Gynaecomastia (Man Boobs): Research causes & treatments: Melbourne

What is the difference between gynaecomastia and man boobs?

Male gynaecomastia (also spelt gynecomastia) is a common condition that affects males. It is defined as the enlargement of glandular tissue in the chest area. Gynaecomastia is usually caused by an underlying imbalance in the male and female hormone balance (testosterone and oestradiol). This can be physiological (normal)  or can be, less commonly, pathological. Pathological causes of gynaecomastia include; Klinefelter's syndrome, cirrhosis of the liver, testicular tumours, prolactin excess, or are medication related.

If the problem of male chest enlargement is not due to enlargement of glandular tissue, but instead it is due to accumulation of fat only, it is called pseudo-gynaecomastia, and usually does not have any underlying medical pathology.
The colloquial term 'man boobs'  encompasses the enlargement of the male chest from either cause.

Case study

This man presented to The Victorian Cosmetic Institute concerned with the size of his chest. He has noticed this problem since his teenage years, and despite dieting and exercising, he has been unable to change the size of his chest. Even at his lightest weight, the problem still existed. He has been quite self-conscious about his chest area, and it has limited the types of clothes that he feels he can wear confidently.

Blood tests performed showed no underlying hormonal imbalances or abnormalities,  and an ultrasound of the chest showed fatty tissue only.

He opted to have liposuction to reduce the size of his chest to bring it into proportion with the rest of his body. The following show the pictures before, and one month after liposuction.


How do I know if I have gynaecomastia or simply just some excess fat in the chest area (pseudo-gynaecomastia)?

A doctor will need to firstly take a history from you. Most people who have gynaecomastia are asymptomatic, however, symptoms such as; nipple discharge, loss of peripheral vision, sexual dysfunction, and infertility, may indicate an underlying hormonal disturbance and possible cause of the gynaecomastia. A family history of gynaecomastia may also be common in those with this condition.
An examination of your chest to determine the consistency of the chest tissue by your doctor is also important in determining whether your problem is due to gynaecomastia (glandular tissue) or just fat.  Usually, a series of blood tests (including hormone levels) are then performed. Finally, a CT scan, ultrasound, or ultrasound guided biopsy may be requested to determine the nature of the tissue present.


Should I worry about gynaecomastia?

Gynaecomastia is a condition that is usually brought about by an imbalance of hormones in the body. This can be from a higher than normal ratio or female to male hormones and the cause of this needs to be investigated. The cause of this imbalance may be due to abnormal hormone secreting tumours, or a congenital imbalance of hormones, or an imbalance due to medications taken - including anabolic steroids, particular diuretics, digoxin (a cardiac drug), and some prostate/hair-loss reduction medication. It is important to find the underlying cause of gynaecomastia, rather than to simply treat this as a cosmetic problem.

On the other hand, if after appropriate investigations have been performed there is no evidence of glandular tissue and only fat is present, then it can be treated simply as a cosmetic problem.

How do I treat gynaecomastia/chest fat?

Firstly, the underlying cause of gynaecomastia must be treated. This may need to be done by an endocrinologist (a hormone specialist). Male chest enlargement without glandular tissue does not need to be investigated further.

Once the underlying cause has been determined and reversed, cosmetic treatment of this problem can commence.

One treatment for male gynaecomastia, and this is surgery. Surgery will require an incision around the nipple to allow access to the tissue so it can be removed. Although treatment of the underlying hormonal problem can often resolve gynaecomastia also, and this can sometimes be done with medication. Liposuction cannot be used to remove glandular tissue from the chest as the liposuction cannula ports are too fine to suction the glandular tissue. Liposuction and glandular tissue removal can be done in the same procedure.

If the problem is chest fat only, then there are two options, namely Liposuction and Lipodissolve.

Lipodissolve is particularly suited to those who are too busy to recover from liposuction or surgery, or for those who choose not to undertake surgery for this problem. The results from Lipodissolve are generally not as dramatic as those from surgery, however, the downtime and invasiveness are much less.

Click here for more information on Lipodissolve.

Click here fore more information on Liposuction.


Why should I choose The Victorian Cosmetic Institute to treat my gynaecomastia/man boobs?

The Victorian Cosmetic Institute's doctors will make a careful assessment and plans to investigate the problem first. From there, you can choose to have the appropriate treatment with us.

 The first step is simply contacting us for your initial consultation, where we will discuss with you what is a realistic and achievable outcome, and what to expect from your treatment.

 
Making that first phone call can be a confronting task - many of our patients have preferred filling out our online enquiry form. We can then contact you with an understanding of the results you are hopeful of achieving and ensure the treatment is appropriate. It's as easy as clicking either of the buttons below and completing the provided form.

Otherwise, you can phone us directly on (03) 8850 0655 (Templestowe) or (03) 9707 0888 (Berwick).






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