In The News: Male Breast Surgery and Gynecomastia
A term that has been appearing frequently in news stories, articles, blogs and even on reality television is gynecomastia, enlarged male breasts. All men, like women, have breast tissue but with this condition the breast tissue is distended. Gynecomastia can induce pain in some men, but the most common complaint is embarrassment.
Before discussing treatment, it is good to know what is actually happening in your body to cause this:
Definition: “gyne” – meaning female; and “mastia” meaning breast; a term used for abnormal enlargement of breast tissue in men, usually
due to hormone imbalance.
What Does Gynecomastia Look Like?
The most common form is described as “puffy nipples.” The enlarged breast tissue forms a hard circular mass concentrated around the areola (nipple) causing that area to appear “puffy” or “dome shaped.”
Why does this happen?
The male breast tissues become enlarged due an imbalance in sex hormone levels. The levels of estrogen, the female hormone, are increased relative to levels of androgens, the male hormones, causing growth in the tissues. There are different forms of gynecomastia, based on how the hormone imbalance developed:
- Pure Glandular Gynecomastia: Commonly found among bodybuilders; the use of steroids for an extended period of time results in excess testosterone levels, which is converted into estrogen, causing a hormone imbalance.
- Hereditary Gynecomastia: Hormone imbalance can be a hereditary trait and if so is typically apparent before or during puberty. Studies show that as much as sixty percent of young boys can inherit hormone imbalance causing gynecomastia.
Are there other causes of Gynecomastia?
There are a number of other medical conditions and/or medications that list gynecomastia as a side effect. Disorders, trauma or infection involving the male testes (testicular cancer) can lead to hormone imbalance and in turn gynecomastia. Medications treating hyper tension, certain antibiotics, anti-ulcer drugs and highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) for HIV disease have also been linked to gynecomastia cases. Excessive drug abuse; including alcohol, marijuana and heroin can also have an effect on male hormone levels.
Now that you’re an expert on the how and why of gynecomastia, click here to learn how Dr. Franckle can correct this issue: https://men.wfrancklemd.com/body/gynecomastia/