Truman Customer Story Column
A worry in his mid-forties
"Removing it is fine, but I'm worried about after it's removed." That is a summary of the worry this patient, in his mid-forties, raised during the consultation. Once the tissue is removed, might that spot sag or look hollow? It was a fair question for an age when skin elasticity has to be considered one step more than for younger patients. Today, borrowing this patient's story, I want to write about that worry.
What If It Sags or Looks Hollow?
More Than Removing, It Is About Refining
The goal of gynecomastia surgery is not to remove as much tissue as possible. It is for the chest contour, after removal, to look natural. So we decide how much to remove, and we plan where and how much to leave. That is why the approach must change according to age, skin elasticity, and the state of the tissue. With this patient, too, I took the time before surgery to explain this, and we entered the operation only after confirming together a plan for the sagging and the hollowness he had worried about.
Two Words: Kind, and Systematic
The answer this patient gave in the box asking for his impression of the clinic was two words: "Kind, systematic." And as his most memorable moment, he wrote: "The nurses who cared for me kindly in the recovery room, and the surgeon's detailed explanation before surgery." Explanation before surgery, and care after it. It was an answer that made me reaffirm that a patient is at ease only when the whole process moves as one team — not the surgeon alone, but the recovery-room nurses too.
The Day He Set Out in a White T-Shirt
As the thing he most wanted to do after surgery, this patient chose going out in a white T-shirt. The thinner and brighter the clothing, the more the chest contour shows through, which is why it is often the very first item those worried about gynecomastia give up. That long hesitation in front of the closet had been placed at the top of his list of things to do after surgery.
His Words to the Effect of "Don't Overthink It"
In the last box, for others facing the same struggle, this patient left words to the effect of not overthinking it. Of course, that comes from his own experience, and whether to have surgery is something to judge after confirming your own condition through a consultation. Still, if you are hesitating like him, worried about sagging or hollowness, you are welcome to bring that very worry into the consultation room just as it is. Confirming the true nature of a worry is where a decision begins.
- Dr. Yoo Jae-hyun, TRUEMAN Gangnam -
