To Those Who Put It Off Out of Fear

Author : Dr. Min-soo KimJune 24, 2026 at 10:46 AM 13
Truman Customer Story Column   Surgery Date 2026-04-18

To Those Who Put It Off Out of Fear

 

"It was my first surgery ever, so I was scared."

Many of the men who come in for gynecomastia consultations have never had surgery of any kind. Fear of the unknown is a natural feeling — and it is how the decision gets pushed back a year, then another.

Today, borrowing the story of a recent patient, I would like to write about that fear of the ‘first time.’

Dr. Minsu Kim Part 6

 

The Years of Putting It Off, and the Actual Experience

This patient, too, said he kept putting it off because it would be his first surgery and he was scared.

But once he actually had it, he was glad to find there was no major pain and no noticeable scarring.

With gynecomastia surgery, the fear we imagine is often far bigger than the actual experience. When you know the facts and prepare, that ‘first time’ passes more calmly than you would think.

 

The Moment the Tension Melts

Asked what stood out about his first visit, he said "every member of the staff was so kind that my tension melted away and I felt at ease."

"Every member of the staff was so kind that my tension melted away and I felt at ease"

For a first-time surgery patient, the tension of walking through the clinic door is at its highest. Easing that tension first is what we consider the true start of care.

 

The Same Care, All the Way to the Recovery Room

As his most memorable moment, he said the team was "consistently kind, all the way to the recovery room."

"Consistently kind, all the way to the recovery room"

Looking after the patient with the same attentiveness in the recovery room as in the operating room — for someone having surgery for the first time, that consistency is the greatest reassurance.

 

"Back to the Gym, Head Held High"

When we ask what patients want to do first after surgery, the answers hold the everyday life they had put on pause.

His answer: "I want to start working out again and carry myself with confidence." Straightening shoulders that had been hunched for years and reclaiming the daily life he had put off — that, in truth, is the biggest change.

Here is what he left for others carrying the same concern.

"If gynecomastia is weighing on you,
I recommend getting it done as soon as you can."

For every year fear kept you waiting, life after the decision feels that much lighter. Trueman Gangnam will take that first step with you.

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Dr. Min-soo Kim
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Gangnam Branch · Thoracic Surgeon · Master of Medicine
# Trend-Aware Body Design# Patient Communication First# Tailored to Your Needs
Key Background
  • · Board Certified Thoracic Surgeon / M.S. in Medicine
  • · M.D., Pusan National University School of Medicine
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"Body design with a contemporary eye — surgery led by a full understanding of what the patient wants"
"A result is complete when the medical team's skill and the patient's wishes meet. With a trend-aware eye I read precisely the line each patient has in mind, and through careful communication at every stage I bring about the change they are most satisfied with."
  • · Thoracic Surgery Residency, Samsung Medical Center
  • · Thoracic Surgery Fellowship, Samsung Medical Center
  • · Former Professor of Thoracic Surgery, Dongguk University Ilsan Hospital
  • · Member, The Korean Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery