Gynecomastia: treatment in home and clinical settings
Such a pathology as gynecomastia is by no means a rarity. Many men, faced with this problem, do not know how to get rid of gynecomastia. Help in this case can only be a qualified doctor who, after conducting the diagnosis, will be able to prescribe adequate treatment directed not only at the manifestations of this symptom, but also on its cause.
Causes of gynecomastia
The causes of this pathology can be different. An increase in the size of the mammary glands causes a deficiency in the body of the male testosterone, as well as a large number of female hormones( estrogens).In some cases, the cause of the disease may be an excessive intake of substances that are similar in structure to the estrogens of the human body, with food( beer).
This is why gynecomastia is more frequent in the period of hormonal rearrangements occurring in the body, that is, in newborns, adolescents and elderly people. Also often the cause of the development of this pathology are such diseases as tumors of the testicles, adrenal glands, lungs, stomach, pancreas, and primary hypogonadism.
Gynecomastia can also cause steroids to be taken by athletes who are keen on bodybuilding. Taking drugs also provokes the development of this pathology. Often gynecomastia is also found in men suffering from obesity, in this case it is called false.
Symptoms of the disease
Perhaps everyone should know about how to determine gynecomastia. First of all, this pathology is determined visually. After all, the mammary glands can be enlarged in diameter up to ten centimeters, and this increase is far from always symmetrical.
There may also be soreness of the nipples, a feeling of constant itching and burning in this area.
Gynecomastia: diagnosis of pathology
Only a qualified doctor can determine the presence of gynecomastia and the stage of its development. If to talk about which doctor treats gynecomastia, then it should be noted the following specialists:
- surgeon;
- oncologist;
- the urologist;
- endocrinologist;
- mammologist.
The doctor will conduct an attentive examination, find out the causes of the disease, prescribe tests, chest X-ray, ultrasound of the mammary glands and, if necessary, computed tomography of the adrenal glands.
Gynecomastia: treatment and its peculiarities
The treatment of this pathology is aimed primarily at eliminating the causes that caused it, as well as eliminating the main symptom - an increase in the size of the mammary glands. Methods of treatment based on the examination and the results of the study should determine the doctor. Methods of treatment can be both conservative and surgical.
It should be noted that pubertal gynecomastia, which occurs in adolescents, usually does not need to be treated. It passes independently for about one and a half to two years after the onset. But with such a pathology as false gynecomastia treatment should be directed weight correction. Sometimes in severe cases, liposuction is required.
Treatment of gynecomastia at home
Gynecomastia is a disease that, as a rule, can be treated without hospitalization. Conservative techniques give good results if the disease has not been greatly neglected.
The drug against gynecomastia should regulate the blood levels of the patient's estrogens and testosterone. If a man has a testosterone deficiency, then he is shown the use of testosterone drugs. If a patient has a lot of estrogen in his blood, then he needs to take anti-estrogenic medicines. Testosterone preparations are very effective in hypogonadism. But with teenage gynecomastia, such drugs are not always effective. And anti-estrogen drugs( Tamoxifen) are able to block the effect of estrogen on mammary glands and other areas. Among these drugs, it is most often used because Tamoxifen, as it, unlike other drugs from the same group, has the least amount of side effects.
Surgical treatment
The assistance of surgeons, a person suffering from gynecomastia, is required in the event that the disease was already heavily triggered, and there was no effect from taking medications. During surgery surgeons remove mammary gland tissue. And there are several types of such operation. What kind of surgical procedure to choose is decided by the attending physician in conjunction with the patient.
Operations can be performed with both false and true gynecomastia. After all, surgeons remove not only their own breast tissue, but also fat deposits that contribute to breast enlargement in size. The following operations are available:
- Simple mastectomy. It includes the removal of the breast, together with the nipple-areolar complex. Now this technique is practically not used due to the fact that it leads to significant cosmetic defects;
- Subcutaneous mastectomy. It is the removal of the mammary glands through a paraareolar incision. Such surgical intervention allows you to fully preserve both the nipple and areola;
- Removal of the mammary glands by means of a small paraareolar incision with liposuction( to restore the normal contour);
- Endoscopic mastectomy. This type of surgery is performed if the mammary glands are relatively small.
So, with such a common pathology as gynecomastia treatment: the cost, which can be different, is carried out in a variety of ways. Only a qualified doctor, after examination and other diagnostic measures, is able to determine which treatment method to choose. Therefore, a person who discovered signs of this pathology should not be pulled with a qualified specialist. After all, the faster the exact diagnosis is made and the pathogenetic therapy is prescribed, the sooner the full recovery will come.