeneration und straffere Brust
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CenterPlast is your specialist for lipomastia surgery. Please feel free to arrange an individual consultation appointment.
What are the causes of lipomastia?
One of the well-known and most common causes of pseudo-gynecomastia is obesity, i.e. a high percentage of body fat. After significant weight loss, the skin’s elasticity is limited and excess skin can remain. The sagging skin can give the impression of a female breast. Therefore, the term lipomastia or pseudogynecomastia is also used in these cases of enlarged breasts. In order to restore a male upper body contour, the skin on the chest and the lateral torso of the man must also be tightened.
A man’s breast can, however, also develop without being overweight or severely overweight (obesity). Most often, men’s breasts are caused by both an increase in fat (adipose tissue) and an increase in mammary gland tissue. In this case, one speaks of lipo-gynecomastia.
It is a myth that gynecomastia can be related to a large pectoral muscle (Musculus pectoralis major). In addition, the wrong, widespread opinion must be denied that gynecomastia can always be trained away by changing the diet and doing adequate chest training (sport): As mentioned, in not infrequent cases the cause is not overweight.
The tissue proliferation of the male mammary gland can rather be caused by drugs or e.g. changes in the hormonal balance (physiological gynecomastia). A disturbed balance between the hormone testosterone (male hormones) and the hormone estrogen (female sex hormone) is associated with the enlarged mammary glands. In many cases, however, there is often no clear and precise cause.
Triggers or causes of an enlarged male breast include male and female hormones and their interaction. In addition, specific medications may be associated with the occurrence of the various forms of gynecomastia.
Facts about the treatment of lipomastia
What to do about lipomastia?
The main page on gynecomastia provides particularly detailed information on the known methods used for the non-surgical treatment of a man’s female-looking breast. You will find out to what degree they are actually medically effective against male breasts in comparison to the plastic surgery approach. Gynecomastia surgery performed by a cosmetic surgery specialist is the most effective method of reducing the size of the affected man’s chest. Nevertheless, a brief comparison is also made here so that you can learn to what extent the suffering of the affected men can be reduced by these measures.
With exercise and diet or a healthy diet (low calorie, low fat and balanced), the body fat percentage can be reduced. Fat in the form of pads is reduced faster in some areas of the body than in others. Lipomastia, however, as mentioned above, can also be present without obesity, so this solution to the same problem is not possible. Depending on the changes in your upper body, the goals cannot be achieved by weight loss. Depots of fat can be reduced to a small extent by the technique of cryolipolysis (targeted, temporary cooling of the affected area of the body). Cryolipolysis can reduce fat in the treated regions of the man to a very limited extent after at least three treatments. However, cryolipolysis as well as fat way injections are not serious indicated or common alternatives to gynecomastia treatment. The success of a therapy with drugs (aromatase inhibitors) is doubtful and has – if at all – only in the first months after the appearance of gynecomastia in puberty prospect of success (www.awmf.de).
The following goals can be achieved by surgery in the affected individual:
- The creation of a flat and masculine breast
- The elimination of an underbust crease
- The correction of the size and position of the areola
- The reduction of the nipple
- Removal of excess skin
- Removal of excessive fat by liposuction
- The equalization of the size and shape of both breasts
How is lipomastia treatment performed?
The excess fatty tissue of the breast is gently removed by a special technique of liposuction. Depending on the findings and treatment goals, other surgical techniques may be used. With moderate excess fat tissue and good skin elasticity, the skin mantle adapts to the new contours. In the case of severely sagging skin or a significant reduction in fatty tissue, additional tightening of the skin may be useful. HD liposuction can accentuate the contours of the muscles of the chest, abdomen or shoulder.
What are the techniques of skin tightening for lipomastia?
With the technique of vibratory liposuction (SAFE-Lipo) as part of the procedure, some shrinkage of the skin is observed over the months. The extent to which the skin shrinks after liposuction of the fat breast varies from individual to individual and cannot be calculated. The goal of skin tightening is to remove excess skin and correct the size and position of the nipples. In cases of moderate excess skin, a scar-saving technique leaves a scar around the male areola. This so-called O-shaped tightening may be accompanied by a shift and reduction in the size of the areola. Careful consideration is necessary in advance, as scars on the front of the upper body cannot be hidden during the procedure.
Despite all caution, the formation of bulging and reddened scars must be considered if the patient is predisposed to them. If the affected person has a lot of excess skin after heavy weight loss, which leads to a skin fold under the breast, a tightening of the entire chest may be necessary. Removal of the sagging skin may require an incision from the lateral chest under the upper arm to the man’s sternum.
Our before and after pictures of lipomastia
A comprehensive consultation is of utmost importance for a successful treatment. Through the consultation, your plastic aesthetic surgeon will get a clear understanding of your goals and you will get an idea of the possible treatment results. Before and after pictures can be very helpful to illustrate the possibilities and limitations of the respective techniques. Since not every technique is suitable for every man, it requires certain prior knowledge to be able to evaluate the images. Surgical techniques differ in terms of results, effort and therefore risks. Treatment is only appropriate if the expected results outweigh the possible risks. The legislator has decided that the presentation of before and after pictures is not permissible outside of the educational discussion. Because we attach great importance to providing you with the best possible information, we are happy to show you before and after pictures during a consultation. For more information on the subject, visit our before and after pictures page.
Our Testimonials for the treatment of lipomastia: We will be happy to advise you in detail
Before undergoing pseudogynecomastia surgery, most patients usually search the World Wide Web for testimonials to get an idea of the treatment and find a suitable, specialized surgeon. On our testimonials page, you will find numerous patient testimonials and reviews about lipomastia treatment.
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The author
“We provide you with extensive expert knowledge so that we can work with you to select the best possible treatment path.”
Dr. med. Stéphane steel is the former director of the Clinic for Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery / Hand Surgery at the Lüdenscheid Clinic. Dr. Stahl studied medicine at the Universities of Freiburg and Berlin. In 2011 he passed the European and 2012 the German specialist examination for plastic and aesthetic surgery. Further specialist qualifications and additional qualifications followed (including quality management, medical didactics, physical therapy, emergency medicine, laser protection officers, hand surgery) as well as prizes and awards. In 2015 he completed his habilitation in plastic and aesthetic surgery in Tübingen. He is an experienced microsurgeon, a sought-after expert and a regular speaker at specialist congresses. After a multi-stage selection process, Stéphane Stahl became a member of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), one of the world’s largest and most influential specialist societies for aesthetic surgery. His authorship includes numerous articles in respected peer review journals and standard surgical textbooks.
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