Adolescence : Gynaecomastia in Boys

Enlargement of breast
Adolescent is the most difficult and vital period of Individual. This is most uncertain times when young boys and girls change in to adults. Adolescent is the transition time where they are neither child nor adults. Any disorder in endocrine glands or endocrine secretion causes many disorders. One such disorder is Gynaecomastia.

Gynaecomastia
Enlargement of one or both the breast in boys is not uncommon in puberty stage. This physiological change is seen in more than 70% of boys and it becomes normal once puberty period is completed. Gynaecomastia is attributed to transit imbalance in oestrogen /testosterone ratio. As the puberty period advances and testosterone section increase Gynaecomastia is seen receding. But few isolated cases it remains which cause continues embarrassment to the young boy and tension to their parents.

These boys start stooping and bending their shoulders in a manner that hides prominent bilateral elevation in the chest regions. These youth avoid swimming and other athletic games.

Correction
In such youths who are proved to have gynaecomastia have to under go cosmetic surgery to reduce the chest elevations. They may have to administer endocrine work-ups extensively. This is caused where puberty disorder is seen ie, hyper-or hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. Tthey may be due to iatrogenic (drug induced) gynaecomastic. Hypogonad boys may develop gyneaecomastia similar to the one seen during normal puberty when they receive hCG therapy for the induction or enhancement of lacking or delay pubertal development. Treatment of the primary cause and if there is persistence of gynaecomastia, surgical treatment (reduction mammoplasty with periareolar incision) should be offered in such cases.

Adolescence is the most important period in any child where the parents have to take utmost care in the development of their child as a complete individual. It is only the duty of the parents to see whether the child develops both physically & mentally without having any embarrassment to the child in future.