A successful case of gynecomastia in a young athlete

One of the issues that reduce the sense of self-confidence among many young men is the problem of gynecomastia. They feel embarrassed about it and try to lose weight and perform exercise to reduce their breast size as much as possible, but they fail to reach a satisfactory result, so they go for the surgical treatment of gynecomastia, as our case did with Prof. Dr. Ahmed El Sherifa. The breast returned to its normal size, and the body turned into an athletic shape as our patient's dream.

•   An imbalance in the levels of the female and male hormones, estrogen and testosterone.

• Excessive consumption of alcohol and cigarettes for a long time and their addiction.

• Extreme weight gain and obesity.

• The long-term intake of certain medications that cause gynecomastia as a side effect.

• Breast cancer.

• Medications he has been taking for a long time. 

• His family’s medical history and the types of inherited diseases.

• Prevent taking aspirin, anti-inflammatory drugs, nicotine, alcohol, or herbal supplements at least 2 weeks before the surgery. 

• Perform some clinical and laboratory tests to ensure his suitability for the surgery.

• A medical corset should be worn on the breast for at least 2 to 3 weeks to reduce the resulting swelling as much as possible.

• The necessity of adhering to the antibiotics and pain relievers prescribed for him to reduce the possibility of breast infection and post-surgical pain.

• Take care to empty the drainage tubes connected to the surgical breast incisions as prescribed while keeping the incisions as clean as possible; to avoid any infection and to get rid of any blood or fluid collection that results after the surgery.

• Avoid any strenuous exercises or violent physical exertion or carrying any heavy objects for at least a month after the surgery; to maintain the result of the surgery.

• Observing the location of the wound if any unpleasant odors or pain originated from it, to inform the doctor immediately.

There are four degrees of gynecomastia, divided according to the size of the breast, fat accumulation, and mammary glands enlargement, as follows:

1. First-degree gynecomastia: The size of the breast is somewhat large in a way that disturbs its owner, but he can overcome it by taking certain medications to modify the levels of estrogen and testosterone hormones which affect the breast, or applying weight loss strategy if the reason for the enlargement of the breast is fat accumulation.

2. Second-degree gynecomastia: The breast size is slightly larger than that of the first-degree, and some sagging appears around the breast itself. This type of gynecomastia is due to weight gain and fat accumulation in the breast, so it disappears upon fat suctioning.

3. Third-degree gynecomastia: The breast size is greater than the first and second degrees, so the person feels ashamed to take off his clothes in front of anyone. Surgical intervention is required to solve this problem.

4. Fourth-degree gynecomastia: The breast size is more than that of the first, second, and third degrees, and it is closer to the woman’s breast. It is resolved by removing the excess mammary glands and fat.