Gynecomastia in men and women – how to get rid of it?

Gynecomastia is a pathological enlargement of the mammary glands in men. The process can be one- or two-way in nature. The mammary gland increases in size, compaction of the tissue under the nipple may occur, the person is bothered by a feeling of heaviness, pain, discomfort in the area of ​​the nipple and discharge from it may appear.

If these symptoms occur, a thorough examination and further individual treatment plan - conservative or surgical - are required. Against the background of true gynecomastia, breast cancer sometimes occurs in men.

At CELT you can get a consultation with a mammologist.

• Initial consultation – 2,700
• Repeated consultation – 1,800

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Classification of gynecomastia

There are true gynecomastia (which develops due to the proliferation of glandular and connective tissue) and false gynecomastia (which develops due to an increase in the volume of subcutaneous fatty tissue).

In children of both sexes until adolescence, the mammary glands have the same structure. However, in girls, under the influence of female estrogens, the mammary glands develop, and in boys, under the influence of testosterone, the glandular and stromal connective tissue undergoes reverse development, and normally only subcutaneous fatty tissue remains.

Accordingly, true gynecomastia refers to those conditions in which glandular tissue and connective tissue stroma grow in boys. False is an increase in the volume of adipose tissue of the mammary glands, often symmetrical.

True gynecomastia is divided into 2 types:

• physiological – a variant of the norm;
• pathological – a symptom of a disease.

Physiological enlargement of glands occurs in the following periods of life:

Consequences

Physically, false gynecomastia does not cause any serious changes in the general health of the patient, however, he may encounter some psychological dissonance.

Enlarged breasts are not characteristic of a man's appearance; against this background, a man may develop an emotional disorder, self-esteem drops, a feeling of shame appears, and self-doubt develops. Against this background, interest in life decreases, which can lead to suicidal thoughts, eating disorders and other deviations.

Causes of true pathological gynecomastia

In a healthy man, the mammary glands are underdeveloped; they are rudiments. However, they contain glandular tissue, short, underdeveloped milk ducts and a nipple. These structures remain sensitive to female sex hormones and manifest themselves when hormonal status changes. In both women and men, the size and proliferation of glandular tissue depend on the level of estrogen and prolactin (anterior pituitary hormone).

In a healthy man of childbearing age, the level of female sex hormones is one hundredth of a percent of the level of male hormones. If the correct combination of female and male hormones changes, the mammary glands are the first to respond - men develop true gynecomastia.

The reasons for the imbalance of hormone levels in a man’s body can be:

• tumors of organs that produce hormones - pituitary gland, testicles, adrenal glands;
• prostate adenoma;
• hypogonadism (insufficient function of the gonads) – congenital or acquired with age;
• Addison's disease or adrenal insufficiency;
• decreased thyroid function;
• severe somatic diseases with metabolic disorders - diabetes mellitus, goiter, tuberculosis, obesity;
• severe types of failure - cardiac, hepatic, renal;
• long-term uncontrolled use of certain medications - glucocorticoid hormones, antipsychotics;
• long-term external use of creams containing a lot of estrogens;
• alcoholism;
• drug use.

Symptoms of gynecomastia

The mammary glands increase in size, upon palpation there is soreness, thickening, swelling, increased sensitivity and soreness in the area of ​​the nipple-areolar complex.

In cases where gynecomastia is caused by an increase in prolactin levels, erectile dysfunction, including impotence, and concomitant oligospermia develop. In some cases, libido fades away completely, and nervous disorders develop.

There are 3 stages of the disease:

• proliferation - a period of growth of glandular tissue, lasting up to 4 months, reverse development is possible subject to adequate treatment;
• intermediate – lasting from 4 to 12 months, the overgrown glandular tissue matures, the reverse development is partial;
• fibrous – after 1 year from the beginning, the supporting fibrous tissue grows, fat cells are filled, and cannot be reversed.

The following symptoms are dangerous: the appearance of compactions and ulcers, wrinkled skin, inverted nipple, discharge from it, enlargement of adjacent lymph nodes. These symptoms are highly likely to indicate breast cancer. If you have any symptoms suspicious of the development of gynecomastia, you should consult a mammologist.

Diagnosis of gynecomastia

The scope of diagnostic procedures is determined by the attending physician. A study of hormonal status and tests for:

• estradiol;
• testosterone;
• thyroid-stimulating hormone;
• prolactin;
• human chorionic gonadotropin;
• luteinizing hormone.

To determine the nature of tissue growth, an ultrasound of the mammary glands, abdominal organs, retroperitoneal space, prostate gland, scrotal organs, axillary lymph nodes, MSCT of the adrenal glands, MRI of the brain is required, and in the presence of a palpable formation, a fine-needle aspiration biopsy of the gland tissue. Diagnostics includes consultation with an endocrinologist, neurologist, oncologist and examination according to their recommendations.

Treatment of gynecomastia

Treatment for gynecomastia is selected depending on the cause of the pathology. In newborns and rapidly growing adolescents, most often only observation is required so as not to miss the onset of the pathological process.

Some teenagers whose reproductive system develops unevenly require medications to increase testosterone levels. They are prescribed after a comprehensive examination. Sometimes testosterone-containing drugs are prescribed to young men if a deficiency has been proven.

In the third – fibrous – stage, as well as in the presence of tumors, conservative treatment will not be successful, so surgical treatment is used.

Surgery for true and false gynecomastia is performed in different ways.

In case of false gynecomastia, excess adipose tissue is removed using liposuction or simply excised surgically, then a new form of the mammary gland is formed, often with the displacement of the nipple-areolar complex, in order to achieve the most satisfactory aesthetic result.

In case of true gynecomastia, the operation is performed from an incision around the areola while preserving the nipple; the doctor removes the pathological glandular tissue. If necessary, removal is combined with liposuction. Our doctors use the incisions and approaches that are common in plastic surgery, so after healing there are practically no traces left.

You need to stay in the hospital for about 1-2 days, and you can start working within a week. After operations using liposuction techniques, it is mandatory to wear compression garments, which will help speed up the healing process of the postoperative wound and achieve the desired aesthetic effect. After 1-3 months you can play sports.

For breast cancer, a full course of treatment is carried out, taking into account the stage of the disease, concomitant pathology, histological structure and hormonal status of the tumor.

CELT mammologists will help with any stage and form of gynecomastia. Parents of teenagers, young and old men who have concerns about this can consult us.

Prevention measures

The most effective preventive measures are those that apply to general obesity:

• Rationality of nutrition. Even if you have a passion for fatty, high-calorie foods, you should periodically arrange fasting days/weeks for yourself. In general, it is better not to accustom your body to junk food, so that later you do not have to strictly limit yourself.
• Active lifestyle. This is a real problem, because men spend most of their lives in front of the TV or at the computer, when they should be walking, getting involved in some kind of sport, dancing, or hiking.
• Regular medical examinations. It is necessary to promptly identify diseases that lead to obesity - thyroid disorders, imbalance of the hormonal system, problems in the functioning of the adrenal glands.

We recommend reading about correcting inverted nipples. From the article you will learn about the causes of inverted nipples in women, men and children, classification, and correction options. And here is more information about why nipples peel.

Lipomastia is a condition characterized by frequent relapses. If a man stops following the principles of proper nutrition and exercise, the problem will return in just 2-3 months. And even if after surgery there are violations of doctors’ recommendations, you can count on a relapse with 90% confidence. But the problem can be solved, it is only important to set yourself up correctly and change your eating habits and lifestyle.

Our services

The administration of CELT JSC regularly updates the price list posted on the clinic’s website. However, in order to avoid possible misunderstandings, we ask you to clarify the cost of services by phone: +7

All services

Make an appointment through the application or by calling +7 +7 We work every day:

• Monday—Friday: 8.00—20.00
• Saturday: 8.00–18.00
• Sunday is a day off

The nearest metro and MCC stations to the clinic:

• Highway of Enthusiasts or Perovo
• Partisan
• Enthusiast Highway

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Patient reviews

Review

Igor

I had an appointment with Oleg Vyacheslavovich Vedrov, I just wanted to remove my sides with liposuction. But it turned out that I have gynecomastia. I took tests on the doctor’s advice, gynecomastia was confirmed, but there wasn’t anything too bad about it yet. Oleg Vyacheslavovich agreed to perform two operations at the same time - to remove the sides and to correct the chest. As I was told, the Vaiser or Vaser operation was performed. But I'm extremely pleased! There are no big scars, nothing hurts, only small punctures were made from which the fat was pumped out from the chest. And now I finally have male breasts. I would like to say a big thank you to Oleg Vyacheslavovich for immediately identifying the problem with his experienced surgical eye and helping to avoid terrible consequences in the form of oncology, etc. Thank you again, I highly recommend this doctor. I had it done at the Etalon clinic!

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Review

Stepan

I would like to express my deep gratitude to the best plastic surgeon in the world, Oleg Vyacheslavovich Vedrov! In general, I don’t like writing reviews, but he is a surgeon from God and I decided that men with a problem like mine should know their heroes by sight. I was diagnosed with gynecomastia, which can even cause breast cancer. Following advice on the Internet, I came across Oleg Vyacheslavovich Vedrov. I looked at his work, read the reviews, and didn’t find a single bad one! I immediately liked the doctor, he is a detailed man and says everything to the point, does not try to sell or sell anything unnecessary, but everything is factual. He performed an operation on me, a few days later I went to work calmly and did not hurt anything. I advise and recommend Oleg Vyacheslavovich to everyone, he takes on even the most difficult cases like mine.

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