Choosing The Right Treatment For Gynecomastia

What is bilateral gynecomastia?

Bilateral gynecomastia is a condition wherein both breasts are affected with gynecomastia or the abnormal growth of female- like breasts in men. Although gynecomastia is not a life- threatening condition, it gives a big impact on the way the men see themselves physically and could even cause severe emotional pressure among many of them.

What are the causes of bilateral gynecomastia?

There are many reasons that point out to the development of gynecomastia. The most researched is probably the interplay of hormones within the body which when it becomes imbalanced, the development of unnatural characteristics occur to both men and women. In gynecomastia, there are more female hormones inside the man's body thus female- like breasts starts to develop. This hormone imbalance is commonly seen among men who take supplementary hormone drugs like those taken by body builders to form their muscles. Another common reason is purely because of an excess in the fat tissues in the chest wall which makes up most of the volume of the breasts.

What are the symptoms?

To properly identify bilateral gynecomastia, a thorough physical assessment should be performed. Usually, the abnormal breast size can be seen by the naked eye. Palpation will further strengthen the result as the breast mass is more palpable with men who has gynecomastia. Since we are looking for a bilateral gynecomastia, we should note for the symmetry of shape and size. It naturally should be the same on both breasts to confirm that it is indeed bilateral.

Are there medical issues to be concerned about?

Diagnosis of bilateral gynecomastia should be done by a doctor who will assess for other reasons why the condition had occurred. There might be a need to evaluate for other serious medical conditions which could explain the breast growth. A few examples of delicate conditions are Breast cancer, cirrhosis, liver cancer, pituitary tumor, among others. There are also certain drugs to treat other medical conditions that are said to cause bilateral gynecomastia especially those hormone containing ones. These things should be discussed with the surgeon to determine which mode of treatment is fit for you.

What are my treatment choices?

The options for treatment will be based on the amount of discomfort that you feel. You can have either the surgical methods or the non- surgical methods of eliminating gynecomastia. Surgical means include excision of the excess fat tissues and through liposuction methods. For the non-surgical gynecomastia treatments, you can choose between, pills, diet, exercise, and the use of compression clothing. Whichever you choose to have, important things to consider are the costs, whether you are a good candidate for that method, and of course what will be its impact or its effects on your activities of daily living.

Bilateral gynecomastia is a condition that should not be feared about once you know everything about it. You only need to be informed of the necessary information so that a proper response can be done to correct it.