Gynecomastia Around the World
San Francisco, CA-Men who have quietly suffered for years with female type breasts, known as gynecomastia, are surprised to discover how many men have the same condition also known as moobs and man boobs. Information now readily available on the internet educates men about gynecomastia that only a few years ago were unknown, they are able to research and find the best top plastic cosmetic surgeons. In addition to the internet, there has been a lot of exposure through other media outlets such as television, radio and magazine articles that have led to further investigation on gathering information on costs of gynecomastia surgery and male breast reduction treatment.
What a relief it has been for men to find that it is a common condition, and there are options available that until recently were unheard of. Looking through the search engines, one site comes up repeatedly as the “web’s best resource for information about gynecomastia”, www.gynecomastia.org.
This website was started in 1998 by psychologist Merle Yost, who counseled many men with gynecomastia. He had great empathy for his patients as he was a sufferer of the condition himself. Understanding how important it was for men to have support, the site offered many different forums for men to reach out to each other, share stories, pictures and ask questions. As the popularity of the site grew different needs became evident. A section was added where questions could be asked directly to gynecomastia surgeons who monitor the site.
Gynecomastia is not confined to the United States; men all over the world are plagued with the condition. In order for men to get support in their own country and even correspond in their own language, there is a section on gynecomastia.org “Local forums/find a Surgeon in your area”.
The first country represented is the United Kingdom (UK), it appears that one of the main issues is trying to get their government insurance to cover the surgery which entails waiting several months to even more than a year to see a psychologist who then needs to recommend the patient for surgery. Of those who have experienced this, they report that they cannot choose their surgeon and some are more experienced than others, making it quite risky. According to the posts, it is recommended that guys from the UK save their money and have the surgery done privately. What a great advantage for a man to get this information from men who have already experienced it, instead of finding out by trial and error.
The next country is Canada; again a big concern there is trying to get coverage from their government insurance for male breast surgery. They also discuss the difference between local and general anesthesia, and post-operative scars.
In Asia, men are asking about the comparison of liposuction versus liposuction and excision. It is encouraging to see that contributors to the forum have learned that for the majority of all male breast reduction cases that liposuction alone will leave the patient very dissatisfied and they advise all readers of this. Also, Asian men discuss issues with the compression garment and trying to hide their man boobs from friends.
From the land “down under”, Australia/New Zealand; there are discussions about; what is the best time of year to have surgery, experiences with drains and changes the patient will deal with in adjusting to a new “body image”.
Europeans seem to be gravitating to Poland for surgery; there are many posts about this. In addition, they discuss the benefit of seeing before and after pictures of a surgeon’s own patients and wisely ask why some will not show photos.
South America/Latin America/Spain/Africa and the Middle East have their own forum with stories to share.
Sweden has an active site where members can converse in their own language.
The common thread with all the forums from the different countries is finding the right surgeon and hopefully one close to home or easy to travel to in a major city. In addition to asking about specific surgeons, men want to know how they do the procedure, where it will be done, the cost and the surgical results. It is most encouraging to see how men educate each other by sharing their personal experiences.
MIGUEL DELGADO, M.D.
Dr. Delgado, MD is a world-recognized plastic surgeon and specialist in the treatment of male breast enlargement, also called gynecomastia. He has developed new techniques and owns and operates gynecomastia.org, which has become the largest gynecomastia forum in the world. Dr. Delgado holds the two most coveted credentials; the certification by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and membership in the American Society of Plastic Surgery.