Despite relatively high rate of complications, patients report improvements in self-esteem and in seven health-related quality-of-life domains<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
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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<\/em>.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n “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.”<\/p>\n