GYNAECOMASTIA

Gynaecomastia is a medical condition characterized by the abnormal presence of breast tissue in a male. It is a lot more common than most people realize. It tends to occur during two phases of life: puberty to adolescence, and middle age and above. When it occurs in young patients, it sometimes disappears on its own. Not uncommonly however, it persists and become a source of social embarrassment to the affected individual.

There are two types of abnormal breast tissue in gynaecomastia: glandular and fatty.

Glandular breast tissue is firm, tough and gritty. It tends to occur under the nipple and areola region. Fatty breast tissue is softer and usually surrounds the glandular tissue. Most gynaecomastia patients have a both types of tissue in varying degrees. The conventional way of treating gynaecomastia is surgical excision via an incision that runs along the lower margin of the areola. Possible disadvantages of this technique are a surgical scar and a contour depression over the area where the tissue was removed caused by a relatively abrupt junction between it and the surrounding tissue.

On the other hand, gynaecomastia can be effectively treated using the Vaser LipoSelection technique. The ultrasound energy delivered by the Vaser probe is powerful enough to break down and liquefy even the tough, glandular breast tissue, after which it is sucked out using a liposuction cannula. This method avoids the surgical scar of the conventional technique and also produces a contour with less irregularity. In addition, the ultrasound energy of Vaser promotes skin tightening which helps to optimize contours further.