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Dr Phil: Male breast enlargement (video)

Hello there, I’m Dr Phil. Today we are going to be talking about breast enlargement in boys and men.

It’s pretty common, we both have breasts (men and women). They both have glandular tissue in them as well as fatty tissue. The glandular tissue responds to circulating hormones. Boys and men produce oestrogen, the female hormone, as well as testosterone. Sometimes the levels can fluctuate a bit, particularly during puberty and oestrogen can get the upper hand, which means a lot of young boys have quite big breasts, especially in their early teens between 13 and 14. If you squeeze behind the nipple, often you feel quite a firm mass of tissue and that is actually glandular breast tissue that develops. However, the testosterone gets the upper hand in the later teens, so by the age of 19 or 20 generally the breasts have flattened out again and look more masculine. However, as we get older and a bit fatter our body fat produces oestrogen and this is why most older men tend to have slightly larger breasts.

I’ve got a pair of boobs, I call them ‘Eric’ and ‘Ernie’. They’re not too bad and I just about keep them in check, but they are pretty common. Whether you need to do anything about them I guess depends on how large they are and whether they are causing you much of a problem. Sometimes alcohol can cause breast enlargement, so can taking cannabis and so can taking quite a few prescription drugs, for example drugs for high blood pressure, drugs for stomach ulcers and some drugs for psychiatric conditions. Anabolic steroids can make your testicles shrink and your breasts enlarge, so that seems like good reason to avoid them. Often though it is just fatty tissue that is making them large and the secret probably is to eat a little bit less and drink a little bit less and then you might find your breasts reduce as well.

If your breasts have got to a really large stage and they are causing you a bit of pain/discomfort and embarrassment then there are a couple of surgical options that are available depending on whether it is glandular tissue or the fatty tissue that is causing you the problem. Before you go anywhere near a scalpel you will probably be thoroughly assessed. You might have a few hormone checks done and a thorough physical examination to make sure there is no other cause of your breasts being enlarged. In the case of excess tissue, if it’s the glandular tissue it usually means an incision with a scalpel and actually taking/removing the glandular tissue. If it’s fatty tissue they [healthcare professionals] can use liposuction, which sounds simple, it just sucks the fatty tissue away, but actually it is quite a major procedure. It is pretty painful afterwards, it leads to a fair amount of bruising and it can take 3 or 4 weeks to recover fully, so it is not something to be entered into lightly.

Very rarely men can get breast cancer, so if you find a lump just on one side that feels hard as you knead it against your breast, that is certainly something that needs looking into. In the vast majority of men, you don’t need any treatment, you might pop down to your doctor just to check it out for a bit of reassurance, but it is eating a bit less and drinking a bit less that is likely to do the trick.

If you want to find out more there is plenty of good information on this site (www.embarrassingproblems.com). If you are considering information about any form of cosmetic surgery then visit the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons’ website www.baaps.org.uk. For more information about me go to www.drphilhammond.com.

Thank you. 

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