Gynecomastia in Men: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment Options

Gynecomastia in men happens to be a condition that causes male breast tissue to swell and get bigger. It is indeed often on account of an imbalance of testosterone and estrogen hormones.

 Gynecomastia in Men Symptoms:

• Men with gynecomastia have a firm, rubbery mass underneath the nipple area. It is usually less than an inch and a half across and can be tender.
• notice some fluid discharge.
• It can affect one breast or both

Causes of Gynecomastia in Men

• It is normal. Seventy percent of boys do get it during puberty. It is caused by natural changes in estrogen (a “female hormone” that men also have) as well as testosterone. Newborn babies at times have short-term gynecomastia, too. That is so as few of their mother’s estrogen stays in their blood for a while after birth.

Middle-aged and older men indeed can also have the condition. It could be due to aging (which also shifts hormone levels) or certain medicines, including a few:

• Antibiotics
• Heart medicines
• Anti-anxiety drugs
• AIDS treatments
• Tricyclic antidepressants
• Chemotherapy
• Drugs that treat heartburn

Marijuana and drugs such as heroin, amphetamines, as well as steroids can cause it. So can drinking too much alcohol.

Gynecomastia in men is also caused by breast cancer  which is rare. But if the doctor suspects a tumor, they may send the person for a mammogram. Few men also get a biopsy — a small piece of the lump removed, then looked at more closely in a lab.

 Treatment options include breast reduction surgery

Usually, the affected person does not need to be treated. Teenagers’ breasts will indeed go back to a more normal shape on their own, often within 2 to 3 years. During that time, ice packs and ibuprofen can lessen any kind of pain.

If a health issue is indeed causing one’s gynecomastia, treating it will help. And if the breast size has changed due to a medicine then the affected person will see an improvement once he stops or switches to another drug. (But do not do so without talking to one’s doctor first.) It is also important to give up alcohol and any sort of illegal drugs.

If one’s condition does not go away and a person does not like the look of one’s chest, the doctor may rather prescribe a medicine that reduces the amount of estrogen in one’s body.

Surgery can also rather restore the shape of one’s chest as well as improve one’s self-image. After making a small cut, a plastic surgeon removes any extra breast tissue. As one’s breast will then become smaller and flatter, they may also need to reposition the nipple or areola (the dark area around it). Some guys get liposuction, too. That is where the doctor sorts out extra fat under a person’s skin. While surgery is meant to give lasting results, the person will need to stick to a healthy lifestyle to keep one’s new shape. Gaining too much weight, making use of steroids, or taking drugs that can affect one’s testosterone levels thus causing gynecomastia to recur.

Herbal products that contain tea tree oil or lavender oil can also increase breast size. That is because they have natural estrogen that can upset one’s body’s normal hormone levels.

At times, it happens due to another health problem, such as an overactive thyroid, kidney disease, or even a tumor on one of the glands that controls one’s hormones.

The doctor can test one’s blood or hormone to get more information if a physical exam shows that your breast size is larger than normal, the lump is sore, or your lymph nodes are swollen.

Gynecomastia in men can be taken lightly. Proper consultations and follow-ups need to be done to ensure it is treated well.