The existence of male breasts can be attributed to the time we spent in our mother’s womb. Believe it or not, we are all initially females upon conception. It is said that the human’s fetal blueprint is initially that of a female’s. The presence of the Y chromosome that will determine whether the fetus will become male or female doesn’t appear or take into effect until the 6th week of gestation. Depending on the presence of the Y chromosome, the fetus will either go on developing as a female or will pump out testosterone in order to produce male characteristics such as the penis.
By this time that the penis appears in the developing fetus, it already has its breasts and nipples present. While it doesn’t really play much role in a man’s life, it can also become afflicted with certain diseases just like any other female breast.
Most people don’t realize that men’s breasts, just like women’s, are also susceptible to diseases such as gynecomastia and breast cancer. Gynecomastia affects 60-90% of infants, 50-60% of pubertal males and 70% of older adult males while breast cancer may affect 1 in 1000 men. Because of the relative prevalence of these diseases than what is more commonly publicised, the public should be made aware of the dangers and effects this might cause a normal male.
Gynecomastia is the abnormal growth of breast tissue in men. It is caused by an imbalance in the male and female hormones in the body, which may lead to the female hormone being more dominant. Because of this, female secondary sexual characteristics such as gynecomastia could begin to become evident in the male.
Breast cancer, on the other hand, involves the uncontrolled cellular growth along the breast tissues of a male. The cause of breast cancer is not known, only that the accumulating cells could form into a tumor and spread to nearby tissues when not treated.
This article will help you on how to differentiate man boobs from breast cancer.
Risk factors. The risk for gynecomastia is increased during infancy, puberty and old age. Use of certain drugs and the presence of certain diseases may also contribute to the development of what is called as man boobs. On the other hand, family history, obesity, estrogen and radiation exposure could contribute to having breast cancer.
Symptoms. How to differentiate man boobs from breast cancer is most evident in its presenting symptoms. Gynecomastia presents as swollen breast tissue and tenderness while breast cancer presents as a painless lump, dimpling or puckering of skin, inverted nipples and discharges.
Diagnosis. In order to diagnose gynecomastia and breast cancer, the physician will take a look into your health history, asking questions about your familial health, past and present medications and other pertinent details. Both diseases would require mammograms and blood tests to support their diagnosis, although a biopsy and ultrasound may be needed for breast cancer.
Treatment. Gynecomastia can be managed by medications or surgery while breast cancer can be managed by surgery and chemotherapy.
Now that you know how to differentiate man boobs from breast cancer, you can better watch out for your health and consult a physician at the first sign or symptom that appears.
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