What is gynecomastia? It is the excessive chest growth of breast tissue inside the breast glands. The word gynecomastia is an amalgamation of two Greek words ‘gynaik’, which means ‘female’ and ‘mastós’ meaning ‘breast’. So the two words gynaik and mastós together form the word gynecomastia, meaning female breasts.
Is Gynecomastia life-threatening?
No, most of the times. It is benign and is not detrimental to health, it does not cause any immediate health risk. The condition does not result from any underlying medical condition. Only a small percentage of men suffer from this condition as a result of benign growths or cancerous growths such as a tumor.
In most cases, the impact of gynecomastia is not because of a health issue, rather the impact is on the psyche of a person. It causes a huge dent on the self-confidence and it interferes in their social relationships. People with gynecomastia have crippling self-esteem and body image issues. Inferiority complex affects their daily life and it acts as a hurdle from developing a positive body image. You avoid mingling with people as you fear getting ridiculed and bullied by others. You are plagued by body image issues.
Gynecomastia is caused due to a number of reasons. But mostly, the excess presence of estrogen leads to a hormonal imbalance and causes gynecomastia. There is an imbalance in the hormonal levels and when estrogen increases, testosterone reduces drastically. Though all men have a presence of estrogen, the estrogen-testosterone balance is disrupted as the level of estrogen increases rapidly. This causes the development of breasts in men.
Besides hormonal imbalance, gynecomastia is also seen as a result of drug abuse, cancer treatments such as radiation and the use of certain medications.
Different Types of Gynecomastia
Men find the condition of gynecomastia rather embarrassing. Their dwindling feelings of low esteem increase manifold because of this enduring condition. Why bear this condition when you can fix it once and for all? You don’t need to hide behind hideous clothes. Remember you do not have to live with this condition for life. Lead a worry-free life without feelings of worry, fear, and stress impacting your everyday life. You don’t have to think twice before opening your shirt or spend hours thinking about how you can hide your flabby chest. Know about the different types of gynecomastia and how you can consider male breast reduction treatment.
- Type 1:
Type 1 is when a person has a puffy look to his nipple. It may protrude out and appear cone-like. This is also known as glandular tissue and you can remove it with a surgical procedure to make it firm and smooth. - Type 2:
This is the next step and an extreme version of Type 1. It has an increased amount of glandular tissue and fat. This increasing unwanted tissue makes your skin stretched and firm beneath the nipple area. However, the outer areas look fatty. - Type 3:
Type 3 is a condition when your breasts look saggy and the nipple assumes a droopy structure. - Type 4:
The Type 4 is an extreme version and in this stage men experience significant breast sagging. This stage requires surgical intervention to remove the extra glandular tissue. Once the doctor removes the excess glandular tissue, fat and excess skin, you notice a tight firm chest, just like you would want it to be. - Type 5:
Type 5 is the stage when the breast tissue sags much below the chest fold and the breasts start resembling those of a woman. - Type 6:
In type 6 stage you experience an extreme form of gynecomastia. Here the breasts droop further below the chest fold, almost under the armpits and extend towards your back. - Type 7:
Type 7 or the final stage involves extreme sagging, where the nipple appears right at the bottom of a mound of sagging breast tissue.
Gynecomastia can also be distinguished with different ‘grades’. These grades describe the stage and the degree of extra fatty or glandular tissue. If you are suffering from gynecomastia, it is important that you get it diagnosed by a qualified doctor and proceed according to his suggestions. Whether you need medication, a diet change, gynecomastia garment or a surgery will be determined by the doctor.
The gynecomastia surgery is the final option; it is a permanent option and the doctor will restructure and reshape your torso giving it a smooth and tight structure.
