People can have many disagreements with their bodies on the subject of how they are “supposed” to look and the reality of a situation. These disagreements take many forms depending on the age, sex, and gender of the person having the disagreement. Women are constantly bombarded by the idea of what an ideal woman is supposed to look like. She is just this size with just that wardrobe and just the right amount of social poise. Men aren’t excluded from the pressure though. Society also tells them about what an ideal man is supposed to be and erases internal variety in favor of a similarly unhealthy mindset that can be overwhelming. Neither of these ideal pictures allows for medical issues that can affect people’s ability to measure up to their own ideal much less society’s ideal. For men, one notable issue that can affect their self-esteem is gynecomastia, also known as male breast development. It can confuse men trying to take care of their body and lead to distress. We’ll be looking into the topic to provide a clear idea of possible causes and treatments.

A Quick Note
It should be cleared up right now that, despite society’s beliefs, gynecomastia is perfectly normal. Everyone experiences some form of slight breast development at different points in their lives regardless of sex and gender. The testosterone levels in most men and other developments during puberty tend to eliminate standard gynecomastia that occurs during puberty. This can take a year or more, but is seldom more than another uncomfortable aspect of puberty. Gynecomastia that lingers after this point or occurs later is more of what this article is concerned with explaining. Similarly, we are not concerned with breast growth in trans women taking hormonal medications to alleviate dysphoria. It does bear stressing again to any worrying man that gynecomastia remains normal even beyond puberty. It is simply uncommon.

Causes
The first question most men have with regards to breast growth is “Why?” This is a tricky question as the causes for gynecomastia are highly varied. It can be a sign of internal hormonal issues, particular medications, or bodily changes with age. Hormonal issues can happen at any age and an imbalance between expected testosterone and estrogen levels in anyone’s body can cause issues. Gynecomastia is simply a somewhat visible change. These imbalances are possible because everyone’s bodies have both estrogen and testosterone in them in different ratios to maintain the functioning of the body. Illness can cause issues, but medication is a very common culprit too. Men fond of taking supplements, especially ones for muscle building, are more likely to experience gynecomastia because such supplements often affect hormone levels to help build muscles. However, you should also be aware that testosterone does gradually decrease with age. This combined with it being harder to lose weight can lead to gynecomastia in older men.

Treatments
Treatment of the condition is actually relatively easy. Catching gynecomastia opens up medication as a highly effective form of intervention. Medications exist to regulate and block estrogen receptors and can stop breast development. Combining his with better lifestyle habits and exercise, in turn, can easily eliminate the issue. This isn’t always an option though as men are often trained to believe gynecomastia makes then somehow lessened and men. It can make them feel too embarrassed to talk to a doctor before the issue becomes too pronounced. Sometimes it can also seem like just a little too much weight without it being an obvious cause of gynecomastia. Other approaches need to be taken once breast development is pronounced. Surgical removal of the fat or mastectomy are options depending on the progression of the breast development. These are both common procedures and simple enough to arrange for at any point.

Gynecomastia is actually a relatively common issue that many men experience to a small degree whether they like discussing it or not. A lack of discussion of the issues leads many men to feel unnecessary shame towards their bodies. You should avoid feeling any particular shame about such conditions. Simple lifestyle changes can eliminate minor gynecomastia and surgical procedures can deal with pronounced cases. Once dealt with, men can go on with their lives without further self-esteem issues.