Males of all ages suffer from the stress and embarrassment of gynecomastia, or enlarged breast tissue. What are the causes of gynecomastia?
Changes and imbalances in hormones can cause the body to create more breast tissue; because of this, many cases of gynecomastia occur during puberty. Additionally, aging men are prone to adult-onset gynecomastia, since growing older causes men to lose testosterone. As men get older, their body fat increases, and since fat cells create estrogen, the higher the fat cell count, the greater the hormone imbalance.
Because hormone imbalances can cause gynecomastia, medical conditions that affect the hormones are often linked to the production of enlarged breast tissue. These include hyperthyroidism and tumors in certain locations.
Shedding body fat can also cause a form of gynecomastia. When a person loses a large amount of weight, they are left with excess skin, sometimes in the breast area. This form of gynecomastia is often remedied by mastopexy, the removal of breast skin.
Other potential causes of gynecomastia include congenital issues, malnutrition, and diseases like kidney failure, liver failure, and cirrhosis of the liver. A large number of gynecomastia cases simply have unknown causes.
Male breast reduction is not right for all patients with gynecomastia. Treating the conditions that cause breast enlargement is often a better course of action than surgery would be. Drug use, steroid use, or use of various prescription medications may stimulate breast tissue growth, so avoiding these should be your first treatment strategy. Obesity is another potential cause and should first be treated with diet and exercise.
Now that you know more about the causes of gynecomastia, you can better assess whether or not a male breast reduction is the right course of action. Trained, knowledgeable physicians are well-suited to help you decide, so contact our office in Jacksonville and set up a male breast reduction consultation. Board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Vaishali Doolabh will answer any questions you may have.