Gynecomastia, often referred to as ‘gynecomastia’, is considered an intangible concern for men only. The cause of gynecomastia varies from person to person, but generally, due to an increase in female hormones, the mammary gland tissue develops abnormally and fat accumulates excessively in the chest area. Major 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 accumulates in the breasts due to obesity, it is called pseudogynaecomastia, and when 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 tissue of the mammary gland is excessively enlarged or whether there is only fat in the chest.
Pseudogynecomastia and gynecomastia, the apparent difference
Pseudogynecomastia is usually a condition where excess fat is attached to the breasts during weight gain, and it can be seen on an ultrasound examination that the breasts are full of fat tissue. No mammary gland enlargement was observed. When you touch the breast, pseudogynecomastia is softer than pseudogynecomastia.
Gynecomastia is a cause of enlarged mammary gland tissue in the breast, and enlarged mammary gland tissue can be confirmed on an 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.
Gynecomastia diagnosis and treatment
Hospitals and clinics can clearly identify the development of mammary glands through chest ultrasound as well as palpation to determine the degree of gynecomastia. It is difficult to apply for health insurance when it is diagnosed as a pseudonym, and for true dyslexia, health insurance can be applied depending on the degree.
Pseudogynecomastia can reduce breast size if the patient makes efforts such as diet and exercise on the chest. 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 suction the fat around the breasts. It is not necessary to remove mammary gland tissue for pseudogynecomastia, but since it is not easy to lose fat in a specific part of diet, you can consider liposuction of the breast. Gynecomastia surgery is mainly chosen by men in their 20s and 30s who consider their appearance important. Recently, even among the middle-aged, the number of people who think about surgery for gynecomastia is gradually increasing.
Written by Medical Correspondent Hidak Hwang In-sik (specialist in urology)
