Everyone, including males, has breast tissue. For many males, the breast tissue never enlarges. For some, however, it expands due to hormonal changes, certain medications, or an underlying medical condition.

Some people call this condition “man boobs,” which may feel like an uncomfortable or bothersome term. Some males may also feel embarrassed to seek a doctor’s advice about enlarged breast tissue.

However, it is important to note that enlarged breast tissue is a common concern. As such, there are many possible treatments available for those who wish to change the look of their chest.

It all starts with a little pain and swelling just below the nipple area and later on the swelling is all around the nipple, pain is not compulsory to diagnose gynecomastia in some cases it doesn’t start with pain.

Causes

Testosterone in the male body usually prevents breast tissue from expanding.

However, some males develop enlarged breasts due to hormonal changes or fluctuations. When this occurs, doctors call it gynecomastia.

Gynecomastia is more common in certain groups, including:

• infants, due to their mother’s estrogen
• teenagers, due to changing hormone levels
• those over the age of 50

There are several potential causes of gynecomastia, including:

• hormone changes
• taking medications that block the action of testosterone
• excessive alcohol consumption
• taking certain psychiatric medications
• taking anti-ulcer medications
• taking herbal supplements that contain phytoestrogens which are using Tea tree oil or Lavender lotions
• using illicit drugs, such as anabolics steroids
• excessive body fat
• liver or kidney disease
• certain types of tumor
• overactive thyroid
• other conditions that cause low testosterone levels

However, for many males, excess breast tissue is not the cause of “man boobs.”

Like the abdomen, the chest can accumulate fat. In these cases, exercise and dietary changes can reduce their appearance. particularly sometimes the people who are skinny fat may accumulate fat under the chest which may project like gynecomastia but it can be cured by exercise, nutrition, and rest.

On the other hand, if the mammary glands or breast tissues are activated due to reasons discusses above then the only treatment is surgery. In today’s world of technology, the gyno surgery is very safe, successful, and normal it just leaves a scar-like pimple which Is not even visible for this you should consult a surgeon.

Exercises

When excess fat stores are the cause of male breast expansion, one of the best remedies is a combination of diet and exercise. Some people will advise you to just focus on pecs hit them 2-3 times a week but by doing so you may worsen the condition.

By hitting just pecs you will build the pecs but the enlarged mammary gland will start projecting out more which will look worse, I am not suggesting that you should not hit the pecs but train them according to your workout plan don’t overdo it follow a good nutrition and workout plan primarily focus on reducing your body fat percentage

Some cardiovascular workouts and activities for weight loss include:

• walking
• running
• team sports
• high-intensity interval training
• jogging
• cycling
• weight training
• swimming

If a person has a gym membership, they can take advantage of a trainer and focus on fat loss.

Dietary changes

If excess weight is causing or contributing to enlarged male breasts, a person can focus on changing their eating habits.

In general, the best dietary changes to make are ones that are small and sustainable. Significantly overhauling the diet is often very difficult to maintain and can lead to regaining lost weight.

The centers for disease control (CDC) recommend losing weight at a rate of around 1–2 pounds per week which is much healthier and sustainable.

The CDC  also put together some recommendations for reducing caloric intake. These include:

• eating whole, raw fruits and vegetables whenever possible
• avoiding fruit juices, as they do not contain fiber
• using healthy fats for cooking with low oil based cooking techniques and consuming saturated fats in moderation 15-20 gm per day
• choosing whole fruit over dried fruit
• substituting unhealthful snacks with fruits or vegetables

Treatment

Treatment options vary based on what is causing the enlarged appearance of male breasts.

If it is a matter of extra weight, a doctor may recommend that a person makes changes to their diet and exercise routines.

If medications are responsible, a doctor may be able to prescribe alternatives. Sometimes, however, the benefits of a current medication outweigh the side effects.

If a medical issue is causing the breast tissue to enlarge, treating the underlying condition can help.

Some people may choose to undergo surgery to remove the excess breast tissue. However, it is for the treatment of breast cancer insurance companies tend to consider the removal of male breast tissue a cosmetic issue and will not cover the costs.

Summary

All males have some breast tissue. However, some medical conditions, medications, and hormonal changes can cause male breasts to grow larger than usual.

In other cases, excess weight in the area may make the breast tissue look as though it has grown. People put on weight in different places, and some people first put on weight in their breast area.

If enlarged male breasts do not reduce with dietary changes, exercise, or other treatments, a person may consider surgery to reduce the appearance.