Boys, men having breast reduction on the rise
Wendy Rigby
A new trend in plastic surgery may surprise you. With an increasing emphasis on body image, men and teenaged boys are undergoing breast reduction.
John Gonzales of San Antonio is a car buff. He likes working in his driveway fixing up old classics. But these days, Gonzales is a lot more comfortable working in a muscle shirt. Gonzales recently had liposuction to change what he said was a shape he couldn't stand anymore.
"As a youngster, it bothered me a lot," he said. "Every time I would either take off my shirt or whatever and stuff, I would kind of get little criticisms and comments about 'Hey, what's wrong with you?' You know?"
There are many causes for enlarged male breasts, including weight gain, which is the culprit in the majority of cases. Doctors say hormone problems, steroid abuse and even marijuana use can increase breast size in young men.
One San Antonio plastic surgeon has performed breast reduction on boys as young as 13.
"It's a huge problem for some of these kids," said Dr. Thomas Jeneby. "They play basketball and they have these breasts and their teammates ridicule them. That's actually the number one reason they come in is a sport-related ridicule."
For Gonzales, who waited until his 40s to do something, a procedure called smart liposuction was the answer.
In an office under local anesthesia, the doctor uses a heating element to shrink down the area and dissolve the fat.
Patients with more complicated cases, or who need actual breast tissue removed, may end up in the operating room. Surgeons can do most of the work through small cuts that won't show up later.
The cost for liposuction for male breast reduction ranges from $2,500 to $5,000. If surgery's involved, it may cost up to $7,000.
In a culture that's increasingly body conscious, more men and boys are willing to investigate a surgical solution for more sculpted pectoral muscles.
Several years ago, only 5 percent of plastic surgery patients were men, but that's a figure that's changing quickly. Now, 11 to 15 percent of most plastic surgery practices are men.
"They get back on the horse very quickly. They get back to doing what they were doing and they're less embarrassed," said Jeneby. "After being worked up effectively, ultrasounds and an endocrine work up, then I think that this is going to be, men are going to be coming out of the woodwork to get things done."
Gonzales continues working out to make the most of his new silhouette. He says he's glad he had the work done, and he's happy to have a more manly-looking chest.