The average gynecomastia surgery recovery time tends to be around four to six weeks.
This truly depends, however, on your overall physical health and what type of gynecomastia surgery you undergo in Chicago. Gynecomastia can result from excess fat, excess tissue, and/or excess skin. Depending on which of these you have removed, the techniques used during surgery, and the extent of the removal, your recovery timeline may look different from other patients’.
Recovery Time After Gynecomastia Surgery: What to Expect
During the initial recovery time after gynecomastia surgery, you will be wearing wound dressings beneath a supportive compression garment, and sometimes a drainage tube. For optimal gynecomastia surgery results, be sure to wear your compression garments as directed throughout the recovery treatment. Most garments need to be worn for at least a few weeks.
Symptoms you can expect during recovery include swelling and bruising, soreness, and some fluid drainage. This surgery is an outpatient procedure, but you’ll need to have someone drive you home after surgery, and having help at home isn’t a bad idea for a few days. Avoid strenuous exercise, sun exposure, swimming, and do not smoke.
Take it easy, rest during the day, and get good sleep at night. Talk to your gynecomastia surgeon about the proper sleeping position to adopt during recovery.
What Is the Recovery Time for Gynecomastia Surgery?
Most patients are back to their normal routines after one to two months. Much of the recovery time following male breast reduction surgery depends on exactly what type of surgery you had. Liposuction only to remove excess fat, for example, will lead to a different recovery experience than skin and glandular tissue removal.
After a few days, the majority of pain should be gone, with only some residual soreness that should pass in a few additional days. Bruising will also dissipate over the first week. Swelling, on the
other hand, often hangs around for longer. This is completely normal. Wearing your compression garment as directed will help reduce swelling.
If you have a drainage tube inserted at the end of your surgery, this will need to be removed at some point as well. In most cases, it is taken out after about a week.
Improving Posture in Recovery
One element of gynecomastia recovery that you may not be thinking of yet is posture.
When we first see many of the gynecomastia patients who come through our doors, we notice that their posture is quite poor. Their shoulders are hunched forward, their backs are rounded, and their chests are collapsed inward. This is totally normal and is, in fact, to be expected.
When a man — young or mature — struggles with gynecomastia, it can be psychologically demoralizing. It’s certainly not something our patients want, and many of them have put themselves through very challenging times to try to get rid of it on their own.
When they have not been successful, however, their natural physical response is often to try to disguise the gynecomastia by rounding their backs and “helping” the excess breast tissue blend in with the rest of their stomach and shoulders.
Of course, having poor posture is not an attractive feature in anyone. And especially after medical treatment for gynecomastia, once you are in active recovery, it’s important to focus on improving your posture. At this time, your gynecomastia is no longer an issue, and it’s time to put your best foot (chest!) forward.
How to Improve Posture Following Gynecomastia Surgery
Note: Before addressing your posture fully, be sure that much of the initial recovery period has passed. Talk to your surgeon about when you can start practicing posture exercises as you do not want to cause wound reopening or worsen scar tissue in those sensitive days right after surgery.
To improve your posture during the recovery process, start by pretending like there is an invisible string going up from your spine, through your neck, and up and out through the top of your head. It is pulling everything upward.
This should bring your chest, neck, and head up. Now, it’s time to pull those shoulders back. Let your chest move forward. This will be difficult (and you don’t have to make yourself look like a soldier), but if you’ve been used to caving your chest in pre-gynecomastia surgery, it’s time to change. Proper, confident posture means puffing out your chest some.
FAQ: Recovery Time for Gynecomastia Surgery
How long after gynecomastia surgery can I return to work?
How long after gynecomastia surgery can I return to work?The recovery period following male breast reduction largely depends on the specifics of your surgery. But it also depends upon your line of work.
If you work in construction, are an athletic coach, or work another physically demanding job, you’ll want to wait longer to return to work as you will need to refrain from physical activity for up to a month following this cosmetic surgery.
If you have a desk job or another relatively sedentary job, however, you can typically return to work within the first week following male breast surgery. We tell patients to gauge when they return to work on their own personal healing process. If you still don’t feel up to going back to work, give it a few days and go at your own pace.
For how long is recovery time for gynecomastia surgery painful?
During gynecomastia surgery itself, anesthesia is used so you should not be in pain. After surgery, there will be a period of soreness, but this usually only lasts a few days.
Prescription pain medications will be provided to help ease your discomfort. Most patients transition to over-the-counter pain meds in a short time (two to three days).
How do you get rid of gynecomastia surgery marks?
Silicone is effective in reducing gynecomastia scar visibility after surgery by hydrating the scar tissue. It also helps prevent excess collagen production and the darkening of scars.
How long to wear a vest after gynecomastia surgery?
It is generally recommended to wear compression vests 24 hours a day for the first 2 to 4 weeks after surgery, removing them only for showering. After this initial period, you may be advised to wear the compression garments during the day for an additional 3 to 4 weeks.
Book Your Consultation with Dr. Rice Today
Dr. Dahlia Rice is a board certified plastic surgeon performing gynecomastia surgery in Chicago. If you are a man struggling with excess skin, fat, or glandular breast tissue, Dr. Rice can help you achieve a sleeker, more masculine chest contour.
You deserve to feel and look your best every day. Don’t let gynecomastia hold you back. Call today to schedule your male breast reduction surgery consultation appointment with Dr. Rice.