You’ve heard the term “man boobs” and thought it only applies to men who are overweight and, like women, have larger breasts because of the added weight. In actuality, about 50% of men they have gynecomastia or male breast enlargement. Most men do nothing about it, other than maybe avoiding the beach or other opportunities to go shirtless. But doing so can impact a man’s self-esteem.
To fix the condition, the team at Elite can perform male breast reduction.
What leads to gynecomastia?
Causes of adult gynecomastia are not completely understood. That’s not true of pubescent boys, where up to 70% have the condition to some degree at some point. In teens, estrogen and testosterone and the changes they cause in the body are the causes. Most teenage gynecomastia passes as hormone levels stabilize.
Middle-aged and older men can also develop enlarged breasts due to hormone changes that come with aging. Also, certain medicines can cause gynecomastia:
- Antibiotics
- Anti-anxiety drugs
- Steroids
- Tricyclic antidepressants
- AIDS treatment drugs
- Heartburn treatment drugs
Other causes of gynecomastia are marijuana and heroin use, as well as drinking too much alcohol.
Obviously, many of these cases don’t merit surgery, as the breast enlargement is a byproduct of, say, smoking lots of weed or being on steroids.
Breast reduction surgery
Men with gynecomastia have a firm, rubbery mass underneath the nipple area. The size of this mass is around 1.5 inches across and it may be sensitive to the touch.
If surgery is required, small incisions are made in the armpits or around the areolae. Through those incisions, excess fat and glandular tissue are removed and excess skin is trimmed. Liposuction may be added to remove fat pockets.
If you’re concerned about enlarged breasts, you may have gynecomastia. Call us at Elite, 616-459-1907, and let’s discuss it.
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