Improvements in Self Esteem, QoL After Teen Gynecomastia Surgery

WEDNESDAY, June 1, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Significant improvements in self-esteem and multiple domains of quality of life are reported following adolescent gynecomastia surgery, according to a study published in the June issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

Catherine T. McNamara, from Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, and colleagues examined whether complications following adolescent gynecomastia surgery impact postoperative health-related quality of life among 145 patients aged 12 to 21 who underwent surgical correction of unilateral/bilateral gynecomastia between 2007 and 2019. Fifty-one patients completed surveys preoperatively and at six months, and one, three, five, seven, nine, and 11 years postoperatively.

The researchers found that 36 percent of breasts experienced at least one complication within a median of 8.6 months. Residual tissue, contour irregularities, and hematomas were the most common (12.6, 9.2, and 7.8 percent, respectively). At a median of 33.3 months, significant postoperative improvements in self-esteem and in seven health-related quality-of-life domains were reported. There was no variation observed in postoperative survey scores by grade or procedure, or largely by body mass index category or complication status. In the Short-Form Health Survey Vitality and Mental Health domains, patients aged younger than 17 years at surgery scored significantly higher than older patients postoperatively.

"Our experience shows real physical, social, emotional, and other benefits of surgical correction for boys and young men with gynecomastia," a coauthor said in a statement. "We also show that those benefits accrue despite the relatively high rate of minor complications after male breast reduction surgery."

Abstract/Full Text