Male Breast Reduction – Gynecomastia
Gynecomastia is the development of “woman-like breasts” in men. Breast hypertrophy, or abnormal glandular breast overgrowth, afflicts as many as 65% of adolescent males and 10-15% of adult males. The disorder’s prevalence is reflected by the American Society of Plastic Surgery’s ranking of the Surgical Treatment of Gynecomastia as one of the top five cosmetic surgery procedures performed on men.
No longer do men with Gynecomastia have to hide their chests or be ridiculed for having “man-boobs.” In fact, Male Breast Reduction is being increasingly performed for all groups of men who suffer from Gynecomastia. They no longer need be embarrassed when wearing form-fitting shirts, t-shirts, or even avoid take off their shirts at the pool or the beach!
Breast tissue naturally grows in all adolescent boys during normal development as a result of hormonal changes. It is estimated that as many as 65% of teenage boys experience enlarged breast tissue or Gynecomastia. For the fortunate majority of these boys, Pubertal Gynecomastia resolves in a matter of months, or with the end of adolescence. For a significant portion, however an estimated 10-15%, the symptoms remain through adult life.
Unlike Pubertal Gynecomastia, adult-onset Gynecomastia can be caused by a range of things. The potential causes of Gynecomastia in adults include some common medications, Anabolic steroids, herbal or growth supplements, natural or synthetic estrogen hormone derivatives, marijuana, alcohol abuse, chronic liver failure, and renal failure.
There are also some tumors that secrete female hormones which stimulate breast gland growth in males. Therefore, it is important that newly recognized adult-onset Gynecomastia be investigated by an endocrinologist in order to rule out possible serious underlying causes.
Another cause of Gynecomastia which has recently become more prevalent is Obesity. Fat cells, especially those in large numbers, convert the male hormone testosterone into female hormone estrogen, which stimulates breast growth. With Aging some men experience a deficiency in Testosterone levels which leads to the development of Gynecomastia.
Adult onset Gynecomastia is usually irreversible unless corrected through a variety of surgical treatments such as Male Breast Reduction, Mastectomy, and/or Liposuction.
Male breast reduction involves making an incision at the periphery of the areola and surgically removing the glandular breast tissue. In those who have more fatty breast tissue, this can be accomplished via small stab incisions with Liposuction.
In severe forms of Gynecomastia there is significant excess of sagging breast skin which is removed by several methods; Inverted-T or Peri-Areolar Breast Reduction. It is not infrequent to need subsequent surgery to further reduce the size of the areola and nipple, or to further lift and reduce the hanging breast skin.
Dave Stringham is the President of LookingYourBest.com an online resource for plastic surgery procedures. Learn more about male chest surgery and other plastic surgery procedures.