Truman Customer Story Column
"Walking Around with Confidence"
In the box asking what they wanted to do after surgery, someone who had gynecomastia surgery in July wrote eight Korean characters: "Walking around with confidence."
The reasons people have gynecomastia surgery are usually this short. It is about getting back one thing they had not been able to do, and that one thing had been put off for years before finally being settled this time.
For how it felt on first coming to the clinic, they wrote briefly: "Very detailed and kind."
We do not use any special technique in consultation. We just bring up first the things people find hard to ask about. Gynecomastia is a treatment covered by national health insurance when the diagnostic criteria are met. However, whether coverage applies is decided after the condition is confirmed through examination and tests, so it is not something we can confirm in advance over the phone. How far we have explained this process actually makes a big difference to satisfaction.
The Moment of Taking Off the Compression GarmentAs a moment from the surgery that stayed with them, they wrote that the point when they took off the compression garment was the most satisfying.
The compression garment presses down on post-operative swelling and holds the skin in place while the tissue settles. It is usually worn for two to three weeks, and after that it is adjusted as much as possible according to the course. Because there are individual differences in how fast the swelling goes down and how the wound recovers, it is hard to apply that period uniformly. For those who have surgery in summer, this is the longest stretch. Many people treat the day they take it off as their reference point, so at every follow-up we tell them specifically how much time remains.
The answer this person gave to others with the same concern was one line: "Absolutely, highly recommend." This is their experience; whether to have surgery is something to judge after confirming your own condition through an examination. With gynecomastia, the need for and extent of surgery differ depending on the grade and the condition of the glandular tissue, and so does the time it takes to recover.
They left blank the box for what worried them most and the box for requests. I do not know whether it was because they had nothing to write or no reason to write, but for our part we hope it was the latter.
