Should the 'normal' and 'ideal' nipple position in a male influence the surgeon when planning severe gynaecomastia correction?
Tan, Poh Dhaliwal, Kiran
Tan, Poh
Dhaliwal, Kiran
Abstract
Background: The ideal nipple areolar complex (NAC) position of the male chest following gynaecomastia surgery is well documented; however, with increased development of the chest muscles, the NAC placement can change, leading to the medial displacement of the nipple giving a poor aesthetic outcome. Therefore, we believe that these measurements need to be applied to the patients' build and take into consideration the future fitness goals of the patients.
Method: We have analysed the photographs of three groups of men: super athletes, athletes and individuals with severe gynaecomastia. We have assessed the proportions of the chest in relation to the NAC, degree of ptosis and TAP index.
Results: There was a wide variation between the athlete and the super athlete group, with minor variations within each group. The range of measurement in the severe gynaecomastia group was significantly larger than those in the other groups. We feel that based on this research study, surgeons should however be somewhat circumspect in their choice of nipple position as there is a wide variation in what can be considered as normal, and positioning of the NAC too early in the recovery process may lead to an abnormal aesthetic appearance following muscle development.
Conclusion: Despite the multitude of techniques available in the literature to determine the position of nipple, there is a lack of understanding on how the NAC position changes with muscle development. Adopting a dogmatic approach may result in a very aesthetically displeasing outcome, which can be very difficult to correct in men.
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Date
2021-11-29
Type
Article
Subject
Plastic surgery
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Citation
Tan P, Dhaliwal K, Khanna A. Should the 'normal' and 'ideal' nipple position in a male influence the surgeon when planning severe gynaecomastia correction? J Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg. 2022 Apr;75(4):1438-1446. doi: 10.1016/j.bjps.2021.11.041
Journal / Source Title
DOI
10.1016/j.bjps.2021.11.041
PMID
34952808
Publisher
Elsevier