Gynecomastia in Bodybuilders

The first male breast surgery performed by Dr. Blau was over 20 years ago on a well-known bodybuilder who was advancing his career and felt that this condition interfered with his professional life. Anabolic steroids are often the cause of enlarged male breast condition in athletes and bodybuilders. The large male breasts consist of mammary gland tissue. Most of the breast tissue is behind the areola nipple complex which causes protuding nipples or "bitch tits", as body builders refer to the condition. The condition may appear worse prior to important competitions because when a bodybuilder is palpated and at his leanest, this condition becomes more obvious.

This surgery can be done only by excision of the breast tissue, which in the case of bodybuilders is by itself sufficient to achieve a flat nipple-areola complex. Liposuction is only rarely neccessery. To minimize scarring, the breast incision is done in the lower part of the areola and is typically one inch long.

The rate of gynecomastia recurrence is extremely low when the surgery is done correctly with excision of most of the mammary gland tissue. Dr. Blau’s experience is that body builders tend to be grateful for their results, which usually has a positive effect on their professional lives.

As with all cosmetic surgery, results will be rewarding if expectations are realistic. As with any surgery, there are some risks which your doctor will discuss with you.

The following male breast reduction in bodybuilders before-and-after photos will give you a sense of the results Dr. Blau has achieved in bodybuilder gynecomastia surgery. However, each patient is unique and previous results are not a guarantee for individual outcomes.