Gynecomastia, or the breast development in men, is often an embarrassing subject. I have recently seen upward trend in gynecomastia consultation. I am not sure whether this is due to more people using the muscle building steroids or men are just more aware of the treatment. Some people would not take off shirts in public. Some would not go swimming. Some even have suffered from bullying.

How does gynecomastia happen? Often it is due to hormonal imbalance during teen-age years. This is often self limiting and it spontaneously resolves. However, some men continue to have enlarged breasts. People who use anabolic steroids are at high risk of developing gynecomastia. The condition may persist despite cessation of the drugs. Overweight individuals can develop gynecomastia, also. Pot-smoker can develop gynecomastia. Finally, it can develop in a rare pituitary adenoma. In this case, blood test is the first step in the establishment of the diagnosis.

Most of the time the treatment of choice is surgery. Usually three issues need to be addressed in gynecomastia correction. The first is the firm glandular tissue behind the nipples. This is often directly excised precisely via a lower areolar (nipple) incision.The scars usually heals very well and are very difficult to discover.

Liposuction is used essentially in all surgical cases to smooth out the transition area. In addition, excess fatty tissue can be removed with liposuction as well. Finally, some people will excision of excess skin (particularly in older patients). Obviously this will involve longer scars.

Gynecomastia correction is one of the most rewarding and gratifying surgery that we do. The tremendous increase of self-confidence can not be over-emphasized. Call our office if you have any concerns or you want to schedule a consultation.