How Is Breast Reduction Surgery Different for Men Versus Women?
Posted on January 1, 2024
When you think of breast reduction, you likely picture a woman struggling with large breasts that cause pain or limit her mobility. However, men also experience enlarged breasts, causing embarrassment and, in some cases, physical pain. Breast reduction for men and women balances their silhouette, giving women a more proportionate body shape and sculpting a masculine chest for men. Men and women may seek breast reduction for some of the same symptoms, but their reasoning, procedure details, and cosmetic goals differ.
Aqua Plastic Surgery offers male breast reduction and female breast reduction in Jupiter, Miami, and Boca Raton, Florida.
Men and Women Want Breast Reduction for Separate Conditions
Male breast reduction addresses gynecomastia, a medical condition that causes the overdevelopment of glandular tissue in men of all ages. While gynecomastia is typically temporary, some men experience ongoing symptoms for a year or longer and require surgical intervention. Male breast reduction removes the breast tissue to reduce embarrassment and address painful symptoms, such as breast tenderness and nipple sensitivity.
Female breast reduction addresses macromastia or gigantomastia. Women may develop overly large breasts that overpower their figure during puberty or experience rapid growth during and after pregnancy. Breast reduction for women can alleviate back, neck, and shoulder pain, poor posture, difficulty breathing, and activity limitations.
Both men and women enjoy a wider selection of clothing and swimwear after breast reduction because they are no longer insecure about their chest appearance.
Male and Female Breast Reduction Are Separate Procedures
Gynecomastia surgery, or male breast reduction, removes all glandular tissue using unique incision patterns. The incision lines are typically concealed within the darker pigmentation of the areolas for minimal scarring, allowing men to show their bare chest at the beach or gym. Gynecomastia treatment requires surgical reduction or excision. However, men with pseudogynecomastia have excess fat around the breasts, which may be treated with liposuction alone.
Breast reduction for women with large breasts removes glandular tissue and reshapes the breast mound to make the bust proportionate with a woman’s body shape. The breasts are positioned higher on the chest wall, and the nipples are relocated. Our surgeons may decrease the nipple-areolar complex for women with stretched or enlarged areolas. The incisions are more extensive than male breast reduction, with one around the areolas, another straight down to the inframammary fold, and a third along the crease. Bras and swimsuits cover these incision lines.
Men and Women Have Different Cosmetic Goals for Breast Reduction
Men desire a sculpted, masculine chest, whereas women wish for smaller breasts that maintain their feminine appearance. Male breast reduction removes nearly all excess fat and glandular tissue to achieve a flat contour, but female breast reduction lifts and reduces the breasts.
Both versions of breast reduction reduce painful symptoms caused by gynecomastia, macromastia, and gigantomastia. Men and women experience increased self-confidence after breast reduction. Exercise is enjoyable again because women no longer struggle with excess weight on their chests, and men don’t experience nipple and breast tenderness against their workout clothes.
If you are interested in male breast reduction or female breast reduction, schedule a consultation with our experienced plastic surgeon at Aqua Plastic Surgery. Call our Jupiter and Boca Raton, Florida, offices at (561) 776-2830 and our Miami, Florida, office at (305) 918-1750.
