Gynecomastia is an enlargement of the mammary glands in men according to the female type. This condition often develops during a period of active hormonal changes. There are only three such periods: newborn, puberty, and old age. Causes of gynecomastia can be; obesity, taking steroids and some other pharmacological agents, hypogonadism (testosterone deficiency), liver and kidney failure. Doctors in Germany successfully deal with gynecomastia treatment. They perform surgical interventions that allow getting good aesthetic result. If the patient does not have sagging breasts and excess skin, then the surgical intervention can be performed using a minimally invasive endoscopic technique.
Content
- Diagnostics
- Conservative therapy
- Surgical treatment
Conservative treatment for gynecomastia involves the use of hormone therapy. In other cases, surgeons perform operations to remove breast tissue, sometimes with skin removal and tightening.
You can undergo treatment in the following hospitals: University Hospital of Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden, Hospital Neuperlach Munich.
If you want to undergo treatment of gynecomastia in Germany, please contact Booking Health. The company's specialists will help you choose a specialized clinic and a doctor, provide you with the preliminary prices for treatment and help you book for an appointment, guide you prepare documents for entering the country, and organize flights and accommodation. A personal medical coordinator will always be in touch with you, and an interpreter will be your companion in the clinic.
Diagnostics
Diagnostics has two tasks:
- To fix the very fact of the presence of gynecomastia, differentiating it from other mammary gland diseases, primarily cysts and tumors;
- To find out the cause of gynecomastia to eliminate it.
Some dangerous pathologies can occur under the guise of gynecomastia, for example, breast cancer. To exclude them, doctors use instrumental diagnostics. If clinically indicated, a biopsy may be performed.
It is very important to find out and eliminate the cause of gynecomastia, otherwise, it may develop again even after surgery. A man undergoes a complex of laboratory and instrumental examinations, including:
- Sex hormone and prolactin testing;
- Testicular ultrasound;
- Thyroid ultrasound;
- Thyroid hormone and TSH testing;
- Mammography for a palpable mass in the mammary gland;
- Abdominal ultrasound;
- Biochemical blood parameters to assess the function of the liver and kidneys;
- Biopsy with histological examination, if clinically indicated.
Conservative therapy
Conservative treatment is used for gynecomastia:
- Diagnosed less than six (6) months ago;
- Without an insurable cause.
Depending on the cause, the following groups of drugs can be used to treat gynecomastia:
- Androgens;
- Antiestrogens;
- Aromatase inhibitors;
- Cabergoline preparations.
The possibilities of conservative treatment are somewhat limited. Drugs show an effectiveness of 25-50% in different clinical situations. This is higher than placebo: self-limiting gynecomastia that developed less than six (6) months ago occurs in only 12% of cases.
Surgical treatment
Surgical treatment is resorted to if:
- Gynecomastia developed more than 6 months ago;
- Conservative treatment is ineffective.
Gynecomastia usually does not threaten the health and life of a person, and the condition is treated exclusively for aesthetic reasons.
With pubertal gynecomastia in adolescents, it is better to postpone surgical treatment. The surgical intervention is performed after the completion of puberty to minimize the chance of gynecomastia recurrence.
Surgery should also be delayed until the underlying cause of gynecomastia is eliminated or corrected.
The essence of surgical treatment is the removal of glandular and adipose tissue. Surgeons in Germany are increasingly using minimally invasive surgery that is associated with fewer complications and faster patient rehabilitation. Should malignancy be suspected, the removed tissues must be subject to a histological examination?
Clinics in Germany use modern methods of treating gynecomastia, the choice of which depends on the stage of the disease. In the early stage, laser liposuction or endoscopic resection is sufficient, and done through a small incision in the armpit. The advanced stages of gynecomastia are mainly characterized by breast sagging and excess skin, so additional surgical measures on the skin are required. German surgeons get excellent results even in the most complex cases.
If you are to undergo treatment of gynecomastia in Germany, you are welcome to visit the Booking Health website to read information about clinics and treatment methods. There are a few reasons for you to undergo treatment in this country:
- High-precision diagnostics that will distinguish gynecomastia from pseudo gynecomastia, cysts, as well as from dangerous diseases such as lymphoma or breast cancer;
- Detection and elimination of illnesses that caused the development of gynecomastia;
- Good aesthetic result;
- The use of laser, vacuum, radio surgical and other techniques;
- Successful surgery for any size of the mammary glands;
- Sparing surgical techniques;
- Possibility of endoscopic tissue removal through an incision in the armpit, without scarring in the chest area.
On the Booking Health website, you can find out what is the price for treatment and make an appointment for the service at the best price. The indicated prices are final. Even if additional procedures are required, the total cost will be covered by insurance. Please leave your treatment request on the Booking Health website, and our specialists will help you find the most suitable clinics in Germany and arrange a trip.
Authors:
The article was edited by medical experts, board certified doctors Dr. Nadezhda Ivanisova and Dr. Farrukh Ahmed. For the treatment of the conditions referred to in the article, you must consult a doctor; the information in the article is not intended for self-medication!
Sources:
Verywell Health
NORD - National Organization for Rare Disorders
Johns Hopkins Medicine
