Gynecomastia, often referred to as ‘gynecomastia’, is considered an unspeakable concern only for men. The cause of gynecomastia varies from person to person, but in general, due to an increase in female hormones, the mammary gland tissue develops abnormally and fat accumulates in the chest area excessively. The main causes of hormonal imbalance include hair loss drugs, prostatic hyperplasia drugs, steroids, obesity, and aging.
Gynecomastia can be divided into true gynecomastia and pseudogynecomastia. When fat is accumulated in the breasts due to obesity, it is called pseudogynecomastia, and when the mammary gland tissue is stimulated to develop excessively, it is called gynecomastia. In other words, in order to distinguish between pseudogynecomastia and gynecomastia, it is necessary to check whether the mammary gland tissue is excessively enlarged or whether there is only fat in the chest.
Pseudogynecomastia and gynecomastia, the apparent difference
Pseudogynecomastia is usually a condition in which excess fat is attached to the breasts while gaining weight, and it can be observed on an ultrasound examination that the breasts are full of fat tissue. No mammary gland proliferation was observed. When you touch the breast, pseudogynecomastia is softer than pseudogynecomastia.
Gynecomastia is a case of enlarged mammary gland tissue in the breast, and enlarged mammary gland tissue can be confirmed on ultrasound examination. It is characterized by a lump when touched, and when viewed from the side, the chest often appears pointed forward.
However, if you have gynecomastia along with obesity, it is difficult to determine whether it is true or false by touching your breasts because there is a lot of fat in your breasts. Although self-diagnosis is possible to some extent, the most accurate method is to have a chest ultrasound examination at a hospital or clinic that can diagnose and treat gynecomastia.
Diagnosis and treatment of gynecomastia
Hospitals and clinics can clearly identify the development of mammary glands through chest ultrasound as well as palpation to determine the grade of gynecomastia. It is difficult to apply for health insurance when diagnosed as pseudonymosis, and for true dyslexia, health insurance can be applied depending on the grade.
Pseudogynecomastia can reduce the breast size if the patient makes efforts such as diet and chest exercise. On the other hand, in gynecomastia, the mammary gland tissue cannot be reduced with effort, so a surgical operation is required to remove it. Gynecomastia surgery requires a combination of surgery to remove the mammary gland tissue and surgery to suck out the fat around the breasts. There is no need to remove the mammary gland tissue for pseudogynecomastia, but since it is not easy to lose fat in a specific area on a diet, you can consider breast liposuction. Gynecomastia surgery is mainly chosen by men in their 20s and 30s who consider their appearance to be important. Recently, even among the middle-aged, the number of people who are thinking about surgery for gynecomastia is gradually increasing.
Written by Hidak Medical Correspondent Hwang In-sik (specialist in urology)