Truman Customer Story Column
Working out is finally something he enjoys again
"Wouldn't it get better if I worked out?" It is one of the most common questions I hear in gynecomastia consultations. And yet some patients come to me with the opposite problem: the harder they trained their chest, the larger it appeared, until the exercise they used to enjoy became a source of stress.
A patient who had surgery with us recently was exactly that case. He hesitated for a long time before surgery because he worried about after-effects and recurrence. Here is the review he left after his recovery.
He worried about after-effects and recurrence
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After-effects and recurrence were his worry
What concerned him most were after-effects and the possibility of recurrence. At his consultation I explained the surgical approach, the recovery process, and the circumstances in which recurrence can occur, one point at a time. He said that once he understood the parts he had been unsure about, he was able to decide. He also noted that recovery went faster than he expected — though of course the pace of recovery differs depending on individual condition and aftercare.
What removes worry is not a promise, but understanding. Whatever it is you are worried about, I believe the first step is to come in and see what that worry actually consists of.
Something you notice from the waiting room onward
As his impression of the clinic, he unexpectedly chose the waiting area.
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What you notice from the waiting room on
First impressions of the clinic
"The waiting areas are all separated, so I felt they protect a man's privacy about a sensitive matter well."
Simply coming to a clinic about a chest concern takes considerable courage, and some men turn back because the thought of running into someone in the waiting room feels like too much. Because I believe the reassurance a space provides matters as much as the care itself, this comment was welcome.
He fell asleep, woke up, and it was done
Asked what he remembered about the surgery, he wrote:
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He slept, and it was done
"With sedation anesthesia I fell asleep and woke up and the surgery was over, so there was no pain or tension. I liked that."
Because the procedure is performed under sedation anesthesia, most patients do not remember it. That said, this was his experience; how anesthesia feels afterward and how much pain follows surgery can differ from person to person, which is why we always go over recovery care alongside it.
Why his chest grew as he trained, and what was behind it
He told us that his chest seemed to get larger the more he trained it, and that this was his main frustration. After surgery, he said his confidence returned and working out became enjoyable again.
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Why his chest grew the more he trained
This deserves a medical note. When gynecomastia is caused by glandular tissue, reducing body fat through exercise leaves that tissue in place. In fact, as the pectoral muscles develop, the chest can appear even more prominent. If your frustration deepened the harder you trained, it may not be a matter of willpower or effort, but of the chest tissue itself.
"Instead of spending time thinking it over, I'd recommend doing it sooner."
That was his message to others with the same concern. This came out of his own experience; results and recovery vary from person to person, and whether surgery is needed is something you should decide after confirming your own condition through an examination, since the approach differs depending on whether the case is glandular or fat-predominant.
Hearing that exercise has become enjoyable again is the kind of feedback we are gladdest to receive. If you have been carrying the same concern for a long time, I would encourage you to start by finding out exactly what it is.
- Dr. Shim Young-jin, TRUEMAN Myeongdong -
Hearing that exercise has become enjoyable again is the kind of feedback we are gladdest to receive. If you have been carrying the same concern for a long time, I would encourage you to start by finding out exactly what it is.
- Dr. Shim Young-jin, TRUEMAN Myeongdong -
