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Adolescent Gynecomastia |
Adolescent gynecomastia is a very common condition where the tissues under a young boy’s nipples may begin to grow and can look like small female breasts. It happens to more than fifty percent of male adolescents and it goes away on its own once the boy has reached adulthood. It is generally at the age of about fourteen when the adolescent age begins and most boys notice that their breasts are also growing. Many feel embarrassed and shy. They do not want to undress before any one else. They may begin to wonder whether they are having a sex change and may get alarmed. Some might even think that there is something very wrong with them and that it is abnormal. It is nothing of the sort. It happens to the majority of boys and it goes away within a few months or a couple of years. It is more pronounced in the case of overweight boys or those with lots of puppy fat. Adolescent gynecomastia is caused by the natural change in hormones in the body during puberty. To mature from a young boy into a full-grown male, the body creates certain natural chemicals called hormones. Sometimes there is hormonal imbalance, which results in gynecomastia. A sudden spurt in hormones may cause it. When the body stabilizes, the breasts become normal and there is no cause for embarrassment. Once the boy crosses sixteen or eighteen years of age, his male body matures and gynecomastia also disappears. There is no need for any medicines or sugary. Sometimes drugs like marijuana may cause it. Very rarely diseases like tumors or some serious disease of the liver or kidneys may cause it. It is however not caused by cancer. Gynecomastia feels like a small, rubbery lump under the nipples and can happen on any breast and many may feel sore. Many boys confuse gynecomastia with ordinary fat tissue especially if the boy is overweight. Adolescent gynecomastia is not normally treated with medicines or surgical intervention as it generally goes away on its own. If the condition does not improve by the age of seventeen or eighteen, surgery may be considered. Wearing layers of clothes or thick t-shirts under normal clothes can hide the condition of adolescent gynecomastia. Sweatshirts are a good option. Keeping a t-shirt on when swimming may hide the situation. Even wearing a t-shirt with a bright logo across the chest may take away the focus from enlarged breasts. Since almost one or two out of three adolescent boys have it, there is no cause for concern or embarrassment. There is no need to be depressed about it either. Another corrective factor is reducing the puppy fat or losing weight. Eating nutritional food and doing proper exercises will help ease the situation. Developing muscles of the arms, shoulders and back by weight lifting practices, will overrule the size of the breasts since it will give an all-round proportionate figure. |
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