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Summer can be endless for a man who can't take off his shirt. There is a way to stop being embarrassed about going shirtless. Surprisingly enough, up to 60 percent of men are affected by the condition known as gynecomastia, which is a medical term describing woman-like breasts. This condition may affect one or both breasts and has no specific known cause, although steroid use, heavy alcohol use, and marijuana use may contribute to the problem.

Men who are concerned about excess tissue or fat on their chest can elect to have the area reduced and/or reconstructed. Your doctor can remove fat, glandular tissue, and excess skin to restore a youthful and more athletic appearance to those pectorals. This is not really a surgery for obese or overweight patients who haven't already attempted to lose weight traditionally. The best candidates for male breast reduction surgery have healthy firm skin and are emotionally and mentally stable.

Some of the most common side effects of this procedure are scars, pigment changes in the breast area, or variation in the appearance of the breasts or nipples. A second procedure is sometimes necessary to correct asymmetry. A temporary loss of sensation in the breast area may last up to a year.

Prior to surgery, your plastic surgeon may recommend a mammogram to rule out the very small possibility of breast cancer and discern the tissue composition of the breast. The surgical approach will be determined by the information presented in this examination. If you are a smoker, you will be asked to quit for at least a week before surgery to improve circulatory function critical to healing.

This procedure is usually a simple outpatient visit unless your situation is extreme. It can be performed under general anesthesia or local anesthesia. Ask your surgeon to explain the difference in options, the risks and what you can expect for results during your initial consultation.

During surgery, several different scenarios come into play. For patients with excess fat in the breast area, liposuction may be the primary means of removal. A small incision near the nipple provides access to the fatty area where the tool called a cannula is used to break up and remove the fat. The incision may also be made near the armpit. If a patient is affected by an excess of glandular tissue, that tissue is usually removed by scalpel. The incision in this scenario is also placed near the nipple. The larger the incisions, the more noticeable the scars will be. Extreme cases may require some excess skin to be removed.

Following either type of surgery, some pain will be expected, your physician will typically prescribe something for this. There will be some swelling and bruising that may cause you to wonder if there has even been an improvement in size. Your doctor may ask you to wear a compression bandage for a while to assist in healing. Results will become apparent over the next several weeks and should be complete after two to three months. It takes about a month to return to normal physical activity.