Myths vs. Facts When it Comes to "Man Boobs" (aka Gynecomastia)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (PRWEB) April 25, 2017 -- When it comes to medical conditions such a gynecomastia or "man boobs", many men chose to keep their concerns to themselves, rather than seeking out help from a doctor due to embarrassment. Living with gynecomastia or " man boobs" often leads to low self esteem and avoiding any activities that involve removing their shirt such as swimming and the beach. Dr. Adrian Lo, a gynecomastia surgeon explains the condition of gynecomastia, the common causes and how easily and painlessly this can be corrected with an one hour surgery.
Gynecomastia is the condition of enlarged breasts or puffy nipples in men and this can happen at any stage of a male's life. Most often it begins during puberty where there is an imbalance of testosterone and estrogen with more estrogen leading to development of glandular breast tissue which is called gynecomastia. Unfortunately, once this breast tissue develops, it will most likely not go away as you get older and many men begin to seek treatment in their early 20's to get rid of their "man boobs". Men suffer from a feeling of not looking normal and the breasts may be tender. It is important to note that diet and exercise will not get rid of "man boobs" but may in fact make it look worse as the pectoralis muscle tones and excess fat is shed.
Besides hormonal imbalance during puberty, there are other conditions that may cause a man’s estrogen levels to rise, which may lead to the condition of gynecomastia. A common cause seen by Dr. Lo, is a male taking exogenous testosterone such as anabolic steroids and pro hormones and various protein supplements which is converted into estrogen in the body. Taking these drugs will often cause gynecomastia despite taking estrogen blockers.
Prescribed medications for high blood pressure, Propecia, prostate medications, anti-depressants and many others can also cause "man boobs". Excessive alcohol consumption may lead to gynecomastia by damaging the liver. Liver damage can interfere with the organ’s ability to convert hormones from one form to another, leading to the development of breast tissue. There is also an association between excessive use of marijuana and gynecomastia.
Rarely, endocrine problems in a man can also lead to the development of breast tissue, such as thyroid or pituitary problems.
The correction of gynecomastia and removal of man boobs involves surgery to cut out the breast tissue or gland. This is done by making a semicircular cut around the nipple and removing the breast glands between the skin and pectoralis muscle. Dr. Lo also performs liposuction to remove any surrounding fat and to shape and contour the chest. In this short one. hour procedure, the "man boobs" are removed and the result is a normal looking chest.
Myth #1: The surgery is painful and the recovery is long.
Most patients take very little or no pain medication during the few days after surgery. Driving may be resumed in 2-3 days and most men are back to work in 2-3 days. If very heavy lifting is required at work, Dr. Lo ask that the men take 1- 2 weeks off work.
Myth #2 If I have the surgery, I won't be able to work out for months.
Most of Dr. Lo's patients are back in the gym at 10 days to start working out their chest and shaping the chest.
Myth #3:Only overweight men get "man boobs".
Being overweight can cause fat accumulation in the breast causing pseudogynecomastia , but most gynecomastia is the result of hormonal imbalance. However even overweight men with pseudogynecomastia will benefit from surgery to remove the "man boobs" since diet and exercise will not completely correct the condition. Usually liposuction is successful but sometimes the extra breast tissue still needs to be removed or cut out.
Myth #4 Exercise will make this go away, just keep pumping iron!
Once the glandular tissue develops in a man's chest, unfortunately it will not go away. The glandular tissue is often firmer or hard and may be tender. If there is fat, then some of that might shrink as a man loses weight or works out but the gland tissue will remain the same.
For most men, exercise does not get rid of an actual case of gynecomastia. Dieting will not get rid of gynecomastia. In fact, diet and exercise may shape and tone the chest and make the glandular tissue more noticeable so that the chest actually looks worse. Surgery is the only option, and if done properly by a board certified plastic surgeon like Dr. Adrian Lo who specializes in gynecomastia, it likely will be gone, forever.
Fact #1
Removing the actual breast tissue is the only way to completely correct "man boobs" and to prevent the glands from growing back. Often patients treated by other doctors with only liposuction will be unhappy with the results as there is still some breast tissue left behind. This is why Dr. Lo always makes the cut around the nipple to remove the breasts glands in conjunction with liposuction for a complete removal of the man boobs leaving a flat chest.
Fact #2 I have a severe case of Man boobs, I have more breast tissue than most women.
In the more severe cases of gynecomastia where men look like they have a B cup or C cup breasts, Dr Lo performs a more complex surgery, which usually combines removal of the breast tissue and removal of the excess or loose skin. This is called Male Breast Reduction Surgery and is similar to a breast reduction surgery in a female.
Although Gynecomastia can be embarrassing for a man, he does not need to live with it. This is traditionally a one hour surgery with a quick recovery. Men treated by Dr. Lo routinely state that they “wish they had done this sooner, it didn’t hurt, and they just love the results!”
Dr. Adrian Lo can help you achieve the same excellent results as the hundreds of men he has already treated since 1991. Dr. Adrian Lo is a plastic surgeon that specializes in the treatment of gynecomastia or man boobs. He is a TOP DOC who was recently featured in Mens Health Magazine (April 2016) as an expert on “the cure for man boobs.” You can visit Dr. Lo at http://www.mygynecomastiasurgeon.com or call 215-829-6900 to schedule your personal consultation.
Dr. Adrian Lo, Dr. Adrian Lo, http://www.mygynecomastiasurgeon.com, +1 (215) 829-6900, [email protected]
Share this article