23 year old Lee Jardine had suffered with the condition, Gynacomastia, more commonly known as ‘man boobs’ since his early teens. For years he felt self conscious and ashamed of his body letting the condition shatter his confidence and affect his relationship with his partner Diana and young son Taylor. After surgery with a leading Cosmetic Surgeon last year Lee is a different person…
Lee initially put the increasing size of his chest down to puberty. At the age of 13 he began to notice small changes in the size of his chest, however over time his chest got bigger and bigger and after a year he had what he saw as full size breasts. At school Lee was teased and bullied, this caused him to become more and more introverted, stopping him from getting involved with physical activities at school and mixing with friends.
At this young age Lee had no idea that he had a medical condition and thought his bigger chest was down to his weight. Lee became so self conscious that he resorted to fastening a thick leather belt around his chest to try and reduce the size. He would then wear four layers of clothing to hide the definition of his breasts.
As Lee got to his mid teens, he saw his weight increase he began to think that this might have something to do with his large chest. Lee decided he would take action and start to go to the gym and diet. After a few months Lee successfully lost the weight he needed to, but his large chest remained.
Taking Control of the Situation
Lee was encouraged by his partner Diane to go and see his GP. After a consultation Lee was diagnosed with Gynacomastia and told that the problem was triggered by hormonal issues and was not to do with weight.
Lee was advised that the best way to rid him of the condition would be to have male chest reduction surgery. Lee and his family researched several Cosmetic Surgeons and decided to arrange an initial consultation with Mr Alex Karidis.
During his consultation, Mr Karidis explained to Lee how he thought the surgery would help and what would be involved. Mr Karidis explained that he would use liposuction and breast gland removal to reduce the size. Lee would not need any stitches and would be back on his feet in a matter of hours.
After a short time to digest all the information Lee had received from Mr Karidis he decided to go ahead with the surgery.
The Surgery
On the day of his surgery Lee was nervous, but more than anything excited. After a little over an hour in surgery, Lee was in recovery after a successful operation. Everything had gone to plan and Mr Karidis was delighted with the results.
After a few weeks of wearing a post surgery garment, Lee could finally see the results of the surgery. He was absolutely delighted. The difference was amazing, he no longer had breasts just a normal looking mans chest!
Lee explains:
“This operation has 100% changed my life. All of my family and friends have noticed that I am like a new person. I can do things that I had held back on for so long, like taking my son swimming and going on holiday with my girlfriend. I am proud of my body and not ashamed like I had been for the majority of my adult life. It’s amazing that one procedure can change someone’s life so drastically.
“My advice to anyone who is suffering in silence is to go to their GP, understand fully what the condition is and speak about the options. Once you get over the initial embarrassment of admitting the problem you can begin to deal with it. Surgery has changed my life and I am so grateful to Mr Karidis.”
Mr Karidis comments, “About 30% of the male population suffers from this condition in varying degrees. Many men are not concerned by having so called ‘man boobs’, but for the more extreme cases this condition can have a huge effect on quality of life. The condition is gradually becoming more widely acknowledged and men are now able to see that Cosmetic Surgery is a viable option. At present I am carrying out around three male breast reductions a week at my practice. “
Lee had his surgery with Cosmetic Surgeon Mr Alex Karidis Loretto Clinic, The Hospital of St John and St Elizabeth, London
