The technical medical term for ‘man boobs’ is gynecomastia

Breast reduction surgery is not only for women but is becoming increasingly popular for men!  Figures released by the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons show that breast reduction operations for men are the fastest growing procedures in Great Britain. They said that in the last year the number of male breast reduction operations increased by 80 percent from 323 in 2008 to 581 in 2009.

The technical medical term for ‘man boobs’ is gynecomastia and can be a natural side effect of aging as well as being brought on by obesity and lack of exercise. Some men feel very self conscious about their man boobs and won’t take off their shirts in public as a result.

Part of the increase in the popularity of male breast reduction surgery is the increasing media pressure from men’s magazines to conform to an ideal body shape.  The realisation that they can actually do something about the gynecomastia encourages them to go and get help in the same way that the arrival of erectile dysfunction drugs like Viagra gave men the confidence to go and speak to their doctors. In fact male breast reduction surgery is likely to boom over the next decade and become much more normal and socially acceptable.

Gynecomastia can be caused by a lack of testosterone and men should be aware of this before they opt for surgery. It may be that working out in the gym, losing weight and doing lots of chest exercises will be enough to counteract the effects of a mild case of gynecomastia.

In severe cases of gynecomastia men say their lives have been ruined, they have been unable to form proper relationships with women and they spend their lives worrying about people noticing. Sometimes they feel that they are ‘turning into women’ and that they are no longer proper men. The distress and anxiety caused by gynecomastia should be dealt with sooner rather than later.