How to Treat Gynecomastia

You might have heard about man boobs, which is actually a condition that can occur in some men or young boys. It is scientifically called gynecomastia, it is not something serious but rather humiliating and quite uncomfortable for the subject. Gynecomastia may be a side effect to taking certain steroids, easily controllable with good protection.

What is Gynecomastia?

This is a condition, whereby the male breast will overdevelop and start taking the shape and size of a female breast.

The major reason for the growth of the man boobs is when there is higher levels of estrogen and a lower level of testosterone. Estrogen is basically a female hormone and testosterone is the male hormone. This will lead to the swelling of the glandular breast tissue, which will then form a bigger breast, a breast bud. It can occur in older men, teens or even babies.

This is a condition that will be caused by many aspects like kidney failure, some medication like antibiotics, hormone imbalance, excess alcohol, among others. It can also be a genetic condition, which can pass on to the generations.

Steroids and Gynecomastia

The use of steroids is one of the major causes of gynecomastia in men. The users of anabolic steroids are more susceptible to be diagnosed with gynecomastia than those who don’t use them.

Most of the athletes that use the anabolic steroids will start to develop the man boobs. The more they use the steroids, the more their breasts will grow with a lump.

Basically, what happens is that, when the athletes take the steroids, they will be aiming to boost the testosterone levels. Normally, most of the anabolic steroids have a higher content of testosterone. However, the body will automatically convert the testosterone into estrogen, which will be deposited in the breast tissues. The conversion of the testosterone to estrogen is what is called the aromatization, which will lead to the imbalance of the hormones in the body. The hormone imbalance is one of the major causes of the gynecomastia.

This will mean that the body will have excess estrogen, but limited testosterone. Since there will be more estrogen in the body, it can highly lead to the growth of the glandular tissues. When the glandular tissues grow bigger, the excess estrogen in the body will automatically send a signal to the testes. For that, the testes will have a slower production of testosterone. When the body is in this state, the person will have bigger breasts.

The only problem here is that when the glandular tissues get bigger, they are not going to return to their original size. Enlarged breasts will stay large even when you stop using steroids. However, there are some specific treatments for Gynecomastia which are highly effective.

How to treat Gynecomastia?

There are many remedies that can help get rid of human breasts. You can use specific medications, but the most effective and considered solution is surgery.

Treat gynecomastia with medication

Some of the common medications used to treat gynecomastia are:
• Tamoxifen (nolvadex). This is a drug that inhibits estrogen activity in the body. In other words, estrogen is present in the body but will not be active. It has been reported that it can help reduce breast size in men, it also relieves pain caused in enlarged breasts.

• Aromatase inhibitors. These are a collection of drugs (Arimidex, femara, Examestane...) that help to treat ovarian cancer and breast cancer. It has also been studied that they can help to prevent and solve the issues of gynecomastia in men. There are some selected aromatase inhibitors, which help to reduce the size of the breasts in men. This is an option that helps to make the breast lump tender and also, it is the most recommended to those who are susceptible to surgery.

Hormone replacement or therapy

This is another remedy that can work, but only in some people. Basically, the testosterone level will be increased in those people that have lower levels. However, it won’t work in men that have the right levels of testosterone.

Treat gynecomastia with surgery

This is the most effective method, which has worked in many cases. This method is based on the two components of the breast, which are the soft, fatty tissue and the firm, glandular tissue. The ratio of the two will be different in different patients. Some of the types of surgeries that are carried out on the patients include the following;

• Liposuction, which is aimed at sucking out the excess fatty tissues of the breasts. If the person has more fatty tissues, then an incision of about 3 to 4 mm will be made, then a tiny tube is fitted in. The tube will then be used to suck out the excess fatty tissues.

• Excision. Technically, this involves using a scalpel to cut the body tissue.

Suppose that the breast has increased due to the excess glandular tissue, then excision will be the most favorable method to use. The only downside to this method is that it leaves a scar on the body. The most common area that will have the scar will be the edge of the nipple, cut to remove excess tissue. In the event that there will be a need to remove more skin and tissue from the breast, then the surgeon will make a larger cut. The wider the cut, the larger the scar on the chest.

The type of surgery to be applied will be determined by the surgeon, who will need to study the patient's condition and choose the most appropriate method.

With all the treatments for gynecomastia, surgery is the most effective and also the most expensive compared to drugs. Also, the only side effect of the surgery is that it will leave you with a scar, which may gradually disappear.