Truman Customer Story Column
"Hollowing"
People who have researched gynecomastia surgery come in carrying surprisingly precise words. What this person wrote as their worry before surgery was a single term as well.
"Hollowing"
Where Does a Sunken Spot Come FromSometimes the area just beneath the areola looks dented in. This happens when more tissue than necessary is taken from that spot. Gynecomastia surgery is not a surgery where removing more is better; it is closer to a surgery of deciding how thick a layer to leave beneath the areola. Leave it thin and it sinks; leave it thick and the removal does not show.
So before surgery we confirm the amount and distribution of glandular tissue with ultrasound and check its firmness by palpation. We decide how much to leave while also considering how much the skin has stretched and the Simon grade. During surgery we refine both sides to the same standard while changing position to check, because the shape looks different lying down and sitting up.
The shape right after surgery is not the final shape. Early on, it feels firm to the touch because of swelling, and the two sides may look different. Judging during that period makes it look worse than it actually is, so it is better to keep the scheduled appointments while it settles in over several months.
The Impression of the First VisitAbout when they first came to the clinic, they wrote two words: kind and clean. For people who come for gynecomastia, the time spent in that space is as much a burden as the examination itself. All-male staff at the Incheon branch is also a condition set to shorten that time.
The Answer That There Was No PainAs a moment that stayed with them, they wrote this.
"That the surgery didn't hurt"
Because it is performed under sedation, you stay asleep while the surgery is under way. Pain after surgery differs from person to person depending on the amount and extent of tissue removed and one's usual sensitivity to pain. Some, like this person, say they barely felt it, and some say a pulling sensation continued for several days. So I do not tell people in advance that it will not hurt; I explain at what point and up to what degree it may come, and how it is managed at that time.
Short-Sleeved T-Shirts and Tight ClothesWhat they wrote as the thing they most wanted to do after surgery was this.
"Wearing short-sleeved T-shirts and tight clothes"
Both are the kind of clothing people with gynecomastia give up first, because they are thin, cling to the body, and hide nothing. Before wearing them again, you need to wait until the wound has healed and compression garment wear has ended.
Every answer they gave was three or four syllables, yet it was clear where the worry and the result parted ways.
