Male breasts can be difficult on a man's self-confidence. In some cases, such as gynecomastia, it can be caused by excess growth of breast tissue. In other cases, such as pseudogynecomastia, it can be caused by excess fat. Breast reduction surgery can potentially be costly, and you may need significant time off before you return to work. Additionally, most board-certified plastic surgeons will tell you there's always a risk for complications. If you have these concerns with breast reduction surgery, there are non-surgical treatment options that are very simple and can potentially be effective. Here are a few of the non-surgical treatments.

Exercise

Particularly in the case of pseudogynecomastia, strengthening the chest muscle can help reduce the fat-causing the male breast to be enlarged. Push-ups, bench presses, and cable crossovers can be useful exercises for strengthening the chest. It's best to avoid using small weights at first to focus more on reducing the fat rather than bulking up the chest. Additionally, cardiovascular exercise can also help with reducing fat. Examples of cardio exercises that can be done include cycling, jogging, walking, and swimming.

Diet and Male Breast Reduction

Being overweight can cause fat to build up in the chest region, and as a result, lead to enlargement of the chest. By dieting, men can reduce the excess fat in their chest, and cause the enlargement to decrease. The ideal amount of weight to lose each week is one to two pounds. It's important to consult with your doctor before you start any new diet. You should note the foods that you eat regularly and see which ones are high in calories that you can cut out. You should particularly cut out the high-calorie foods that are low in nutritional value, such as candy and sugary snacks. It's best to replace those meals with lean proteins, whole grains, and other healthy, whole foods. Dieting and losing weight is important not just for healing pseudogynecomastia, but also preventing gynecomastia. Being overweight can increase estrogen in the body and result in the excess growth of male breast glandular tissue.

Compression shirt to flatten chest

A compression shirt is possibly the simplest non-surgical treatment option, as it only requires wearing a shirt. It can help give the appearance of a flat chest and make it easier for men to have self-confidence when out in public. The shirts are typically made with an elastic material that compresses fat around the chest area, thus creating a flat appearance. This option can work as an immediate fix, while you are working on decreasing the appearance of the enlarged breasts.

Is Male Breast Reduction surgery safe? As mentioned earlier, while plastic surgery for breast reduction can be safe, a board-certified plastic surgeon will tell you there's always a risk of complications. During male breast reduction surgery, a small incision is made in the male breast, and excess glandular tissue is removed. Some complications that can occur with gynecomastia surgery include bleeding, bruising, numbness of the nipples, inverted nipples, loss of nipple skin, and visible scarring. Similar complications can occur with pseudogynecomastia surgery, which involves making a small incision in the male breast and performing liposuction. Health insurance generally does not cover cosmetic surgeries such as liposuction. Given the costs and possible risks of complications, you should carefully consider plastic surgery before pursuing it. It may be best to try all non-surgical options before pursuing gynecomastia surgery.

How long is the recovery time for male breast reduction?

Another factor to consider with male breast reduction surgery is the recovery time. In gynecomastia, surgical removal of excess breast tissue can take as much as four weeks to heal. For liposuction done to fix pseudogynecomastia, it usually takes one to two weeks to heal from. If complications occur at any point, it can potentially take longer to heal from surgery. Most patients usually have to take at least a week off before they can possibly return to work. In most cases, non-surgical treatment generally won't require taking time off.

Can gynecomastia go away without surgery?

Breast reduction for gynecomastia can occur without surgery. Exercise and dieting can partially reduced it, as mentioned earlier. Keep in mind that gynecomastia isn't a result of excess fat, but a result of male breast tissue growth. Therefore, losing weight won't reduce it as much as it would for pseudogynecomastia, which is a result of an excessive amount of fat in the chest. Nonetheless, enlarged breasts due to gynecomastia can be reduced to some extent through weight loss, dieting, and exercise. Since hormonal imbalances play a role in the development of gynecomastia, hormone balancing treatments can also be useful in minimizing the excessive glandular tissue. Steroid use and some drugs can be a trigger for gynecomastia. Cutting the intake of these substances can prevent further growth of glandular tissue. Consulting a plastic surgeon for male breast reduction surgery doesn't necessarily have to be the first treatment to consider for enlarged breasts. In most cases, it's best for it to be the last option. It can be costly and put you at risk for complications. There are numerous non-surgical treatments that can be effective in male breast reduction These include exercise and wearing a compression garment. It's important to continue to do extensive research before deciding on the best option for you. Be sure to consult with your physician to determine your best options.