Marcia Henin

Gynecomastia and Its Treatment

About Gynecomastia – The causes and treatments available

Gynecomastia is abnormally large male mammary gland resulting in enlargement of breasts. The term Gynecomastia comes from the word, gyne = woman and mastos = breasts.

This condition occurs in all age groups of men. It is often a source of distress to adolescent boys. However, for several people, whose pubertal gynecomastia does not arise due to obesity, the development of breasts disappears or shrinks within a couple of years.

Gynecomastia occurs due to imbalanced sex hormones. The breast prominence results from hypertrophyof chest adipose tissue or the breast skin. If the breast increases in size only due to excessive adipose, it is termed lipomastia or pseudogynecomastia.

Gynecomastia Surgery:

When dieting and exercise fails to promote breast reduction, Gynecomastia surgery is the next option for treatment of Gynecomastia.

 The advantage of the Gynecomastia surgery is that it has very few side effects. Even the scars due to operation are indistinct. The patient can resume with work in two to three weeks.

Gynecomastia surgeons generally follow the surgery with liposuction. It involves sucking out of the fatty cells with the insertion of small tubes around the areola.

The entire procedure takes about an hour. Usually, the gynecomastia surgeons discharge the patients immediately after the surgery. However, it is important to avoid any exercise and strenuous activity that may involve the chest for a couple of weeks after the surgery.

To cure Gynecomastia, it is necessary to treat the underlying cause of the condition. Gynecomastia surgeons also prescript certain alternative medicines that relieve the side effects of Gynecomastia. For example, eplerenone is an alternative for spironolactone.

Selective receptor modulators such as tamoxifen and clomiphene or androgens or aromatas inhibitors such as Letrozole are other medical alternatives. However, doctors do not approve them for the treatment of Gynecomastia.

Many American insurance companies consider Gynecomastia as a cosmetic surgery. Hence, they deny coverage for such surgeries.

Sometimes, a Gynecomastia surgeon may prescribe radiation therapy to prevent Gynecomastia in patients who suffer from prostate cancer. Compression garments can disguise this deformity and thus, provide emotional relief.

Physically, gynecomastia is not harmful, but it plays a huge role in promoting lower self-esteem in boys.

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