There are a lot of men who have enlarged breasts, or “man boobs”.  The medical term for this is ‘gynecomastia’.  It’s a common problem and it can be treated.  Let’s look into it a little bit.

Why Male Breasts Exist

All people have breast tissue. Men’s breast glands don’t typically stimulate the same fatty tissue development as women’s breast glands do. Without larger amounts of fatty tissue, the male chest looks flatter and more muscular, especially if he focuses exercise on this area. One of the reasons for these differences is that men have more testosterone and women have more estrogen in their blood. These sex hormones are responsible for several functions, including breast growth.

So it’s a hormone problem?

Studies suggest that male breasts may have something to do with hormone imbalance. When estrogen increases, it can naturally dominate testosterone, causing that hormone to dip. Now, what causes this could vary from one person to another. Sometimes, weight is a factor. If a man develops enlarged breasts with weight but did not have them before, though, this may not be true gynecomastia. If he loses weight, his chest will likely flatten. True gynecomastia may be genetic, it may be related to anabolic steroids or other drugs, or it may have no clear cause. What it does have is a clear solution.

Male Breast Reduction

The way to get rid of enlarged male breasts is to remove the tissue that is causing the problem. Male breast reduction should only be performed by a board-certified plastic surgeon. To plan a successful surgery, the surgeon performs a thorough consultation in which lifestyle and medical factors are discussed. An examination of the breasts can help develop the most appropriate surgical plan. This plan may include:

• Removal of excess fatty tissue via a minor liposuction procedure. With this, there is minimal downtime and hardly any scarring.
• Removal of the breast gland. Through small incisions, the overactive breast gland that is stimulating fatty tissue accumulation can be removed. Downtime for recovery is usually a week to 10 days.
• Tissue trimming. In some cases, where the skin has been stretched and will not bounce back naturally, it may be trimmed to recreate the flat, smooth contours of the chest. Incisions may extend along the bottom of the breasts. Eventually, they heal to reveal very light scarring.

Breast surgery is often associated with women. In the case of gynecomastia, male breast reduction can be the best decision a man makes. Learn more about this beneficial procedure in our friendly Fort Worth office. Call (817) 335-5200 to schedule a consultation.