Beauty Doc Blog

December 5.2008

Gynecomastia is an out of the norm breast enlargement in men.  Milk production may or may not be present.  This condition is more common than you might think in males.

This condition occurs during a boy’s teen years.  Almost half of these young males experience enlargement of one or both of their breasts.  This hypertrophy is seen as an enlargement of the breast tissue beneath the areola and it usually goes away, unaided, within a year.  Gynecomastia also occurs amongst older men, in particular if the man is overweight.

This condition is usually transitory and not cancerous.  It can occur because of a hormonal imbalance, drugs with estrogens or steroidal compounds, or failure of the liver to deactivate circulating estrogen, as in alcoholic cirrhosis. It seems to disappear by itself but, if severe, it can be corrected surgically for cosmetic or psychological reasons.

It can also be symptomatic of some forms of cancer.  An exam is always a wise choice whenever this condition occurs.  A gynecomastia condition may be created by a hormone-secreting tumor of the breast, lung, or other organ. It’s always best to get a biopsy done on any growth or tumor, in order to rule out cancer.

Gynecomastia causes can be many.  A search for a trigger has not succeeded.  A lot of researchers believe that in many cases, an altered androgen/estrogen ratio causes changes tissue at the cellular level. This could be due to a decrease in production of androgen or an increase in estrogen formation or a decrease in sensitivity of breast tissue to androgens.  Some medications can cause breast growth, also.  Be sure and explain to your doctor about what medications you may be taking, or if anything has changed in your life.

Gynecomastia is a fairly common consequence of estrogen treatment in patients with prostate cancer. Drugs that may cause gynecomastia include certain hormones, anti-androgens or androgen-synthesis inhibitors,  antibiotics, anti-ulcer medications such as cimetidine,  cancer chemotherapeutics and others.

To reverse this condition, you may be able to change your medications.  How to treat the condition depends on many factors.  Usually, the indications for treatment include: Noticeable pain and tenderness and severe embarrassment or emotional disturbance. The best and most effective therapy at any stage of this condition is surgical removal of the glandular tissue through a periareolar incision. This usually limits visible scars and gives a shortened healing time.