8 Ways to Identify Gynecomastia
Gynecomastia, or man boobs as it is colloquially known, is a common medical condition that is defined by the enlargement of the breast gland tissue in boys and men. The root cause of gynecomastia is the hormonal imbalance created between estrogen and testosterone. This hormonal imbalance is caused by a myriad of factors, like natural hormone changes, side effects of medications, and certain health conditions.
While in pubescent boys, the symptoms of gynecomastia subside by themselves as they grow older, gynecomastia in middle-aged and older men does require medical intervention as it can be a sign of an underlying issue. In such a case, it is important to consult the best gynecomastia surgeon for proper identification and treatment of gynecomastia. Dr. Ritesh is one such surgeon who specializes in treating gynecomastia and restoring confidence among men.
How To Identify Gynecomastia?
Breast enlargement in men is not only attributed to gynecomastia but also to an increase in chest fat deposits. So, it is natural for people to wonder how to identify gynecomastia properly. In this section, we explore 8 distinct ways to identify gynecomastia.
Age
Gynecomastia is extremely common among adolescent boys and older men. This is because, at these stages of life, men experience a shift in their hormones. While pubescent boys experience a surge in their hormones, older men experience a slump. Both of these situations lead to hormonal imbalance, causing gynecomastia. In the case of pubescent boys, gynecomastia is short-term and tends to resolve itself as they grow older. Older men, on the other hand, require medical intervention and even gynecomastia surgery to fix the issue.
Medical History
Medical conditions and diseases that cause hormonal imbalance contribute to gynecomastia. For instance, conditions like hypogonadism, testicular cancer, hyperthyroidism, pituitary or adrenal cancer, and liver or kidney disease can cause gynecomastia.
Apart from these medical conditions, if you are currently prescribed anti-androgens, anabolic steroids, antiretroviral medicines, ADHD medication, anti-anxiety medication, or are undergoing chemotherapy, then enlargement of breasts is an indication of gynecomastia. Your doctor will thoroughly look at your medical history and check these medications before starting treatment.
Diet
Your diet plays a crucial role in the identification of gynecomastia. The best gynecomastia surgeon, Dr. Ritesh, pays close attention to his patient's diet. This is because when the body doesn't receive adequate nutrients from the food, the production of testosterone is hindered while estrogen production remains uninfected. On the other hand, excessive consumption of estrogen-rich foods and fatty foods can also cause gynecomastia. While estrogen-rich foods cause the breast glands to enlarge, fatty foods increase the deposit of fats under the breast.
Physical Exercise
While physical exercise is crucial for maintaining physical and mental health, studies show that excessive or improper physical exercise can contribute to gynecomastia. Gynecomastia is common amongst men who practice strength training because certain exercises that target chest muscles can decrease the fat surrounding the gynaecomastia making the gynaecomastia look more prominent.Gynecomastia is treated with gynecomastia surgery in theses cases.
Alcohol Consumption and Illicit Drug Abuse
Studying the patient’s alcohol consumption and illicit drug use is one of the ways that doctors tend to identify gynecomastia. Excessive consumption of opioids, marijuana, alcohol, and amphetamines is linked to gynecomastia because their usage negatively affects the digestive and endocrine systems. This leads to hormonal imbalance.
Lump
The difference between chest fat and gynecomastia is the formation of lumps. So, to identify gynecomastia, doctors look for lumps, which are soft and rubbery breast tissue formed under the nipple. Unlike chest fat, which affects both breasts, lump formation due to gynecomastia can occur in just one breast.
Chest Tenderness
Chest tenderness is another important indicator of gynecomastia. If, on touch, the breasts feel tender, sore, or painful, then the breast enlargement is due to gynecomastia. One should seek medical intervention immediately if there is nipple discharge and the discomfort is unbearable, as this can be an early sign of breast cancer.
Herbal Product Consumption
Doctors usually ask their patients to disclose if they consume any herbal products before diagnosing gynecomastia. This is because several herbal protein powders and wellness products in the market targeted towards men contain phytoestrogens. Phytoestrogens mimic estrogens produced by the body. Therefore, the consumption of these products increases the levels of estrogen in the body, leading to gynecomastia.
How To Check For Gynecomastia Yourself?
It is important to understand that gynecomastia can be officially diagnosed only by a doctor. However, before booking an appointment, you can perform the gynecomastia pinch test to check for gynecomastia yourself. To perform the test, stand shirtless in front of a mirror in a well-lit room.
First, observe the difference in size and shape in both breasts. Then, closely inspect the position, shape, or size of the areolas. This is because gynecomastia can cause the nipples to appear swollen and puffy. Lightly press on the area surrounding your breasts to check for tenderness, striking pain, or discomfort.
Next, use your forefinger and thumb and gently pinch the nipple and the area surrounding it. Feel the entire areola in a light-pinching motion. If you feel a firm, rubbery, or disc-shaped lump that is the size of a coin directly below the areola, then you have gynecomastia. Otherwise, the enlargement of the breast could be attributed to chest fat.
Apart from breast enlargement, gynecomastia is accompanied by other symptoms of hormonal imbalance as well. These symptoms include loss of libido, erectile dysfunction, fatigue, mental fog, hair loss, insomnia, and depressed moodiness, amongst other symptoms. Gynecomastia accompanied by these symptoms requires immediate medical intervention.
How Is Gynecomastia Treated?
Gynecomastia treatment is based on your age, the stage of gynecomastia, medical history, current health, cause for gynecomastia, and allergy to certain medicines. In pubescent boys and older men, gynecomastia is generally caused by hormone imbalance. If the cause of gynecomastia is liver damage or side effects of a medication, then the treatment focuses on fixing those issues. The most common cause of Gynaecomastia is idiopathic , that means without any known cause.
In instances where gynecomastia is caused due to obesity or consumption of illicit drugs, gyno surgery might be required. Not all men with gynecomastia are good candidates for surgery. It is the opinion of Dr. Ritesh that a good candidate for this surgery is a person who abstains from smoking and consuming alcohol. The candidate also doesn’t have a life-threatening illness and was unable to reduce their breast size with exercise and diet alone. They were also no longer overweight or obese and had realistic expectations from the surgery.
Gynecomastia or male breast reduction surgery involves procedures like liposuction and Gland removal to remove excess breast fat and breast gland tissue.
Gynecomastia surgery cost in India depend upon the combination of procedures used to treat it. For instance, when liposuction and gland excision are combined, the surgery can cost somewhere between Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 1,00,000. Gynecomastia surgery cost also depends upon the expertise of the surgeon, the facility where the surgery is going to take place, and the medication and equipment used during the surgery.
Conclusion
Effective gynecomastia identification involves a thorough medical evaluation that focuses on the patient’s medical history, age, overall physical and mental health, and alcohol consumption amongst other things.
Dr. Ritesh's practice focuses on these aspects to provide the best possible treatment for gynecomastia. By addressing gynecomastia effectively, Dr. Ritesh ensures that his patients' physical health and quality of life are improved exponentially.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you confirm gynecomastia?
Gynecomastia can only be diagnosed by a licensed medical professional. To confirm gynecomastia, doctors must rule out other diseases or conditions. Therefore, the patient is asked to undergo blood tests (focusing on liver and kidney functioning and hormone studies), urine tests, mammograms, and biopsy. This helps the doctor identify the cause or contributing factor of gynecomastia and determine the appropriate route for gynecomastia treatment.
What does gyno feel like to touch?
In most cases, to the touch, gynecomastia feels like a firm or rubbery lump under the nipple in one or both breasts. Unlike chest fat, gynecomastia tends to resemble the shape of a woman’s breast and can be tender at touch.
Does gynecomastia hurt when pressed?
Gynecomastia can sometimes cause pain in one or both breasts. Gynecomastia can cause some breast tenderness to touch. One or both of the breasts may seem sore and experience swelling from time to time.
What are the first stages of gynecomastia?
Most doctors categorize gynecomastia into four stages. The stages tend to describe the severity of gynecomastia from mild to severe. In the first stage of gynecomastia, the breasts become slightly enlarged, and the nipples seem puffy. In the later stages, the breasts continue to enlarge, leading to skin sagging. To remove the excess fat, gland, and the saggy skin, gyno surgery is required.
What worsens gynecomastia?
If gynecomastia is caused because of obesity, a sedentary lifestyle, and hormonal imbalances, then your diet plays a crucial role. For instance, it is recommended to avoid consuming alcohol and soy products because they increase the levels of estrogen in the body causing the breast tissues to enlarge. Processed foods, frozen foods, and fried foods should not be consumed as well because they cause hormonal imbalances.
Gynecomastia, or man boobs as it is colloquially known, is a common medical condition that is defined by the enlargement of the breast gland tissue in boys and men. The root cause of gynecomastia is the hormonal imbalance created between estrogen and testosterone. This hormonal imbalance is caused by a myriad of factors, like natural hormone changes, side effects of medications, and certain health conditions.
While in pubescent boys, the symptoms of gynecomastia subside by themselves as they grow older, gynecomastia in middle-aged and older men does require medical intervention as it can be a sign of an underlying issue. In such a case, it is important to consult the best gynecomastia surgeon for proper identification and treatment of gynecomastia. Dr. Ritesh is one such surgeon who specializes in treating gynecomastia and restoring confidence among men.
How To Identify Gynecomastia?
Breast enlargement in men is not only attributed to gynecomastia but also to an increase in chest fat deposits. So, it is natural for people to wonder how to identify gynecomastia properly. In this section, we explore 8 distinct ways to identify gynecomastia.
Age
Gynecomastia is extremely common among adolescent boys and older men. This is because, at these stages of life, men experience a shift in their hormones. While pubescent boys experience a surge in their hormones, older men experience a slump. Both of these situations lead to hormonal imbalance, causing gynecomastia. In the case of pubescent boys, gynecomastia is short-term and tends to resolve itself as they grow older. Older men, on the other hand, require medical intervention and even gynecomastia surgery to fix the issue.
Medical History
Medical conditions and diseases that cause hormonal imbalance contribute to gynecomastia. For instance, conditions like hypogonadism, testicular cancer, hyperthyroidism, pituitary or adrenal cancer, and liver or kidney disease can cause gynecomastia.
Apart from these medical conditions, if you are currently prescribed anti-androgens, anabolic steroids, antiretroviral medicines, ADHD medication, anti-anxiety medication, or are undergoing chemotherapy, then enlargement of breasts is an indication of gynecomastia. Your doctor will thoroughly look at your medical history and check these medications before starting treatment.
Diet
Your diet plays a crucial role in the identification of gynecomastia. The best gynecomastia surgeon, Dr. Ritesh, pays close attention to his patient's diet. This is because when the body doesn't receive adequate nutrients from the food, the production of testosterone is hindered while estrogen production remains uninfected. On the other hand, excessive consumption of estrogen-rich foods and fatty foods can also cause gynecomastia. While estrogen-rich foods cause the breast glands to enlarge, fatty foods increase the deposit of fats under the breast.
Physical Exercise
While physical exercise is crucial for maintaining physical and mental health, studies show that excessive or improper physical exercise can contribute to gynecomastia. Gynecomastia is common amongst men who practice strength training because certain exercises that target chest muscles can decrease the fat surrounding the gynaecomastia making the gynaecomastia look more prominent.Gynecomastia is treated with gynecomastia surgery in theses cases.
Alcohol Consumption and Illicit Drug Abuse
Studying the patient’s alcohol consumption and illicit drug use is one of the ways that doctors tend to identify gynecomastia. Excessive consumption of opioids, marijuana, alcohol, and amphetamines is linked to gynecomastia because their usage negatively affects the digestive and endocrine systems. This leads to hormonal imbalance.
Lump
The difference between chest fat and gynecomastia is the formation of lumps. So, to identify gynecomastia, doctors look for lumps, which are soft and rubbery breast tissue formed under the nipple. Unlike chest fat, which affects both breasts, lump formation due to gynecomastia can occur in just one breast.
Chest Tenderness
Chest tenderness is another important indicator of gynecomastia. If, on touch, the breasts feel tender, sore, or painful, then the breast enlargement is due to gynecomastia. One should seek medical intervention immediately if there is nipple discharge and the discomfort is unbearable, as this can be an early sign of breast cancer.
Herbal Product Consumption
Doctors usually ask their patients to disclose if they consume any herbal products before diagnosing gynecomastia. This is because several herbal protein powders and wellness products in the market targeted towards men contain phytoestrogens. Phytoestrogens mimic estrogens produced by the body. Therefore, the consumption of these products increases the levels of estrogen in the body, leading to gynecomastia.
How To Check For Gynecomastia Yourself?
It is important to understand that gynecomastia can be officially diagnosed only by a doctor. However, before booking an appointment, you can perform the gynecomastia pinch test to check for gynecomastia yourself. To perform the test, stand shirtless in front of a mirror in a well-lit room.
First, observe the difference in size and shape in both breasts. Then, closely inspect the position, shape, or size of the areolas. This is because gynecomastia can cause the nipples to appear swollen and puffy. Lightly press on the area surrounding your breasts to check for tenderness, striking pain, or discomfort.
Next, use your forefinger and thumb and gently pinch the nipple and the area surrounding it. Feel the entire areola in a light-pinching motion. If you feel a firm, rubbery, or disc-shaped lump that is the size of a coin directly below the areola, then you have gynecomastia. Otherwise, the enlargement of the breast could be attributed to chest fat.
Apart from breast enlargement, gynecomastia is accompanied by other symptoms of hormonal imbalance as well. These symptoms include loss of libido, erectile dysfunction, fatigue, mental fog, hair loss, insomnia, and depressed moodiness, amongst other symptoms. Gynecomastia accompanied by these symptoms requires immediate medical intervention.
How Is Gynecomastia Treated?
Gynecomastia treatment is based on your age, the stage of gynecomastia, medical history, current health, cause for gynecomastia, and allergy to certain medicines. In pubescent boys and older men, gynecomastia is generally caused by hormone imbalance. If the cause of gynecomastia is liver damage or side effects of a medication, then the treatment focuses on fixing those issues. The most common cause of Gynaecomastia is idiopathic , that means without any known cause.
In instances where gynecomastia is caused due to obesity or consumption of illicit drugs, gyno surgery might be required. Not all men with gynecomastia are good candidates for surgery. It is the opinion of Dr. Ritesh that a good candidate for this surgery is a person who abstains from smoking and consuming alcohol. The candidate also doesn’t have a life-threatening illness and was unable to reduce their breast size with exercise and diet alone. They were also no longer overweight or obese and had realistic expectations from the surgery.
Gynecomastia or male breast reduction surgery involves procedures like liposuction and Gland removal to remove excess breast fat and breast gland tissue.
Gynecomastia surgery cost in India depend upon the combination of procedures used to treat it. For instance, when liposuction and gland excision are combined, the surgery can cost somewhere between Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 1,00,000. Gynecomastia surgery cost also depends upon the expertise of the surgeon, the facility where the surgery is going to take place, and the medication and equipment used during the surgery.
Conclusion
Effective gynecomastia identification involves a thorough medical evaluation that focuses on the patient’s medical history, age, overall physical and mental health, and alcohol consumption amongst other things.
Dr. Ritesh's practice focuses on these aspects to provide the best possible treatment for gynecomastia. By addressing gynecomastia effectively, Dr. Ritesh ensures that his patients' physical health and quality of life are improved exponentially.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you confirm gynecomastia?
Gynecomastia can only be diagnosed by a licensed medical professional. To confirm gynecomastia, doctors must rule out other diseases or conditions. Therefore, the patient is asked to undergo blood tests (focusing on liver and kidney functioning and hormone studies), urine tests, mammograms, and biopsy. This helps the doctor identify the cause or contributing factor of gynecomastia and determine the appropriate route for gynecomastia treatment.
What does gyno feel like to touch?
In most cases, to the touch, gynecomastia feels like a firm or rubbery lump under the nipple in one or both breasts. Unlike chest fat, gynecomastia tends to resemble the shape of a woman’s breast and can be tender at touch.
Does gynecomastia hurt when pressed?
Gynecomastia can sometimes cause pain in one or both breasts. Gynecomastia can cause some breast tenderness to touch. One or both of the breasts may seem sore and experience swelling from time to time.
What are the first stages of gynecomastia?
Most doctors categorize gynecomastia into four stages. The stages tend to describe the severity of gynecomastia from mild to severe. In the first stage of gynecomastia, the breasts become slightly enlarged, and the nipples seem puffy. In the later stages, the breasts continue to enlarge, leading to skin sagging. To remove the excess fat, gland, and the saggy skin, gyno surgery is required.
What worsens gynecomastia?
If gynecomastia is caused because of obesity, a sedentary lifestyle, and hormonal imbalances, then your diet plays a crucial role. For instance, it is recommended to avoid consuming alcohol and soy products because they increase the levels of estrogen in the body causing the breast tissues to enlarge. Processed foods, frozen foods, and fried foods should not be consumed as well because they cause hormonal imbalances.