With so much information available online, it may be difficult to separate fact from fiction. This can make it hard for a new gynecomastia patient to get an idea of how long it’s really going to take to recover after his procedure. Maybe your favorite influencer claims that he was back in the gym just a week after gynecomastia surgery, but that’s just not correct. Giving your body adequate time to heal following any procedure, non-surgical or surgical, is crucial. If you rush the process, it can adversely affect your aesthetic result, ultimately wasting both your valuable time and money. The tricky thing with recovery, however, is that the timeline can be a bit different for everyone as healing is individual. How fast or slow your body heals is going to depend on your genetics and certain lifestyle choices. I take considerable time during our initial consultation and pre-op appointments to go over, in detail, all of these factors in order to get a better idea of how your unique body copes with trauma. I am also very honest about giving my Boston area patients realistic parameters of a recovery timeline for a gynecomastia procedure. I’ve found that when a patient knows what to expect from best to worst case scenario, he can plan accordingly and any downtime is more tolerable. Here are some things to consider in terms of gynecomastia recovery.
Gynecomastia Recovery Timeline Starts in Consultation
Scheduling an in-person consultation with a Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon, such as myself, who specializes in treating gynecomastia is important for many reasons. You want to see someone with the education, training and experience to assess your body’s unique needs. There are a number of options for improving fullness in the chest. These include:
- Liposuction
- Male Chest Reduction Surgery
- Extended Male Chest Reduction Surgery
However, for any procedure to be effective, it must be the right one for your individual anatomy, lifestyle, and desired outcome. While every man wants liposuction alone, most of my gynecomastia patients require a combination of liposuction to address stubborn fat and surgery to address excess glandular tissue. During our meeting, I will perform a physical exam to assess which procedure will be best for your body. I also ask a lot of in-depth questions about your medical history, family history, lifestyle, any prior procedures you may have had, aesthetic or otherwise, and how your body recovered. Being honest here is really important as there are certain drugs, including recreational drugs like marijuana, or anabolic steroids, or hair growth medications that may be the root cause of the fullness in your chest so going off them could help the issue. Your truthful answers are also going to be the best way to gauge where you might fall on the recovery timeline. No patient can make an informed decision as to whether or not a procedure is right for him without having all of this information.
How Long is the Recovery After a Gynecomastia Procedure in Boston?
Your specific gynecomastia recovery timeline is going to first depend on which procedure you’ll need to improve the appearance of your chest. Liposuction alone requires about 2-3 weeks of taking it easy while male chest reduction surgery may be longer. I don’t want you driving for the first 7-10 days so it’s important to plan accordingly. You may also have drains following surgery for anywhere from 2-5 days. No one loves the idea of drains, but they serve an important function which is to reduce swelling and help your skin and tissues settle down in order to achieve an exemplary aesthetic outcome. It’s best to think of them as a short term drag that will ultimately speed up your healing process.
Another important recovery consideration is that all gynecomastia procedures, including liposuction alone, are going to require you to wear a compression garment 24/7 for the first 3 weeks post-op and then at least 12 hours a day for an additional 2 months. The garment is of paramount importance as it also reduces swelling, limits your post-op discomfort, ramps up your healing, and is one of the best ways to ensure the fantastic result that we both want.
When Can I Return to the Gym After Gynecomastia Procedure?
I typically want all of my gynecomastia patients up and moving gently around almost immediately after their procedure. The key word in that sentence is “gently”. It’s good for the body to get the blood flowing, but doing too much will have the reverse effect. For this reason, moderate to severe workouts and all upper body work will need to be curtailed until I give the ok. Most patients are going to need to stay out of the gym for 2-3 weeks. Light walking is alright, but running and jumping are not. Raising the heart rate too soon may cause inflammation and swelling that we do not want. Furthermore, I have almost all my gynecomastia patients avoid upper body work for at least 4-6 weeks. You don’t want to put any strain on the incision lines as this is what can cause a conspicuous scar.
To find out more about gynecomastia, or any other surgical or non-surgical procedure with Dr. Sean Doherty at his Boston or Chestnut Hill office, contact us today or call (617) 450-0070 to schedule a consultation.