The male chest: fat or gland
A soft chest that flattens a bit with weight loss is often fat, and liposuction can treat it. A firm, rubbery disc under the nipple is gland tissue, gynaecomastia, and suction alone won't remove it: the surgeon removes the gland through a small cut at the edge of the areola, and sometimes loose skin as well. Fat-only work sits at the lower end of €3,300 to €6,500; gland and skin removal at the top.
See your GP first if the swelling is new, painful or on one side only. Some medicines and hormone changes cause it, and they need checking before anyone talks about surgery.
Flanks, stomach and back
Men tend to keep fat on the flanks and the lower back even at a healthy weight. Those areas respond well to liposuction, often with a device for the tougher fat. Visible abdominal definition is HD lipo, which needs a lean, trained starting point.
Who it suits
Liposuction is probably not for you if:
- you use anabolic steroids, which can cause gynaecomastia to come back
- you are still losing or gaining weight, or your BMI is well above the healthy range
- the problem is loose, hanging skin rather than fat (that needs a skin-removal operation)
- you smoke and won't stop before surgery: smoking slows healing and raises the risk of blood clots
- you are pregnant, breastfeeding or planning a pregnancy soon
- you hope it will change how you feel about your whole body, not one area
Recovery
A compression vest for several weeks after chest surgery. Desk work after about a week; chest and upper-body weights only when your surgeon agrees, usually not before ten to twelve weeks.
Risks
Common in the weeks after any liposuction:
- bruising and swelling, which can last up to six months
- numbness, which usually settles in six to eight weeks
- small scars where the tube went in
- fluid leaking from the cuts for the first days
Less common, and the reason you want a specialist and a proper hospital or clinic:
- for the chest: an uneven or sunken look under the nipple if too much is removed
- lumpy or uneven results, sometimes needing a second operation
- bleeding under the skin (a haematoma)
- numbness that lasts for months
- changes in skin colour over the treated area
- infection, or an allergic reaction to the anaesthetic
- a blood clot in a leg vein, which can travel to the lungs
- fluid on the lungs from the fluid injected during surgery
- damage to internal organs, which is very rare
Your surgeon should tell you how likely each one is for you, and what they do if it happens. See the full guide to liposuction risks and side effects.
Cost
Male chest: €3,300 to €6,500. Flanks or stomach: €2,200 to €4,500 for one area, €3,000 to €7,000 for two.
By law every doctor practising in Ireland must be registered with the Medical Council, and a doctor can only practise independently as a specialist if they hold specialist registration. For liposuction, look for an entry in the Specialist Division under Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery. You can search the register yourself on the Medical Council's website.
Questions people ask
Is gynaecomastia surgery cosmetic?
Usually it is treated as cosmetic in private care. If it causes a health problem your GP can advise; Revenue only gives relief where surgery corrects a health issue.
Will the chest come back?
Gland tissue that's removed doesn't regrow, but weight gain, some medicines and steroids can cause new swelling.
Do men recover differently?
Not really. Men often go back to training too early; the garment and the ten to twelve week wait for heavy lifting matter.