Laser-assisted lipolysis in the treatment of gynecomastia: a prospective study in 28 patients

Abstract

Gynecomastia is the most common breast pathology. Numerous excisions and liposuction techniques have been described to correct bilateral male breast enlargement. Recently, there has been a shift from the open approach to minimally invasive techniques. This article reports a 5-year experience using laser-assisted lipolysis (LAL) to treat gynecomastia, and describes the surgical technique. Between January 2006 and December 2010, a total of 28 patients with bilateral gynecomastia were treated with LAL. Patients had a mean age of 36.5 years (range 24 to 56 years). LAL was performed with a 980-nm diode laser (continuous emission, 15 W power, 8-12 kJ total energy per breast) after tumescent anesthetic infiltration. The breast was evaluated objectively by two physicians who compared chest circumference and photographs. Patients were also asked to score the results using a visual analogue scale: 75 to 100 (very good), 50-74 (good), 25 to 49 (fair) and 0 to 24 (poor). The postoperative period for all patients was incident-free. After 6 months, 18 patients (64.3%) scored the results as "very good", 6 as "good" (21.4%), 3 as "fair" (10.7%) and 1 "poor" (3.6%). Mean chest circumferences pre- and postoperatively were, respectively, 117.4 ± 11.1 cm and 103.3 ± 7.5 cm (p < 0.001), corresponding to a mean difference of 14.1 cm. Physicians scored the photographs as "very good" in 22 patients (78.6%), as "good" in five patients (17.9%), and as "fair" in one patient (3.6%). LAL in gynecomastia is safe and produces significant effects on fatty tissue, with a reduction in breast volume, together with significant skin tightening. Provided an appropriate amount of energy is delivered by an experienced operator, the results are both significant and consistent.

Laser-Assisted Liposuction Using the Novel 1,444-nm Nd:YAG Laser for the Treatment of Gynecomastia: A Pilot Study

“…It has been reported that it takes about 6-8 weeks to develop new collagen fibers following conventional use of lasers for skin rejuvenation and tightening. Fibers are then clearly seen to run parallel to the epidermal junction and to be responsible for tissue reshaping and solving flaccidity [4]. Consequently, skin tightening is induced.…”

“…However, the skin excess determines the success of the surgery, and the esthetic acceptability of the result in terms of a natural shape and conformation to the pectoral muscle region is also important. LAL, which was first introduced in the early 1990s, has the advantages of (1) excellent patient tolerance, (2) quick recovery time and (3) the additional benefit of dermal tightening [4]. Numerous studies have proven the usefulness of LAL, which has been reported to provide the benefits of both removal of subcutaneous fat as well as tightening of the skin to reduce skin laxity, which has contributed to its popularity [5].…”

Laser-Assisted Liposuction. History of a Question

“…опубликовали данные о лечении гинекомастии с применени-ем диодного лазера с длиной волны 980 нм, продемонстрировав положительный эффект данного воздействия. В 85,7% случаев резуль-тат был оценен как хороший или очень хоро-ший [29].…”

Lazer Lipoliz

“…LL ideal kilosunda ya da ideal kilosuna yakın olan kişilerde bölgesel yağlanmalarda en iyi sonucu verir. Bunun yanı sıra LL; lipom 10,11 , jinekomasti [12][13][14] , aksiler hiperhidroz, malar bölgede intersitisyel sıvı poşları ve sellülit tedavi etmek içinde kullanılabilir 5 . Hastanın beklentilerinin gerçekçi olmaması, gebelik ve laktasyon dönemi, lidokain alerjisi, uygulanacak anestezik işleme duyarlılık durumlarında LL uygulaması önerilmemektedir 15 .…”