Gynecomastia – We Need To Talk More About It

A prevalent problem amongst men, many of them are unaware of the term gynecomastia. Be it social stigmas in Pakistan or lack of exposure, there is not much familiarity with the issue. With an aim to spread awareness of the problem, its causes, and the solution, this is discussed here.

For those seeking more information or considering Gynecomastia surgery in Karachi, Pakistan. Additionally, an overview of Gynecomastia surgery can be found at Gynecomastia Surgery: An Overview, and insights into the downtime and precautions to take after getting Gynecomastia can be found at Gynecomastia: Downtime And What Are Some Precautions To Take After Getting Gynecomastia?

What Actually Is Gynecomastia?

Gynecomastia is the swelling or enlargement of breast tissue in men. It occurs in both or usually one breast. The problem is often referred to as male boobs in informal terms.

What Is The Cause Of Gynecomastia?

Let’s look at some of the culprits of the problem:
1. Hormonal Imbalance: The primary cause of gynecomastia is an imbalance between two hormones, namely estrogen and testosterone. The two hormones are also known as sex hormones.

The estrogen or the female hormone is in charge of the development of female traits as well as female sex organs, one of which is breast growth. While testosterone, or the male hormone, is responsible for the development of male sex organs as well as male traits, including body hair and muscle mass.

These hormones are not restricted to individual genders only. In fact, males tend to produce a tiny fraction of estrogen, whereas females also produce a male hormone known as testosterone.

So, when the production of estrogen increases than normal in the male body or the balance between estrogen and testosterone disrupts by a drop in testosterone, it results in gynecomastia.

2. Medications: Gynecomastia can also occur as a result of certain medicines. Here let’s look at a few causative medicines:
• Digoxin: medicine used to treat heart disease.
• Cimetidine: medicine used for the treatment of ulcers.
• Antiandrogens: medicine used for treating prostate disorders.
• Diazepam: Antianxiety medicine
• Tricyclic: Anti-depressants
• Reglan: A gastric medicine
• AIDS medicine
• Chemotherapy
• Antibiotics

3. Use of Drugs/Alcohol: Frequent intake of certain drugs for a prolonged time has also been found to trigger the problem. The drugs notorious for the problem are:
• Heroine
• Marijuana
• Cannabis
• Methadone
• Alcohol
• Amphetamines

4. Certain Health Disorders: There are certain health disorders that disrupt the balance of sex hormones in the body and thus inevitably become the reason of this problem. Here they are:

• Malnourishment/Malnutrition: In case of prolonged starvation, the testosterone levels in the male body drop while the estrogen levels remain constant hence becoming dominant and causing a hormonal imbalance that leads to enlargement of male breast tissues.

• Hypogonadism: It is referred to as the diminished activity of testes or ovaries (called gonads) that result in lesser production of sex hormones. Hypogonadism often results from certain diseases like Klein-filter syndrome, pituitary gland disorder, etc., and leads to gynecomastia.

• Tumour Formation: If a tumor occurs on the pituitary gland, adrenal gland, or testes, it may lead to gynecomastia as well.

• Hyperthyroidism
• Kidney failure
• Aging
• Cirrhosis

When Is It Likely To Occur?

Breast enlargement in men is not a normal thing, and it can occur at different stages in a man’s life. There are three prominent phases at which gynecomastia occurs, which are:

•  At Birth: Due to the high estrogen in the mother’s blood, almost 75% of male babies are born with the condition at the time of birth. But within 2-3 weeks of birth, the condition settles on its own.
•  At Puberty: Between the age of 12 – 14 years, known as the age of puberty, hormone levels in boys undergo a great change. At this time, boys may experience enlargement in breast tissues, which goes on its own in a span of six months to two years.
•  At Old Age: Gynecomastia often occurs in men between the age of 50 and 80 years. One out of four old men has enlargement of breast tissues, which may be a result of obesity, tumors on testicles, malnourishment, or due to diseases.

Treatment:

Medical science has progressed so much that we have a cure for every disease today. Even in Pakistan, we have competent doctors and surgeons who are experts in every field. Hence, there are multiple options available for treating Gynecomastia. So, let’s look at these:

•  Medication: Medicine is the first way of treatment for every medical problem. But unfortunately, there is no medication approved for it by the FDA.

But if a certain medicine is the cause of it, then stopping that medicine might help. A drug known as tamoxifen can be used for treating the condition as it suppressed estrogen production.

•  Surgery: If the condition doesn’t go by using medication or becomes painful and, in certain cases, a reason for social embarrassment, then surgery is the only option left to do. Known as reduction mammography.

We have an excellent facility for male boob surgery in Karachi, Pakistan, that has a record of satisfied customers.

• SERM: An acronym of selective estrogen receptor modulators, this has shown some promising results in the treatment of gynecomastia.
• Hormone Replacing Therapy: Testosterone replacement therapy has been found to be an effective treatment for treating lower testosterone levels in men. This has rendered promising results in the treatment of gynecomastia in older men.

Recurrence Of The Problem:

Before undergoing surgery, people are often worried about recurrence. There is some good news as well as bad news. The bad news is it can reoccur, but the good news is there is a very less chance of it, almost 10%.
One of the main reasons this condition comes back is incomplete tissue removal during the surgery, which is often the case when you get it done by some inexperienced surgeon. In certain cases, the surgeon has to leave some parts of the breast tissue for maintaining the normal appearance of the breast, which is fine.
But if the patient uses steroids after surgery, chances of recurrence increase.

Final Verdict:

This is not a very serious health problem and can be treated in a number of ways. Mostly men prefer surgery as it is a quick and permanent fix to it. There are many options available for male boobs surgery in Karachi, Pakistan. But beware and do your research before going under the knife.

About Us:

Are you looking to get your gynecomastia surgery done correctly? Let Dr. Arif Hussain do this who goes the extra mile to satisfy every single patient of him fully. He will not disappoint you after having years of experience in cosmetic surgery and performing hundreds of successful gynecomastia surgeries.
He makes use of cutting-edge technology as well as up-to-the-minute surgery tools, in particular, the power X machine. This is how he gets in the bag maximum client satisfaction.
Get to know about our client’s feedback for a better idea.