Understanding Gynecomastia: Causes, Diagnosis, and Surgical Treatment

2023-07-20 10:00:00

Hwang In-shik, medical reporter at HaidakㅣSource: Haidak

Gynecomastia (gynecomastia) is a condition in which men have breasts of the same shape as women. Many people do breast exercise and diet because they think it’s because they gain weight simply because they look like women’s breasts. However, gynecomastia in which mammary gland tissue is overdeveloped does not improve even when weight is lost.

Since it is of no use unless you undergo surgery to remove mammary tissue, you need to check your breast type and whether or not you have developed mammary tissue through chest ultrasound. In some cases, blood tests are performed to check for abnormalities in female and male hormones. To differentiate gynecomastia caused by other diseases, liver function tests, kidney function tests, and thyroid function tests may be performed.

Since gynecomastia is composed of fat and glandular tissue, it is difficult to correct it with only general liposuction, so liposuction and glandular tissue are performed at the same time. Typical complications that can occur in this operation include bleeding and hematoma. In particular, bleeding accounts for most of the complications of gynecomastia surgery. Even if there is no serious bleeding problem during gynecomastia surgery, it can be said that the surgery went well without much difficulty.

Typical complications of gynecomastia surgery include bleeding and hematomaㅣSource: Getty Image Bank

Of course, bleeding inevitably occurs in an incisional operation. There are two major causes of bleeding during gynecomastia surgery. The first is when small blood vessels are damaged during surgery and bleed. In this case, it is important to find the bleeding site and stop the bleeding with an electrocautery. When the bleeding is properly stopped, the pulse returns to normal. The more hemostasis is delayed, the more dangerous the patient can be, so it is recommended that the surgery be performed by medical staff with long experience and know-how.

Second, during gynecomastia surgery, during liposuction or during mammary gland removal, the fascial layer is torn and the muscle layer bleeds. Even if the amount of bleeding itself is not large, it should not be left alone and immediate action is required. Since the bleeding that occurs at this time cannot be stopped even with an electric cauterizer, the fascia and the torn muscle must be sutured together with a medical suture thread to stop the bleeding. In addition, after gynecomastia surgery is completed, the surgical site is strongly compressed using a pressure bandage. This is because pressure can stop bleeding in most surgical areas. However, if the pressure is not sufficiently applied, the hemostasis will rupture again, resulting in a hematoma.

Hematomas are also factors that stop bleeding through pressure. Therefore, if you loosen the compression bandage and avoid wearing a compression garment after surgery because it is inconvenient, side effects such as hematoma may occur. Even if you follow these postoperative precautions, the occurrence of complications is significantly reduced. Also, if you feel a sharp pain like a knife cut in your chest after surgery, you can suspect bleeding. It is important to observe the follow-up process by following the date advised by the hospital after surgery. There are pain-sensing cells in the walls of blood vessels, so pain occurs when blood vessels are damaged. If the pain does not improve after surgery and the discomfort continues, it is recommended to suspect bleeding and visit the hospital.

Written by Hwang In-shik, a medical reporter at Haidak (Urology specialist)

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