Procedures · Gynecomastia surgery

Removing the tissue,
not just the appearance.

Gynecomastia surgery removes excess glandular tissue (and, where present, excess fat and skin) through a small incision, typically as a day procedure under sedation with tumescent local anaesthesia. The technique (liposuction alone, direct excision, or both, with or without skin resection) is chosen from the Simon grade described on the gynecomastia condition page, not a single standard operation. Because the grade sets the technique, it also sets where in a very wide price range you land.

Price this procedure How recourse works

Every figure on this page carries its source and the date it was checked. See the methodology line at the foot of the page.

Technique

One procedure name, four different operations.

Korean clinics publishing this procedure classify it on the Simon scale, and the grade sets the technique, not the patient's preference and not the clinic's default. They separate the presentation further into fat-dominant, gland-dominant and mixed, because liposuction cannot remove glandular tissue: the cannula passes through the firm disc rather than breaking it up. A liposuction-only plan quoted for a gland-dominant chest is the most common reason a second operation is needed later.

Simon gradeWhat has to be removedTechnique published for it
Grade 1: localised gland, no skin excessThe glandular disc onlyDirect excision through a periareolar incision; liposuction often not required at all
Grade 2a: generalised enlargement, no skin excessGland plus surrounding chest fatLiposuction of the chest and lateral chest wall, plus excision of the gland the cannula cannot take
Grade 2b: generalised enlargement, mild skin excessGland, fat, and a limited amount of skinAs grade 2a, with skin tightening; the areola may be repositioned
Grade 3: marked enlargement with ptosisGland, fat and significant skinExcision with formal skin resection and areolar repositioning. This is the one grade where a longer scar is usually unavoidable
The operation

Under sedation, 40 to 60 minutes.

For the standard case, published Korean protocols use sedation (수면마취) with tumescent local anaesthetic rather than general anaesthesia, a 5 mm incision placed in the lateral chest crease or at the lower areolar border, and 40 to 60 minutes of operating time. Where the chest is fat-dominant, ultrasound-assisted (VASER) or air-pressure-assisted (EVA) liposuction is used in place of a plain mechanical cannula. Both are published specifically for reducing the bleeding and bruising a mechanical cannula causes. Grade 3 cases with formal skin resection are longer, and are the cases most likely to need general anaesthesia rather than sedation.

Recovery

Stitches out at 10 to 14 days.

Day 0

Discharged the same day, unless the plan includes an overnight stay. A compression garment goes on in theatre and is worn continuously; the first one is normally inside the quoted price, replacements are not.

Days 1–3

Desk work is generally possible from the day after. Swelling and bruising peak inside this window, and the compression garment is the main thing managing both.

Days 10–14

Stitches out. This is the earliest point at which the flight home is normally discussed, and it is why both of the two follow-up visits typically included in an international-patient package fall before it.

Weeks 4–6

Chest and upper-body exercise resumes. Compression is typically worn for the whole of this period, not only until the stitches are out.

Months 3–6

Scar maturation. No surgeon can tell you what the scar will look like before this window closes, and one who offers to is describing something nobody can know yet.

Cost

A range this wide is a technique question.

Seoul clinics quote international patients roughly $2,500 to $8,100 for this operation, and the spread is not clinic prestige: it is what is being removed. Liposuction alone sits at the bottom, gland excision in the middle, and a combined excision-and-liposuction operation at the top; grade 3 with formal skin resection is quoted above the published band entirely. So the useful question is not “what does gynecomastia surgery cost” but “which of the three am I being quoted for, and does it match my grade.” A liposuction-only price for a gland-dominant chest is cheap because it is the wrong operation. Note that the domestic Korean fee disclosures you may find in Korean-language searches are lower and are not what you will be offered. See /pricing/ for what a package includes.

FAQ

Questions worth asking before you book.

How long is recovery after gynecomastia surgery?
Discharge is the same day. Desk work is generally possible within one to three days, stitches come out at 10 to 14 days, and chest or upper-body exercise resumes at four to six weeks. The scar is not judged before three to six months, which is a separate timeline from being recovered.
Will there be visible scars?
Yes, but where depends on the grade. Grades 1 to 2b are done through a 5 mm incision at the lateral chest crease or the lower areolar border, both of which sit in a natural colour or contour boundary. Grade 3, where skin has to be resected, is the one grade where a longer scar is usually unavoidable. That is the trade for removing skin, not a failure of technique.
Can liposuction alone treat gynecomastia?
Only if the enlargement is fat rather than gland. A liposuction cannula passes through glandular tissue instead of removing it, so a gland-dominant or mixed chest treated by liposuction alone is left with the firm disc still in place. This is the single most common reason a revision operation is needed, and the most common reason one clinic's quote is far below another's.
How much does gynecomastia surgery cost in Korea for a foreign patient?
Seoul clinics quote international patients about $2,500 to $8,100, converted from ₩3,700,000–₩12,000,000 at 1,485 KRW to the dollar. Liposuction only is the bottom of that band, combined excision and liposuction the top. Prices published in Korean under the domestic fee-disclosure rule are lower and are not offered to visiting patients. See /pricing/.
What is included in the quoted price?
In an international-patient package, normally: the surgery and surgeon's fee, anaesthesia, facility fees, pre-operative tests, the first compression garment, suture removal and about two follow-up consultations. Normally not: medication beyond the initial course, replacement garments, an interpreter unless stated in writing, accommodation, and revision surgery. See /pricing/ for the full two lists.
Is gynecomastia surgery covered by insurance?
Not for you as a visiting patient. Korean private indemnity policies can cover gynecomastia surgery at Simon grade 2a and above where glandular tissue is confirmed on ultrasound, but that is a domestic Korean policy benefit and does not extend to a foreign patient paying out of pocket. Treat the quoted price as the price you pay.
Can gynecomastia come back after surgery?
Removed glandular tissue does not regrow, but a cause that is still active (ongoing steroid use, an unaddressed hormonal imbalance) can produce new tissue. See the gynecomastia condition page.

Foreign-patient prices published on Seoul clinics' English-language sites and on Korean medical-tourism platforms (https://us-uk.bookimed.com/clinics/country=republic-of-korea/), measured 2026-07-28.

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