Men too have breasts, which usually remain rudimentary. Occasionally they undergo development during puberty. In those in whom these breasts develop, but resolve on their own is called as physiological gynaecomastia. In the others, in whom the breasts do not resolve spontaneously, and there is no know cause for breast development is called as idiopathic gynaecomastia.

Once the breast tissue develops and the development phase is over, it does not grow or reduce much. It might grow in size with increase in weight and the main component of such an increase is fat.

There is no proven drug that will reduce a well-developed gynaecomastia. Tamoxifen 20mg daily has been shown to work in the developmental phase and arrest the development of gynaecomastia. However, once it is developed, surgical removal is the only answer.

Tradionally, the breast tissue has been removed by a cut under the areola. The excision leads to an empty pocket, which often has to be kept empty with tubes till the drainage stops. There is also risk of saucerisation and nipple inversion with this technique. The newer technique uses liposuction and rarely excision as well. With liposuction, the fat in the gland is removed. If the fibrous element is not much, then liposuction alone is sufficient to give a very good result. If fibrous tissue is present under the nipple, then a small excision helps to remove it completely. Liposuction technique does not need drains and does not suffer from nipple inversion of saucerisation.

The results after this procedure are very satisfying. Please read further the links on gynaecomastia correction for further information.