Explainers on Some Myths You've Heard About Gynecomastia

Man boobs are common. In fact, 30% of men deal with gynecomastia at one stage of their life. Enlarged breasts in men affect not only their physical appearance, but also self-esteem. Gynecomastia is quite an uncomfortable topic for many people, and there exists a fair amount of misinformation about it. 

Myth #1: Gynecomastia is only caused by excess fat.

Nothing can be further from the truth. There's a popular misconception that only overweight men develop man boobs. While excess fat can be the reason for enlarged breasts in a man, it's not the only cause. Other possible causes include:

• Hormonal imbalance
• Use of steroids
• A breast abscess - This is a breast tissue infection.
• Hypogonadism
• Breast cancer
• Cirrhosis
• Malnutrition

Myth #2: Steroids can be used to eliminate gynecomastia.

Increased estrogen levels in men are a major cause of gynecomastia. There's a general belief that using steroids is an effective way to counteract the growing female hormone. Steroids contain high testosterone levels, and it makes sense to use them to counter the hormonal imbalance, right? Wrong! Actually, using steroids is one of the causes of enlarged breasts in men. You see, you can't be taking steroids all the time. Every time you stop using them, the testosterone levels in your body fluctuate, leading to temporary estrogen increase. In turn, this leads to fat development in the chest area.

Myth #3: Exercise will make man boobs go away.

Well, this is partly true. You can get rid of man boobs through exercising. However, this is only possible if the enlarged breasts are a result of excess fat. However, in cases where there's excess breast tissue, exercising won't help. In cases where correcting hormonal imbalance doesn't help to resolve man boobs, surgery is the best treatment option.

Myth #4: Man boobs can only be eliminated through surgery.

In most cases, gynecomastia resolves itself; no surgery required. For instance, man boobs during puberty usually resolve without treatment as the young man develops into a man. If gynecomastia is a result of medications or medical conditions, it can be resolved by treating the condition or adjusting the medication. You can opt for surgical treatment after these methods fail. 

Myth #5: It's hard to treat gynecomastia.

Some men are reluctant to treat gynecomastia because they believe it's a tricky condition to treat. This isn't true, and you don't have to endure gynecomastia all your life. Gynecomastia is treatable. If you can't get rid of it through medication, surgery offers excellent results.

Myth #6: Man boobs will always return after surgery.

Many people are reluctant to treat gynecomastia because they believe the condition always comes back after surgery. This can't be further from the truth. Once man boobs are eliminated through surgery, the problem is fixed permanently. Well, unless they come back as excess fats in case you become overweight.

Gynecomastia is a common condition and shouldn't worry you. You can always get the chest you always wanted. Meanwhile, cover your nipples with these shirts as you work to get rid of gynecomastia.