Is the incidence of Gynecomastia / Male breasts increasing in boys?

Inputs attributed to- Dr JB Ratti, Senior Cosmetic Surgeon, Vital Clinic www.vitalclinic.com

Gynecomastia surgery, or Male Breast Reduction surgery is on the rise these days and becoming one of the most popular surgeries for boys andmen. Most of the men with Gynecomastia are embarrassed by their condition of enlargement of their breasts. This is the reason more and more men are choosing to go for Gynecomastia surgery either to get a model physique or to have a flatter more natural looking chest.

What are the reasons for Gynecomastia?

Male Breast results from an imbalance between androgen (male hormone) and estrogen (female hormone) at the time of puberty. In some boys, there is a fall in male hormone at the time of puberty for a variable period, instead of a rise, for reasons still not known. The female hormones in the body are then unopposed by the male hormones. The visible effect of this is that boys develop prominent breasts. Once the glands are laid down in the chest area, they do not regress. As the hormones stabilize, further development of the mammary glands stops. This is the physiological cause of development of Gynecomastia. 25-30% of boys tend to develop this condition. However, increasing obesity among young boys is causing the incidence to rise.

Childhood obesity is one of the other important reasons that has become a major concern in recent times. Most of the urban population is very fond of fast-food that is high in calories. The easy accessibility of fast foodcoupled with a decrease in physical exercises and less outdoor activities, more and more children are becoming obese. Excess fat in body produces more oestrogen. Increase in oestrogen hormone delays puberty in boys and causes feminine changes to develop. The most visible result of this is formation ofsmall or sometimes large breasts. Immature mammary glands develop and give the shape of female chest to male chest. These glands are immature, but once formed, they remain permanently. Obesity also leads to accumulation of more fat within breastsleading to increase in their size. Fat stretches the glands inside out. Along with these changes, hormonal imbalance also causes a delay in appearance or less hair development on face, chest and other body areas.

What is the best Technique for this surgery?

For Gynecomastia,the best technique for surgery isTumescent Awake Technique, Totally under Local Anaesthesia. True Tumescent technique must be under local anaesthesia. It is one of the very significant advancements in anesthesia. It has revolutionized the safety profile of surgery. Patient remains awake and conversant while the surgery is in progress or he may go to sleep. There is no pain or discomfort throughout the surgery. Surprisingly, when this surgery is done under tumescent awake local anesthesia, quite often there is virtually no pain even after the effect of anesthesia wears off. An operation under tumescent local anesthesia (AWAKE-SURGERY) is the safest and best way of doing male breast reduction surgery. Patient remains alert, fully mobile and can go home immediately after surgery.

Also, Tumescent Awake Technique Totally Under Local Anaesthesia has a very high safety profile. There are no significant side effects.

Benefits of Male Breast Reduction?

It removes mental stress in boys and restores their self-confidence which helps them to once again participate with friends in group activities and social gatherings.There is a remarkable positive change in their personality which takes them outof depression causedby male breasts.