The Characteristics and Short-Term Surgical Outcomes of Adolescent Gynecomastia

• Published in: Aesthetic plastic surgery Vol. 41; no. 5; pp. 1011 - 1021
• Main Authors: Choi, Byung Seo, Lee, Sung Ryul, Byun, Geon Young, Hwang, Seong Bae, Koo, Bum Hwan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.10.2017; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adolescent; Age Factors; Cohort Studies; Combined Modality Therapy; Follow-Up Studies; Gynecomastia - diagnostic imaging; Gynecomastia - epidemiology; Gynecomastia - psychology; Gynecomastia - surgery; Humans; Lipectomy - methods; Male; Mastectomy, Subcutaneous - methods; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Original Article; Otorhinolaryngology; Plastic Surgery; Preoperative Care - methods; Quality of Life; Republic of Korea; Retrospective Studies; Risk Assessment; Surgical outcomes; Time Factors; Treatment Outcome; Ultrasonography, Doppler - methods; Wound Healing - physiology; Young Adult; Subcutaneous mastectomy; Gynecomastia; Liposuction; Adolescent
• ISSN: 0364-216X; 1432-5241
• DOI: 10.1007/s00266-017-0886-z

Background Most adolescent gynecomastia is resolved spontaneously in 3 years. But, persistent gynecomastia could have a negative influence on psychoemotional development on adolescence. The purpose of this study is to report the characteristics of adolescent gynecomastia patients who received the surgeries, and discuss the short-term surgical outcomes. Methods Of the 1454 patients who underwent gynecomastia surgery at Damsoyu hospital from January 2014 to May 2016, 71 were adolescents. Subcutaneous mastectomy with liposuction was performed for adolescent patients who had gynecomastia for more than 3 years and showed psychosocial distress. Demographic and outcome variables were retrospectively analyzed. Results The mean age was 17.5 ± 0.77 years old. All gynecomastia cases were bilateral. Simon’s grade IIa (35 patients, 49.3%) was the most common, and grade III was not observed. Fifty-one patients (71.8%) were classified as having a glandular-type breast component. Fourteen patients (19.7%) had complications, but only 3 cases (4.2%) required revision. Most of the patients (70 patients, 98.6%) were satisfied with the esthetic results, and the average 5-point Likert score was 4.85 ± 0.40. Recurrence was not observed. As the Simon’s grade increased from I to IIA, a higher BMI, larger amounts of breast tissue, and longer operation times were observed. Conclusions Gynecomastia that did not regress spontaneously was mostly the glandular type, so not only liposuction but also surgical removal of glandular tissue is necessary. Surgical treatment, selectively performed in patients who have had gynecomastia for 3 years, and have experienced psychosocial distress, could be an acceptable treatment for adolescent gynecomastia. Level of Evidence IV This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these evidence-based medicine ratings, please refer to the table of contents or the online instructions to authors www.springer.com/00266 .