Recently a father son duo visited my clinic. A studious boy having received straight A’s right through school and had recently joined a prestigious engineering college. However, soon after joining college, his grades started going down and he became quite gloomy and withdrawn. He had also insisted on shifting to the college hostel and was spending very little time at home.
The father managed to persuade the teenager to share with him the reasons for this behavior. To his astonishment, he found out that this was due to some bodily changes, particularly with his chest, which was protruding quite dramatically giving a breast like appearance which is called Gynecomastia in medical terms. It was affecting him quite adversely, leading to a loss in confidence not to mention his social life.
At college, he was being teased by almost everyone. He started distancing himself from people, woke up late, used the common toilet/bath once everyone has left and tried to stay out of his room most of the time. He was ashamed to change his clothes until everyone was asleep, started losing sleep, was late for classes, lagged behind on assignment submissions and was tired most of the time.
The alarmed parents consulted their family doctor who did the preliminary investigation and referred the boy to my care. After a detailed consultation, I advised surgical correction; a combination of liposuction and removal of breast tissue through a simple incision that is camouflaged in the nipple margin.
Gynecomastia is a fairly common condition seen in men, across all age groups. This is often the result of the hormonal imbalance between testosterone and estrogen. Blood tests for hormonal levels rarely show any abnormality and most of the time will be well within the limits.
The usual concerns following an advice for surgery, particularly for young men, are related to their age and whether the procedure is safe. Nowadays, with anesthesia techniques being quite advanced, the threat of any complications has come down significantly. A surgery like this is deemed quite safe as long as there are no serious pre-existing conditions for any other major body systems.
Usually, people seeking help for conditions like Gynecomastia undergo severe stress and the psychological trauma. Surgical correction is recommended for most cases and can be safely performed in the majority. The whole procedure from surgery to recovery takes as little as one week.
Another pertinent question here is why is there a spurt in Gynecomastia cases in the recent times? Though there are no published studies addressing this, the surge potentially could be attributed to 2 reasons:
- Change in perception
- Real increase in numbers
Perception of a normal chest
Till late 80s and early 90s, baring the chest in public was considered a taboo. Male celebrities were often seen dressed in loose T-shirts with upper body fully covered. The mid 90s saw an increase in bare chested men in films and television shows. Such images found their way into our living rooms and to our psyches, thus redefining our concept of “Normal chests” as chiseled pectorals with six packs abs beneath them.
Real increase in numbers
Though there are no accurate statistics available, there is a significant increase in the number of people seeking treatment. What could be the possible reasons for this?
Some parents would attribute this to junk food, particularly chicken, and the hormonal injections given to them in the not so regulated poultry farms around the country. Some believe that the intake of peanut butter, soya milk, tofu and some protein rich packed food leads to this. Phytoestrogens are found in soya and other pulses which are also sources of high quality proteins. Being used extensively in all packed edible food ranging from biscuits to noodles, are these to be blamed? There is no real evidence to support this theory as of now.
A complimentary question here would be what treatment does the condition demand? There is a group which says surgery is unwarranted! Then there are others who support the idea if it enables them to come out of their hidden existence, give them the confidence to get their social life back in order and move forward.
Majority of people seeking surgical help might have already tried out most of the non-surgical measures like dieting, hitting the gym or even tried out some “shaping garments” advertised in different media. Ultimately they come in for surgery as these measures fail to address their concerns.
Gynecomastia has always been around. Yesteryears saw people suffering from this condition to become reclusive or use garments which could help camouflage their condition. Those who underwent surgery were left scarred both in their mind and body as most of the surgeries resulted in “saucer” deformities of chest or botched up nipples.
Things have changed dramatically now. Using Liposuction to contour the chests with or without breast tissue removal -with minimal stitches and well hidden scars, plastic surgeons have ushered in an era of virtually scar-less surgery; putting the confidence back in men to go bare-chested should they wish to.
Reality check
The bench marks for a normal chest is well defined – flat with no fat or gland protrusions.
Gynecomastia is not a rarity. Although not a grave health condition, it can affect ones mental wellbeing.
If it start affecting your normal life, remember, no age group is a bar for surgery.
With the modern day advances made in the medical field, surgery and anesthesia are considered safe.
Combination of liposuction and gland excision works well in experienced hands.
Stitch in time and reclaim your Life!