Gynecomastia is the swelling of breast tissue in boys or men. Many males today have developed the condition and may not realize it, or may feel uncomfortable about telling someone in order to seek proper help.
This rare disease is the result of an increase in hormones such as estrogen and testosterone. Gynecomstia may also be linked to some pharmaceutical drugs, which possibly increase the risk of developing the condition as a side effect.
According to Dr. Rashid Khairi, doctor with Community Health Network who specializes in endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism, there is some development of breasts in several men.
“It can occur at various moments through life,” said Khairi. “If someone is going through puberty they sometimes have Gynecomastia involvement and we call it ‘Gynecomastia related to puberty.’ About 1-in-5 men will develop some form of Gynecomastia. In older age groups there are increases in the breast tissue and some men may think they are dealing with obesity because of the fat accumulation.”
In most cases Gynecomastia is not always a serious problem but it can cause both psychological and physical depression because of how it impacts one’s appearance.
Bradley Houser, a graduate of IUPUI, developed Gynecomastia when he was going through puberty.
“I was a little overweight at the time but it wasn’t anything out of the norm,” said Houser. “The Gynecomastia developed from glandular build up that was still there, and I thought it was because of my weight but it wasn’t.”
Houser dealt with this condition throughout middle and high school but wasn’t diagnosed until he was 14. Gynocomastia became more apparent once he became active in sports and as a result, he began to research his symptoms.
“I found ways to work around the condition that I had, with clothing and other methods,” said Houser. Going into high school, Houser told his mother about it and they sought help from his family doctor who said the condition would probably go away as Houser began to get older, but it didn’t. “I started doing additional research on surgical procedures and how I could have it removed once I was in college,” mentioned Houser.
He began to reach out to a few surgeons in Indianapolis for consultations to find out what steps he could take in dealing with Gynecomastia.
“I’m heavy on social media so I started looking up the procedure on YouTube and there are thousands of videos and surgeons on there,” he said. Houser mentioned that he found a surgeon in Austin, Texas at the Austin Gynecomastia Center, which is a practice purely devoted to dealing with this condition. Houser underwent surgery at the center shortly after the discovery.
While he believes many people have not heard about this condition, he hopes to raise awareness to this growing issue in males.
Before his surgery Houser started a social media campaign built around the condition, to receive feedback from men and women.
“The educational aspect is what I’m interested in and I want to bring awareness to the table, which is what my goal was for the campaign,” he said.
He drew attention from all over the world, and through his hash-tag “#beyondthecondition” he was able to connect people with others who are dealing with similar symptoms, providing them with the advice to deal with the situation as well as finding doctors to help.
“People were really engaged and open to my campaign, it wasn’t like they were going to make fun of me because this is a serious thing that is going on,” said Houser. “I was thankful to have the support of my family and friends throughout all of this.”
Experts say it is best to try to find out what is causing the symptoms of Gynecomastia if one begins to notice a change in breasts and feel pain.
Houser hopes to continue to inform people about the condition and encourages males, especially kids, to reach out to someone about the condition.
For more information, visit Medicinenet.com/gynecomastia.
A number of medications can cause gynecomastia. These include:
- Anti-androgens used to treat prostate enlargement, prostate cancer and some other conditions. Examples include flutamide, finasteride (Proscar, Propecia) and spironolactone (Aldactone).
- Anabolic steroids and androgens.
- AIDS medications. Gynecomastia can develop in HIV-positive men who are receiving a treatment regimen called highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Efavirenz (Sustiva) is more commonly associated with gynecomastia than are other HIV medications.
- Anti-anxiety medications, such as diazepam (Valium).
- Tricyclic antidepressants.
- Antibiotics.
- Ulcer medications, such as cimetidine (Tagamet).
- Cancer treatment (chemotherapy).
- Heart medications, such as digoxin (Lanoxin) and calcium channel blockers.
Source: Mayoclinic.org.
