"Light-Colored Short Sleeves — I'm Already Wearing Them"

The closets of people who come in for gynecomastia are generally alike. Dark colors, thick fabric, a silhouette that does not follow the body. A light-colored short-sleeved shirt is the opposite: thin, noticeable, and it shows the body's lines plainly.

Saying you wanted to wear it but could not means that, every time, you gave it up once in front of the closet. Saying you are already wearing it means that giving-up is gone.

They said what worried them most while considering surgery was whether the pain would be severe. Having experienced it, they wrote: "The pain was less severe than I thought, just a bit of discomfort."

That is the degree this person felt, and pain presents differently in different people. It varies with the extent of removal, tissue condition, and recovery speed, so the experience can differ even with the same surgery. That is why in consultation we do not say there is no pain, but explain the expected range and how it is managed.

Of their first visit, they wrote that all the staff were male and that they would be operated on by a surgeon with extensive experience, so unlike the vague worry they had beforehand, the consultation and surgery went comfortably. Vague worry usually comes from a lack of information. So in the first consultation, we explain what your condition actually is before we talk about surgery.

Asked about their memory of the surgery, they wrote that "thanks to the anesthesia I slept and woke to find the surgery over," and then that they were kindly told what had been done and when to come back.

The time inside the operating room does not remain as memory for the patient. What remains is what comes before and after. Going in knowing what has been agreed on; leaving having heard what was done and what to observe from here. We try not to miss either.

They added that they now intend to work on the stooped posture as well. It is a habit often seen in people who have rounded their shoulders to hide their chest. Even after the body changes, posture tends to stay as it was for a while, so I was glad they were conscious of it themselves.

To others with the same concern, they left a short line that deliberating only delays the surgery. I read it as the impression of someone who postponed a long time. But it is their own experience, and whether surgery is needed is something to decide after confirming your condition through an examination.

On the last question, they wrote thanks for a satisfying operation. I hope this summer passes without hesitation in front of the closet.