Gynecomastia, often referred to as “gynecomastia”, is considered an unspeakable concern for men only. 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 excess fat accumulates in the chest area. Major causes of hormone imbalance include hair loss medications, prostate hyperplasia medications, steroids, obesity, and aging.
Gynecomastia can be divided into true gynecomastia and pseudogynecomastia. When fat accumulates in the breasts due to obesity, it is referred to as pseudogynecomastia and when the mammary gland tissue is stimulated to overdevelop it is referred to as gynecomastia. In other words, 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 breast as it gains weight and it can be seen on an ultrasound examination that the breast is filled with fatty tissue. No mammary gland proliferation was observed. When touching the breast, pseudogynecomastia is softer than pseudogynecomastia.
Gynecomastia is a case of enlarged mammary gland tissue in the breast, and the enlarged mammary gland tissue can be confirmed by 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 the breasts because there is a lot of fat in the breasts. Although self-diagnosis is possible to some extent, the most accurate method is to undergo an ultrasound examination of the chest in a hospital or clinic that can diagnose and treat gynecomastia.
Diagnosis and treatment of gynecomastia
Hospitals and clinics can clearly identify the development of the mammary glands through chest ultrasound and palpation to determine the degree of gynecomastia. It is difficult to apply for health insurance when pseudonymosis is diagnosed, and for true dyslexia, health insurance can be applied depending on the grade.
Pseudogynecomastia can reduce 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 surgery is required to remove it. Gynecomastia surgery requires a combination of surgery to remove mammary gland tissue and surgery to suck out the fat around the breasts. It is not necessary 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 between the ages of 20 and 30 who consider their appearance important. Recently, even among middle-aged people, the number of people thinking about gynecomastia surgery has been gradually increasing.
Written by medical correspondent Hidak Hwang In-sik (urology specialist)
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