What is Gynecomastia?
Gynecomastia
in men is the condition of having abnormally large breasts. There is a lot of
variation in the degrees of abnormal enlargement. The growth can be very small
and limited to some hard fibrous tissue limited to the areola only or as large
as breasts like that of a female. Most gynecomastia is somewhere in between
these two extremes. Hormonal imbalances in men can sometimes cause female like
breasts to develop in male bodies. This swelling of breast tissues is a medical
condition which is also known as breast hypertrophy and gynecomastia is more commonly known as man-boobs. Gynecomastia
usually occurs on both sides of
the chest of a man however it can also only affect a single side.
What Causes Gynecomastia?
Certain hormonal, environmental, developmental and dietary factors
play a role in increasing the probability of developing Gynecomastia. Gynecomastia
can develop in men due to increasing weight and obesity. This is because there
are higher levels of fat that are deposited in the breast area of the male if
they are obese. Body builders who have used or regularly use of high doses of
anabolic steroids to build up muscle mass can also increase the chances of
developing Gynecomastia. This is because they are reducing their own production
of testosterone with their use of these steroids.
An alarming cause for Gynecomastia is increased levels of estrogen-like substances and
steroids in food products. These hormones are fed to the animals to increase
their muscle mass and weight. Access to high levels of estrogen due to contamination in the
environment can put a man at higher risk of developing Gynecomastia. High levels of marijuana
use can also lead to gynecomastia. This happens because the balance between
testosterones hormones and estrogen hormones is disturbed. Estrogen is the female hormone which helps the breast
tissues develop and testosterones are male hormones which stop breast tissue
from growing.
How Do You Cure Gynecomastia?
There is no natural way to cure Gynecomastia. If the
gynecomastia is due to obesity weight loss with diet and exercise will help.
There is no medicine that will help although there are plenty of companies that
are selling this junk.
Surgery is the only way to treat Gynecomastia. This is
performed with a combination of procedures which includes direct surgical
excision with and without liposuction for contouring the rest of the chest. therefore,,
if you want quick visible results, the only solution is a surgery to reduce the
male breasts.
Who Should Opt for Male Breast Reduction Surgery
Any male that is healthy and older than 14 years can safely
opt for this surgery. Boys in the pre-puberty or puberty stage may be
candidates however the problem may partially correct itself with maturation and
weight loss. Therefore, parents may wait about going for this surgery as there is
a small chances of the problem
getting only partially fixed on its own once their hormones get balanced with
time.
How Dangerous is this Surgery and What Anesthesia is used?
This surgery is extremely safe. In this surgery, the excess
glandular breast is removed. The dense tissue is removed through excision and
the rest of the softer breast can be removed by liposuction. Overall, this
surgery can be done in as little as one half hour and may take longer, roughly
2 hours. It can be done in an office setting and the patient is not required to
be admitted in a hospital.
The anesthesia used differs from case to case. A severe case
of Gynecomastia with larger breasts may require general anesthesia whereas a
smaller breast enlargement can be removed under local anesthesia.
We hope this article was helpful in answering your queries.
You can visit Dr. Norman Bakshandeh
Day’s website at www.dayplasticsurgery.com
or call the office at 718-246-0130 to schedule a consultation for
evaluation and to get more for
your specific needs. A part of the Gynecomastia surgery can be covered by
insurance.
