Gynecomastia affects between 40 – 60% of the male population around the world. Yet, many are still unaware of this condition and why most men can’t reverse the effects. Gynecomastia is a common condition. Much more common than you would expect but often only affecting someone slightly.
Although in serious cases, it’s truly devastating to a man’s self-esteem. Signs vary from a small amount of barely visible extra tissue on the chest to rather prominent-looking breasts. If that didn’t sound bad enough, the condition could sometimes affect only one breast, giving an uneven appearance.
There are several known causes, but professionals usually try to narrow it down to hormones when this isn’t always the case. The fact is there are a lot of unknowns when it comes to understanding gynecomastia
- Gynecomastia Is Related to Abnormal Development of Mammary Glands
Men and women both have glandular tissue within the breasts. The tissue starts to develop after puberty and this where it affects everyone differently.
Mammary glands develop during different growth cycles and at different stages in our lives. It’s not uncommon for a man to experiences abnormal growth in the gland, resulting in his breast tissue growing abnormally.
Men who develop and suffer from gynecomastia will see their breast tissue grow disproportionately to the rest of their bodies. This is what creates what is known as man boobs.
This doesn’t always start at puberty. However, it can affect men of all ages. From early teens or in later life. This is where a person’s lifestyle has an impact
- There Are True and False Types of Gynecomastia
Another fact about gynecomastia that is not commonly known is that there are two types. These are classified as true gynecomastia and false gynecomastia.
True gynecomastia is caused as a result of the glandular tissue of the breast growth. It’s often referred to as ‘puffy nipples’ too, as the nipples protrude due to tissue growth behind them.
False gynecomastia also goes under the name of pseudo gynecomastia and is caused due to an accumulation of fatty tissue. This forms in the male breast area, giving a sagging breast.
The difference here is the type of tissue causing the man boob. The false gynecomastia is much easier to treat with the correct exercise plan and diet as the adipose tissue is much more responsive to fat burning.
- Man Boobs Can Be a Side Effect of Medications
Much to many men’s surprise, the medication they are taking may have caused their man boobs. There are side effects to all artificial medications, and it’s something you need to be aware of before taking it.
Some of the more common medications known to include man boobs as a side effect are:
- Drugs used to treat some cancers that contain anti-androgens and estrogens.
- Spironolactone used to treat fluid retention in patients with heart failure.
- Drugs that treat ulcers, such as ranitidine and cimetidine.
- Calcium antagonists are used to treating various heart and blood conditions.
- This is a tough side effect to tackle.
There are sometimes alternative drugs if the man’s boobs are too distressing. But the condition being treated needs to come first, and often there isn’t an alternative. Working on reversing the effects of breast tissue growth needs to be addressed after the medication has stopped.
- Diet and Exercise Can Correct Pseudo gynecomastia
As discussed earlier pseudo gynecomastia is one of the causes of man boobs and has a different root cause to gynecomastia. This condition can be treated a lot easier with a good diet and exercise plan.
The fat deposits can be burnt as with any exercise, and you will see a reduction in the size of the boobs reasonably quickly.
Everyone reacts differently to different exercises. It’s worth keeping in mind that while some people will benefit from exercises directed at the chest area, all-around aerobic exercise will be more effective for others.
- The Drug Tamoxifen Can Correct Gynecomastia
The first thing men ask when suffering from enlarged breasts is, “what drug can I take for this?” While most pills you find online will not work, there is a medically tested medication that has shown to have some positive results.
Tamoxifen is a drug used to treat breast cancer, among other conditions. It works by blocking estrogen, a hormone present in the female development of breast tissue.
Like all drugs, however, there are risks and side effects. You need to consult a doctor and consider your options carefully before taking this kind of action. There are other ways to treat man boobs without drugs.
With man boobs still a condition affecting so many men, yet not discussed enough, these some things to know about gynecomastia offer a lot of answers you were probably not aware of.
Most importantly, you need to know that there are things you can do to treat the condition. You do not need to suffer in silence or put up with having man boobs.
- Is there any link between gynecomastia and breast cancer?
Breast cancer is sporadic in men. In 2009 in Australia, only about 110 men were diagnosed with breast cancer (less than 1% of cases). Breast cancer has different characteristics from gynecomastia.
The gynecomastia tissue is usually soft, elastic, slightly solid but not hard, appears under the nipple, and more than half of cases occur on both sides of the chest. Breast cancer usually appears as a solid, hard, outer nipple, but sometimes it seems below and mostly on only one side of the chest. Men with breast cancer skin can become wrinkled, and the nipples shrink.
Men who have gynecomastia have a rate of breast cancer twice as high as ordinary people because breast cancer is related to increased estrogen in the body. Men with Klinefelter’s syndrome have a higher risk, but breast cancer incidence remains relatively low.
- Psychological effects by gynecomastia
Gynecomastia is usually not life-threatening. But can affect men’s quality of life. For example, they might give up swimming or get naked to avoid embarrassment.
Very few men talk openly about this with their doctors or their families. And may become depressed or restless about his or her body image. Feminization of the mammary glands can be incredibly embarrassing for adolescents in adulthood.
Raising awareness about gynecomastia can help improve diagnosis and help men understand that they are not alone in this regard. Since then, gynecomastia is understood as a regular part of puberty and aging.
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