Gynecomastia, also known as “man boobs”, is a condition that occurs in men and boys. In gynecomastia, the amount of breast tissue increases. Gynecomastia is caused by hormonal imbalance. It may affect one or both breasts and sometimes it affects breasts unevenly. It is the subject of an expert, an endocrinologist.

The results of normal changes in hormone levels cause gynecomastia. Newborns, teenage boys, and the elderly may develop gynecomastia, it is most common in these age groups. Gynecomastia is known as the most common benign disorder of male breast tissue and affects more than one in three men today.

In this article, we will talk about the causes of gynecomastia and gynecomastia symptoms first. In the second part, we will mention the types of treating gynecomastia, and finally, you will learn about gynecomastia recovery and aftercare as well. 

We know the main factor that causes gynecomastia is an imbalance between the sex hormones male sex hormone and estrogen. Estrogen causes breast tissue to grow. Men usually produce much higher amounts of male sex hormone than estrogen. If this balance changes, this causes men to grow breast tissue more than average. 

Normally gynecomastia is not a serious problem for your health and it is known as benign. 

Obesity is known as another cause of gynecomastia. Being extremely overweight is one of the factors that cause gynecomastia occurs in men. Overweight men have excess fat that causes breast tissue larger as another factor leading to gynecomastia.

It is seen and normal in newborn babies, as they receive estrogen hormone from their mothers. In this case, estrogen passes through the placenta from mother to baby. However this is temporary, and in a couple of weeks after the birth, will be disappeared. Puberty and older ages are other factors that trigger gynecomastia.

Your plastic surgeon will review your medical past, and your family medical history and perform some physical exams. Some tests like a blood test may be asked you. Your medical expert will overview all data. 

In most cases in adults, there are no symptoms seen. Some known symptoms of gynecomastia can be lined up as below:

• Pain
• Swollen breast tissue
• Nipple sensitivity
• Breast tenderness

Gynecomastia can be felt if you press the area underneath the nipple. The lump can be tender and may move within the breast tissue. If the excess tissue is under the nipple, this might be diagnosed as “pseudogynecomastia”, in the general term of gynecomastia. 

 Breast lumps can be seen on both breasts. As both breast cancer and gynecomastia have breast lumps, your doctor may want a breast ultrasound to monitor your breast better and a mammogram to examine unusual changes in breast tissue.

You should visit a medical center and consult an expert, if you have any doubt about you may have gynecomastia. As soon as the medical expert gets you all data and after examining you, they will decide what type of gynecomastia treatment is suitable for you.

Two treatment types of gynecomastia are:

• Medication to balance hormones
• Surgery to remove excess breast tissue 

On the other hand, some people do not need any treatment for gynecomastia. If you take a medicine that causes gynecomastia, the symptoms should be disappeared, after you stop having that medicine.

If your condition is advanced, you may choose breast reduction surgery. It is a surgery in which the surgeon reduces the fat and excess skin from the patient’s breasts. As women usually have breast reduction surgery to reduce the uncomforted of bigger breasts, men may consider it if they have gynecomastia.

Your recovery time for gynecomastia depends on how severe your condition is. The extensibility of your surgery is another factor that determines the longness of the recovery period. It can be said that an average patient can be back to work within a week. Your surgeon will let you know how long it will take for you to back to the standards of your previous daily life again. Your first follow-up visit will be five to seven days after surgery. Your surgeon will remove your sutures and drains. In addition, you 

• should avoid strenuous activities for the first three weeks
• should avoid exposure to direct sun and tanning for about six weeks
• should not worry about the discrete sensation in the breasts, it will disappear at most in a year
• should be patient. Side effects like swelling will decrease after three months from the surgery