Gynecomastia or having enlarged breasts when you’re actually a member of the male species can take a toll on your self-confidence. Many men find it uncomfortable to deal with especially when they have to move freely but they have to make sure they don’t have jumping beans on their chest as they do so. For those who don’t know anything about the condition, it can be embarrassing for them, especially when they’re laughed at because of their appearance.
The condition has many different types, gynecomastia in babies is one, this also occur in athletes who are used to wash down steroid medications with their protein shakes so they can bulk up and look good with those whipcord tight muscles. Even the elderly is not exempted to gynecomastia. It’s not an illness, gynecomastia is a condition that needs to be accepted and understood.
First of all, testosterone, the main hormone responsible for the unique, masculine features of men has the tendency to shift its levels. As a result, estrogen, which is also present in the male body in supposedly lower levels tend to increase more than testosterone. Estrogen on the other hand works its unwanted wonders by enlarging the mammary glands in males, thereby causing gynecomastia in babies, teenagers, and even the elderly. Hormonal shifts can happen anytime and it is always unwelcome. But there is nothing to worry about since gynecomastia is not an infectious disease nor it’s malignant. There are ways to prevent its development and if you already have it, there are ways to cure the condition, including surgery that can correct the problem.
First and foremost, gynecomastia in babies results from excess hormones such as estrogen that’s passed on from mother to child. Estrogen works like a drug when it binds to its receptors, and in utero, it can cross through the placenta resulting in hormonal changes in the embryo. As for pre-pubescent boys, this stage in life is crucial for the growth and development of a mal human body. This is the time when the body prepares for major changes that will eventually turn a young boy into a man, like the development of facial hair, lowered voice pitch by several notches, narrowing of hips, and other changes. Testosterone is secreted in large amounts at this point in a young man’s life, but changes in the hormonal equilibrium can alter the serum levels of testosterone that’s needed for growth and development. Instead of testosterone having a field day, the body produces excess amounts of estrogen. Its cardinal sign is gynecomastia and it’s the first to be detected even without a physical examination.
The frequent use of anabolic steroids by athletes also leads to gynecomastia. Male athletes, body builders, and weight lifters usually take Nolvadex or Tamoxifen citrate, a potent estrogen antagonizing agent to counteract hasty estrogen production.
Gynecomastia may be irreversible yet surgery can do wonders to correct the problem and reduce the size of the enlarged breasts. It usually takes liposuction, skin grafting, and other similar procedures in order to reverse gynecomastia.
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