What is Gynecomastia?
Gynecomastia is the medical term for the presence of breast tissue in boys and men. Many boys have the appearance of a small amount of breast tissue in early puberty. Occasionally, the amount of tissue can appear excessive and may cause some pain or tenderness.
What are the causes of Gynaecomastia?
- Unknown (idiopathic): This is the most common when no cause is found.
- Hormone imbalance (physiological): New born babies are often born with breast swelling due to hormones from the mother. The swelling goes down by itself. When boys reach puberty there is a change in the level of hormones. In some cases this can cause gynaecomastia. This swelling normally begins to go down by itself with time (usually around the age of 19). As men get older, hormone levels change again, leading to swelling of the breast tissue.
- Medical conditions (pathological): There are many medical conditions that can cause gynaecomastia, including liver disease, thyroid disease and testicular abnormalities.
- Medications: Herbal preparations (oral and topical) containing tea tree oil, lavender oil etc; nutritional gym supplements, Spironolactone, antacids etc