What is gynecomastia?

Gynecomastia is the abnormal growth of breast tissue in men, usually in both breasts. There’s a difference between gynecomastia – enlarged breast gland tissue – and pseudogynecomastia, which is excess fat in the breast area due to weight gain, but without glandular growth.

Gynecomastia commonly causes breast pain and tenderness in the first six months as the glands and connective tissue grow. You can usually feel the glandular growth as a firm, rubbery disk of tissue directly beneath the nipple. The firm area may also extend symmetrically out from the nipple.

What is the most common cause of gynecomastia?

The most common cause of gynecomastia is an imbalance in hormones — an increase in estrogen, a decrease in androgens, or both. This type of imbalance naturally occurs at certain times of life. In newborn boys, breast growth is caused by exposure to estrogen from the mother. When this happens, the breasts return to normal in two to six months.

Normal hormone changes during puberty may cause breast growth. However, this form of gynecomastia goes away in six months to two years. Finally, age-related hormone changes commonly lead to gynecomastia in men who are overweight or are older than 50.

What are the other causes of breast overgrowth in men?

Medications are estimated to cause up to 25% of all cases of gynecomastia. There’s a long list of medications that may lead to the problem. Just a few on the list include anabolic steroids, proton pump inhibitors, antibiotics, and tricyclic antidepressants.

Underlying health conditions can also cause enlarged breasts:

• Overweight and obesity
• Lack of proper nutrition
• 肝脏疾病
• Kidney failure
• Testicular tumors
• Adrenal gland tumors
• Hyperthyroidism
• Hypogonadism

Are men with gynecomastia at risk for breast cancer?

Gynecomastia is not cancerous. It may slightly increase your risk for breast cancer, but your overall risk is still small, as male breast cancer represents no more than 1% of all breast cancer cases.

How is gynecomastia treated?

In the early stage, gynecomastia may be treated with medications to reduce levels of estrogen. Any underlying health conditions must also be treated. Otherwise, the only treatment option is surgery to reduce breast size, called reduction mammoplasty.

The doctors at Strax Rejuvenation have extensive experience surgically removing glandular breast tissue and excess skin, reducing the areola if necessary, and repositioning the nipple to naturally match the new male contour. Liposuction can be done at the same time if you also have excess fat tissue to eliminate.