Home > Men's Problems > Coping With Gynaecomastia

Coping With Gynaecomastia

By: Jo Johnson - Updated: 6 May 2015 | comments*Discuss
 
Coping With Gynaecomastia

There are many issues that people find embarrassing or that they are unaware can occur which can cause large amounts of distress and confusion, but in fact many of these complaints are often more common than most people imagine and gynaecomastia is no exception.

What Is Gynaecomastia?

Gynaecomastia is actually a fairly common condition that affects men of all ages for a number of different reasons. It essentially means that there is excessive breast tissue which can give the appearance of having actual breasts.

The breast tissue occurs under the nipple area though in more prominent cases tit can develop outwards from the nipple and appear outside this area.

What Causes Gynaecomastia?

For most men the cause is an imbalance of hormones which can occur for a number of reasons. The most common cause of hormone imbalance is during puberty which is often when the condition is seen the most. It can also be caused by taking steroids for long periods especially anabolic steroids.

In recent years there has been an increase in the incidence and this is due to the boost in those who are obese. In these cases the tissue is made up of fatty deposits and these can often be lost when a healthy diet is combined with regular and appropriate exercise regimes.

In very few men the cause may be related to a tumour growth or be disease related, because of these reasons it is often necessary to carry out some blood tests if the man has developed the condition well after puberty when there has been no history of weight gain or drug/steroid taking.

What Are The Treatment Options?

For many suffers of the condition there is no need for treatment as it often rectifies itself when puberty has finished. This may be helped by participating in exercise that targets the chest muscles and helps to define and tone the supporting tissues.

For those who have tried to lose weight or have lost weight and have had no reduction in the tissue and disease and tumours have been ruled out it may be possible to have surgery to remove the excess tissue.

The surgery may involve the use of liposuction to the affected area or it may be necessary to perform a more extensive procedure and remove the tissue through a larger incision. Each surgeon will have their own preference and evidence as to why they have chosen one method over another.

Either of the surgical procedures will involve the use of an anaesthetic and may take a few weeks to heal following which normal activity can usually be resumed.

Living With Gynaecomastia

There are several ways in which someone can live quite happily with gynaecomastia if they choose to. Some men will not find it necessary to undergo surgery and will find that by choosing well selected clothes that the problem is not so apparent to the outside world.

The use of fake tans can also help to disguise larger chests and of course exercises that are focused on defining the pecs will always help to make the problem less obvious to others.

Obviously if drugs are found to be the cause these should be ceased unless they are prescription drugs when the issue will need to be discussed with your GP before the drugs are replaced or stopped.

Gynaecomastia can be a big problem for some men as they feel it embarrassing to have excessive breast tissue. These people can be reassured that it is a more common problem than most of the general public realise and there are certain lifestyle changes or procedures that can be carried out to eliminate or reduce the problem.

You might also like...
Share Your Story, Join the Discussion or Seek Advice..
@tubz. Maybe some of our readers can come and offer you advice and we hope that our article helped you. There are some forums and discussion groups out there. Type "gynaecomastia forums" into a search engine and you'll get some reasonable results. Good luck.
EmbarrassingIssues - 12-May-15 @ 12:34 PM
I have Gynaecomastia and am finding it difficult to cope with it.I wanted to find a support group of people with my condition.And hopefully talk to men that have had the surgery, so I mabey be advised on were to go for the surgery.I've been looking for a blog on this subject, and an drawing blanks.
tubz - 6-May-15 @ 7:54 PM
Share Your Story, Join the Discussion or Seek Advice...
Title:
(never shown)
Firstname:
(never shown)
Surname:
(never shown)
Email:
(never shown)
Nickname:
(shown)
Comment:
Validate:
Enter word:
Topics