Gynaecomastia

As the name suggests, gynaecomastia refers to an abnormal enlargement of the male breasts. Normally, men tend to have some amount of breast tissue, which increases in proportion to overall body fat. An obese person will hence have more breast tissue, compared to a thin individual. Gynaecomastia becomes a problem when it starts interfering with a person’s body image, making him uncomfortable around his peers, while swimming, gymming or may interfere with his relationship with his spouse or fiancee.. This condition may be secondary to several causes, or may be completely idiopathic (cause unknown). In either case, we may need to perform a few tests, to come to a diagnosis. More often than not, gynaecomastia is idiopathic ie, the exact cause is unknown. Sometimes, it may be secondary to long term medications, hormonal disturbances, or less commonly, testicular tumors. In such cases, the cause needs to be treated first. In idiopathic gynaecomastia, surgical treatment is very successful and extremely satisfying. It is often performed as a day care procedure and the recovery is generally very quick. However, care should be taken that the person continues to be physically active post surgery and maintains his weight, in order to prevent a recurrence.