Gynecomastia (Breast Reduction in Men)

Gynecomastia usually appears due to hormonal imbalances. Side effects of drugs that cause psychological stress can sometimes lead to gynecomastia, as well. The development of the pectoral muscles cannot be defined as gynecomastia.

The condition in which the breasts get enlarged and become prominent in men due to fat gaining or hormonal reasons, is referred to as gynecomastia. The development of the pectoral muscles cannot be defined as gynecomastia.

Gynecomastia usually appears due to hormonal imbalances. Side effects of drugs that cause psychological stress can sometimes lead to gynecomastia, as well. 40% of gynecomastia is seen between the ages of 10-16, when the hormonal changes get intensified, and the rate can be 65% in those periods of puberty, when the fastest growth is observed. 75% of the Gynecomastia symptoms that appear during puberty are spontaneously overcome in two years, while 90% are overcome in three years. When the hormon balance is restored in the body at the end of puberty, most of the gynecomastia symptoms disappear spontaneously. A very small number of cases may remain unhealed. Gynecomastia observed during later ages is usually caused by fat accumulation in the chest area.

Causes of Gynaecomastia

There are three stages of life, when gynecomastia is considered to be normal: The neonatal period, adolescence period, and old age period. The main cause of gynecomastia in all of these periods is the fact that the amount of estrogens (female sex hormones) is higher than the amount of testosterones (male sex hormones) during these periods. The main cause of gynecomastia in the neonatal period is that the amount of estrogens passing from the mother to the male baby’s blood is high when the baby is in the womb. In the adolescence period, the estrogen level can be relatively higher than the testosterone level. And in the old age period, the testosterone level declines causing the estrogen level to be relatively higher than the testosterone level.

Breast consists of 2 main tissues: Adipose tissue and mammary glands. In gynecomastia, the classification is made based on the increase in these tissues, and the treatment procedure is determined accordingly. In the type of gynecomastia referred to as “glandular type”, the growth is caused by the mammary glands. In the type of gynecomastia referred to as “adipose type”, the growth occurs due to an increase in the adipose tissue. And the type of gynecomastia, in which the both adipose tissues and mammary glands grow, is referred to as “mixed type”.

Treatment of Gynaecomastia

A large part of gynecomastia cases that emerge during adolescence disappear spontaneously, they do not require any specific treatment. In gynecomastia cases, which do not disappear spontaneously within 3 to 4 years, the treatment method is surgery.

Gynaecomastia Operation

The surgical technique of gynecomastia varies depending on which tissue that has grown due to gynecomastia. In a gynecomastia case caused by the growth of the mammary glands, the enlarged parts of the mammary glands are removed. In a gynecomastia case caused by an increase in the adipose tissue, the excess amount of fat is removed with liposuction. In people with quite big breasts, a stretching operation is required for the elimination of the looseness of the skin after the removal of the excess fat.

Gynecomastia surgery can be done under local or general anesthesia. The type of anesthesia to be applied is decided by considering your age and breast size. The operation takes 1 to 1.5 hours on the average. After gynecomastia surgery, you can go back home in the evening of the same day, or on the following day. No considerable postoperative pain is encountered; and therefore, you can live your daily life ordinarily. You can take a bath and return to work 2 to 3 days after surgery.