In brief. Gynecomastia surgery in Lebanon — male breast reduction — removes the firm gland behind the nipple and the fat around it, for a flat male chest. Dr. Vincent ElKhoury, a board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon, performs gynecomastia surgery at Hayek Hospital and Bellevue Medical Center, after a consultation at his clinic in Mansourieh, Metn.
What is gynecomastia surgery?
Gynecomastia surgery, also called male breast reduction, gives a flat male chest. The surgeon removes the firm gland behind the nipple through a small incision at the lower border of the areola, and feathers the surrounding fat into the chest wall with liposuction. It takes ninety minutes to two hours.
Key facts
- What it is. Removes the firm gland behind the nipple and the fat around it, for a flat male chest; the gland is excised and the surrounding fat treated with liposuction.
- Before you decide. Every medication and supplement is asked about; in young men with recent onset it sometimes resolves on its own, and recurrence is much more likely if anabolic steroid use continues.
- The operation. Ninety minutes to two hours, through a small incision at the lower border of the areola; a compression vest goes on at the end.
- Recovery. Office work by the end of week 1; light cardio at weeks 2 to 4; chest training at week 6; final at month 6.
- Where. Hayek Hospital and Bellevue Medical Center, after a consultation at the clinic in Mansourieh, Metn.
What does it change?
There are two components and they are treated differently. The firm disc of gland immediately behind the areola has to be cut out; liposuction alone will not remove it and will leave the hard button that patients notice. The softer fat around it is treated with liposuction, which blends the edges into the chest wall.
Doing only one of the two is the commonest reason a chest looks wrong afterwards — either a flat chest with a lump still under the nipple, or a saucer-shaped depression where too much was taken from the centre.
The aim is a flat chest with a nipple that sits correctly and an edge that disappears into the pectoral border rather than stopping at a line.
What should I know before I decide?
Every medication and supplement is asked about. Some drugs cause gynecomastia, and if one of them is the cause, stopping it can lead to improvement when it is done early, and gynecomastia present for a year or more can need surgery. Anabolic steroids are the frequent unspoken cause, and the surgery is far more likely to recur if their use continues.
In young men with recent onset the condition sometimes resolves on its own, and waiting is the right advice rather than operating.
How is the operation done?
The operation takes ninety minutes to two hours. A small incision at the lower border of the areola, where the colour change hides it, gives access to the gland.
The gland is excised, deliberately leaving a thin layer behind the nipple so the centre does not collapse inward. Liposuction feathers the surrounding fat outwards into the chest wall.
A compression vest goes on at the end of the operation.
Recovery
What actually happens, week by week
Recovery is part of the treatment rather than an afterthought, so it is described here in the same detail as the operation.
Day 0–3
Vest and restTightness, tenderness and numbness across the chest. Sleep on your back.
Week 1
Back to a deskShowering from about 48 hours. Office work by the end of the first week.
Week 2–4
Normal lifeLight cardio and lower-body work only. Swelling falls noticeably.
Week 6
Chest trainingUpper-body work resumes. The stop date for the vest is set at your review.
Month 6
FinalFirmness under the areola settles; the scar fades into the areolar border.
Read also: Recovery after gynecomastia surgery: the vest and the timeline · Gynecomastia or chest fat? How to tell · Male breast reduction in Lebanon: what the operation involves
Honesty
Risks, and what can go wrong
Every operation has them. They are listed here because a patient who has read them and still wants to proceed is a patient who will be content afterwards.
- A residual firmness under the areola for several months, which is healing rather than remaining gland.
- A depression in the centre if too much gland is taken — avoided by deliberately leaving a layer behind the nipple.
- Asymmetry between the two sides; the chest is rarely perfectly symmetrical to begin with.
- Recurrence, which is uncommon after adequate excision but much more likely if anabolic steroid use continues.
Results
Photographs
Before-and-after photographs for this procedure are published on the main page as they are taken, under the same rules as every other case on this site: the same frame, the same distance, the same light, and no retouching beyond the masking that protects identity.
Nothing is published without the patient’s consent, and consent for one photograph is not treated as consent for all of them.
Take it away
The printed sheet
Everything on this page, on two sides of A4, written for patients and free to take from the clinic. It says what the operation does, what it costs you in time, and what it does not fix.
Patient information — PDF, 2 pages
Open the sheet →Questions
What patients ask
Will training get rid of it instead?
Not if it is glandular. Training reduces the surrounding fat and can make the firm disc behind the nipple more obvious rather than less.
Where is the scar?
At the lower border of the areola, where the change in skin colour hides it. It is short, and it fades into that border over several months.
How long do I wear the vest?
Day and night at first, then stopped at four to six weeks. It is what holds the skin down onto the new contour, and it makes a visible difference to the result.
When can I train my chest again?
No chest, shoulder or arm work until six weeks. Push-ups and bench press are the classic way patients undo a good result.
Can it come back?
Rarely, after adequate excision. It is considerably more likely if anabolic steroids are used again, which is why the question is asked directly before surgery.
Should anything be checked before surgery?
Yes. Enlargement in men follows hormone changes, an overactive thyroid, kidney disease, anabolic steroid use or prescribed medication. Where one of those is behind it, treating the cause reduces the size without an operation. Enlargement that begins at puberty can also settle on its own. That assessment comes before any decision to operate.
Who performs gynecomastia surgery in Lebanon, and where is it done?
Dr. Vincent ElKhoury, a board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon, performs gynecomastia surgery (male breast reduction) in Lebanon. You are seen at his clinic on Mkalles Main Street, Mansourieh (Metn), and operated on at Hayek Hospital or Bellevue Medical Center.
How do I book a consultation?
Call or WhatsApp the clinic on +961 1 697 739, or send the consultation form on this site. The clinic is open Monday to Friday, 10:00 to 18:00. Consultations are in English, French or Arabic.
How long is recovery after male chest surgery?
Swelling falls noticeably over two to four weeks. Chest training resumes at six weeks, and the stop date for the vest is set at your review, with the firmness under the areola settling and the scar fading into the areolar border by six months. Your surgeon will guide you on when each stage applies to you.
Is gynecomastia surgery the same as male breast reduction?
Yes. Male breast reduction is the everyday name. The operation removes the gland, which diet and exercise do not change, and the fat around it.
Does gynecomastia go away on its own?
In young men with recent onset the condition sometimes resolves on its own, and waiting is then the right advice. If a medicine or anabolic steroid is the cause, stopping it early can lead to improvement. Gynecomastia present for a year or more can need surgery.
What are the stages of gynecomastia?
Surgeons grade gynecomastia by the size of the enlargement and the amount of excess skin. The Simon classification runs from grade 1, a small enlargement, to grade 3, a marked enlargement with excess skin, and some systems add a grade 4. The grade is assessed at the consultation, by examination.
Who is a good candidate for gynecomastia surgery?
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons lists a condition that cannot be corrected by medical treatment, good health, a non-smoker, breast development that has stabilised and realistic expectations. The NHS adds that the surgery is not suitable for men whose large breasts come simply from being overweight.
How much does gynecomastia surgery in Lebanon cost?
There is no single figure, because no two operations are the same. The cost depends on what is done, how long it takes, the anaesthetic and the hospital. Fees are not advertised, in keeping with the professional rules for doctors in Lebanon; they are discussed in person at the consultation, once the right operation for you is known. What shapes the cost is set out in the cost of plastic surgery in Lebanon.
Further reading
Sources
Published patient information on this procedure, from sources independent of the practice. The plan for your own operation is gone through at the consultation.
Press
In the press
Dr. ElKhoury’s letter in L’Orient-Le Jour, « Docteur, je continue les injections ou je me fais opérer ? » (7 October 2026, in French), sets out what injections can and cannot correct. More press.