This article will introduce you to gynecomastia. Once you read it, you will be familiar with:
- what is gynecomastia,
- who suffers from this condition,
- what is the difference between pseudo gynecomastia and gynecomastia.
Pronounced guy-ne-co-mastia, gynecomastia (sometimes referred to as ginecomastia) is a medical term which means male breast enlargement.
In general, gynecomastia can be described as the abnormal development of large mammary glands in males, which results in the enlargement of the breasts.
The breast comprises of two main components: the firm and dense glandular tissue and the soft fatty tissue. In any breast, the ratio of glandular to fatty tissue will vary from one individual to the next. Gynecomastia cases tend to exhibit an excess of both.
There is no known cause in most of the cases and, although gynecomastia is rarely talked about, it is a very common condition.
Who Suffers From Gynecomastia?
Gynecomastia is videly present in today’s world, known to affect 40-60% of men at some time during their lives.
For most sufferers, the symptoms and difficulties associated to this condition tend to resolve on their own. This usually happens after a couple of weeks or months.
But in other cases, the problem may persist much longer. Some men even live with it for the rest of their lives!
Teenagers can have problems with Gynecomastia
One group of males that is especially susceptible to Gynecomastia are teenagers.
Most teenage boys will at some point experience a certain degree of breast enlargement, which affects one or both breasts. However, by early adulthood fewer than 10% will still have this problem.
This condition is extremely common in boys, when they are undergoing puberty. This is due to all the intense hormonal changes that take place in your body during that time.
In adolescent boys, cases of Congenital or Hereditary Gynecomastia are typically evident by the ages of twelve (12) to eighteen (18), with 30-60% of young boys suffering from enlarged male breasts or man boobs.
Adult males can also develop Gynecomastia
Another group of males affected by this condition are adult men.
Incidences of so called »moobs« or man boobs tend to rise with age, reaching approximately 30% or one in every three older men. One of the reasons why older men are very susceptible to gynecomastia is because their testosterone levels begin to drop off naturally as they age.
While as many as 30% may have to live with enlarged breasts (moobs) for the rest of their lives, in other cases their gynecomastia will recede with age.
Some severe cases of adolescent gynecomastia may require an intervention, in consultation with the sufferer, his parents, and child development professionals.
Adult men tend to exhibit the most common form of gynecomastia, which in most cases is composed of glandular tissue. However, this may contain varying quantities of adipose and fibrous tissue.
What Is the Difference Between Gynecomastia and Pseudo-Gynecomastia?
One of the gynecomastia types, also referred to as “false Gynecomastia”, the development of pseudo-gynecomastia is often attributed to obesity. In this case, insulin reacts with excess sugars or certain processed carbohydrates.
The main difference between gynecomastia and pseudo-gynecomastia is that unlike the former, pseudo-gynecomastia does not comprise of glandular tissue, but of adipose tissue.
While it resembles the real gynecomastia, pseudo-gynecomastia requires different treatment. Exercise and healthy diet for instance, can be very effective solution in combating this condition.
Surgery should be the last resort. You should use it only if everything else fails. Although excision may be used in certain cases, pseudo-gynecomastia is generally the only type of gynecomastia that can be improved with liposuction.