What is bilateral gynecomastia?
Bilateral gynecomastia is a condition where there is an enlargement of both the breasts in the males. Gynecomastia occurs when there is an imbalance in estrogen and testosterone levels. Gynecomastia is not a deadly disease and does not have any health implications but a lot of men feel a discomfort in the breast tissue as well as social embarrassment. Gynecomastia has got more of a mental effect tthan a physical one. It leads to body image issues in the men. In some cases, gynecomastia dissolves on its own but in a lot of cases medication and surgery is required.
Symptoms of bilateral gynecomastia
The main symptoms of bilateral gynecomastia are breast tenderness and swollen breast tissues. People suffering from bilateral gynecomastia complain of these symptoms in both the breasts but some patients have these symptoms in only one of the breast. It is not necessary that the enlargement of breast tissues in both the breasts are same. It might be different for both the breasts.
Causes of bilateral gynecomastia
There are a number of causes leading to bilateral gynecomastia. Gynecomastia results from imbalance in the hormone levels. When estrogen level is higher than the testosterone level in the body, gynecomastia may occur. This hormone imbalance can occur naturally or as a result of medication and health issues. Almost a quarter of gynecomastia cases have no cause. Hormonal imbalances may also occur as a result of aging, chemotherapy to treat cancer, steroid usage, liver disease, dialysis, consumption of contraband substances and hormone treatments.
Diagonosis and treatment of bilateral gynecomastia
A complete physical health checkup is carried out by a health professional to determine gynecomastia and its causes. Questions about medications are asked along with physical examination. Other tests include palpations of breast tissue, blood tests, x-rays mammograms, CT scans, ultrasounds and biopsies. Presence of other conditions are also determined by the healthcare professional such as abscess or cancer.
There are a variety of treatments available to treat bilateral gynecomastia. In some cases, gynecomastia disappears on its own. Some cases require medication. If the medicine does not work for two years then surgery is the only way out. Surgery is a sure shot way of getting rid of bilateral gynecomastia and the results are visible immediately. Mastectomy and liposuction are used to treat gynecomastia. Gyencomastia has several ill-effects on the confidence of the person suffering from it. The good news is that treatment is now available to cure bilateral gynecomastia.