Beware of man boobs

Men with big breasts will do anything to get rid of them including exercise, weight loss, good posture, liposuction, hormone therapy & fat melting injections.

Photo above of the medical condition known as gynaecomastia also known as man boobs (Source: Wikipedia plus more photos of the condition). 

Click button to listen to Man Boob Problem to download

IN THE MIRROR

The bigger, the better? Maybe not

12/07/2012
Dr Nantapat Supapannachart

As much as men like big breasts on women, just the opposite applies to themselves. Big breasts on men, known as gynaecomastia, can be an embarrassment and it often leaves many desperate for a way to reduce their size. Some are so desperate that they take risks and go through surgery. Is the painful and expensive surgery necessary, or are there other alternatives that are effective minus the pain and money?

WHY DO SOME MEN HAVE BIGGER BREASTS THAN NORMAL? 

The causes for male breasts usually vary for different age groups. Breast growth is common in newborns as a result of exposure to the mother's hormones via breast milk. For teenagers, one or both breasts can become enlarged and tender from the hormonal changes of puberty. This embarrassing condition usually disappears after a few months. In male adults, however, it's almost always due to weight gain, which results in fat over the pectoral region. In old age, hormonal imbalances may be the cause.

IS IT UNHEALTHY OR JUST UNAPPEALING?

Usually, it's only unappealing. However, if the change in size is sudden or becomes painful, then medical intervention is required. The majority of males with gynaecomastia are overweight, however there are a few medical conditions that can cause it, so an accurate diagnosis can help your doctor decide if treatment is needed. Some people get it from hormonal imbalances that may come from exposure to androgen hormones usually taken by bodybuilders. Other possible medical causes of adult male breast growth include kidney failure, chronic liver disease, tumours, genetic disorders and side effects of some drugs.

WHAT ARE THE REMEDIES FOR THIS? 

Diet and lower chest exercises can help remove chest fat when you have pseudogynaecomastia, which is when you don't have man boobs, but a lot of chest fat making it seem as if you have breasts. However, gynaecomastia or man boobs, normally subsides after a couple of years or when you lose weight. If it doesn't, we need to identify whether the cause is a hormonal imbalance. If that is the case, then you may be recommended to stop taking any drugs that increase oestrogen levels in your body and take a hormone therapy that is suitable for you. For other cases, mesotherapy (fat melting injections) can be helpful. For best results this needs to be done three to five times.

Liposuction is another - and probably the most effective - way to get rid of male breasts, especially with the newest technology that combines radio frequency with liposuction. This combination makes it easier to remove fat with little bruising and downtime. Body Tite allows liposuction and firming to be done simultaneously. This means you are able to lose the breast tissue and tighten the skin surrounding the area in one sitting.

WHAT DIET AND EXERCISES DO YOU RECOMMEND FOR CHEST FAT? 

Losing weight in one location is known as spot reduction, which isn't likely to happen. You need to lose weight throughout the whole body to see loss in one specific location, so the good old-fashioned remedies of fat loss apply.

Eat healthier - more white meat, fish, vegetables and fruit. Boobs are almost always the result of years of eating junk food, which contain more calories than whole foods. Reduce the intake of alcohol and drugs also.

Make yourself stronger. Cardiovascular exercise helps strengthen your heart and lungs while burning calories. To add to your daily calorific debit, perform cardiovascular exercise four to five days a week for at least 30 minutes per session.

You can also place special emphasis on your chest muscles by using an elliptical trainer, the machine on which you move foot pedals back and forth as you push and pull hand poles.

Finally, fix your posture. Working at a computer all day could tighten your chest muscles and cause slouching, which will then make your man boobs look worse. Sit and walk with your shoulders back, instead of letting them slouch.

Dr Nantapat Supannachart is an American Board-certified dermatologist and laser surgeon. Call 080-500-0123 or visit www.apexprofoundbeauty.com

(Source: Bangkok Post, IN THE MIRROR, The bigger, the better? Maybe not, 12/07/2012, Dr Nantapat Supapannachart, link) 


Man Boobs Vocabulary

gynaecomastia - the medical condition of large breasts in men, usually the result of hormonal changes in the body or sometimes from large amounts of fat (See Wikipedia)

boobs (slang) - female breasts
man boobs - Same as "gynaecomastia"

beware of ... - be careful about (look out for, watch out for) some dangerous thing or situation (example: beware of the dog) 
the bigger, the better - a common saying and belief (but not always true)

pseudogynaecomastia - when the nipples are larger and stick out a bit due to too much fat, a condition related to gynaecomastia but less severe: "it looks much like typical gynecomastia but requires different treatment. Exercise and diet may be effective in combating pseudogynecomastia. Only if this regimen is unsuccessful should surgery be considered. This is generally the only type of gynecomastia which can be improved with liposuction, but excision may be indicated in some cases" (See Wikipedia)

medical condition - "a broad term that includes all diseases and disorders. While the term medical condition generally includes mental illnesses, in some contexts the term is used specifically to denote any illness, injury, or disease except for mental illnesses....sometimes preferred by people with health issues that they do not consider to be deleterious" (See Wikipedia)

hormones - chemical substances produced in animals and plants that control growth and sexual development, the body organs that secrete organs are called glands and are part of the endocrine system which is a signalling system like the nervous system but slower and longer lasting,  "hormones have the following effects on the body: stimulation or inhibition of growth, mood swings,... activation or inhibition of the immune system, regulation of metabolism, preparation of the body for mating, fighting, fleeing... preparation of the body for a new phase of life such as puberty, parenting, and menopause, control of the reproductive cycle, hunger cravings and sexual arousal"  (See Wikipedia)
hormonal (adjective)  

imbalances - when things are not in balance, when one things gets too big and could cause failure
hormonal imbalances - when there is too much or too little of a hormone in the body

puberty - the period of life when the body of a teenager turns into an adult body, when there are many hormonal changes (See Wikipedia)

enlarged - to become larger
tender - soft

breasts can become enlarged and tender from the hormonal changes of puberty

exposure - not covered or protected from harm, runs a risk of being harmed;  in a position where you might be harmed or suffer damage
exposure to the mother's hormones via breast milk

androgen hormones - the hormones that control the development of male sexual characteristics during puberty, the most famous is testosterone (See Wikipedia)

bodybuilders - athletes who lift weights to develop their muscles and make a beautiful body, often entering into competitions for the most beautiful body (See Wikipedia)

androgen hormones usually taken by bodybuilders

oestrogen - the main female sex hormones that prepare eggs and the body for pregnancy (estrous cycle) (See Wikipedia)
increase oestrogen levels in your body

therapy - a treatment which helps someone feel better, grow stronger, etc., especially after an illness การบำบัดโรค
hormone therapy - the use of hormones as medicine in the treatment of disease and medical conditions (See Wikipedia)

embarrassment - a feeling of being nervous or ashamed because of what people know or think about you ความขวยเขิน, ความกระดากอาย

desperate - willing to try anything to get out of a bad situation อย่างสิ้นหวัง อย่างหมดหวัง
desperate for a way to reduce their size

risk - danger; the possibility of something bad happening
take risks

surgery - medical treatment in which a doctor cuts open someone's body การทำศัลยกรรม การผ่าตัด

alternatives - different choices that can be made
effective - works well, gets the job done; producing the result that was intended ได้ผลดี

other alternatives that are effective minus the pain and money

As much as men like big breasts on women, just the opposite applies to themselves. Big breasts on men, known as gynaecomastia, can be an embarrassment and it often leaves many desperate for a way to reduce their size. Some are so desperate that they take risks and go through surgery. Is the painful and expensive surgery necessary, or are there other alternatives that are effective minus the pain and money.

vary - different in different situations
causes vary
causes vary for different age groups

common - seen often, happening often; frequent 
newborn - a baby who was just born a short time ago
common in newborns

embarrassing - making you feel ashamed, nervous or stupid
embarrassing condition

pectoral - related to the chest
pectoral region - the chest area of the body
results - what is produced in the end by an activity or task

weight gain, which results in fat over the pectoral region

The causes for male breasts usually vary for different age groups. Breast growth is common in newborns as a result of exposure to the mother's hormones via breast milk. For teenagers, one or both breasts can become enlarged and tender from the hormonal changes of puberty. This embarrassing condition usually disappears after a few months. In male adults, however, it's almost always due to weight gain, which results in fat over the pectoral region. In old age, hormonal imbalances may be the cause.

appealing - something with qualities or features that make you like it
unappealing - not appealing

intervention - becoming involved in a situation and trying to change it การแทรกแซง
medical intervention - when a doctor gives a patient some treatment to cure a disease
medical intervention is required

majority - more than 50 percent of a group; more than half of the people in a group ส่วนมาก เสียงส่วนมาก  ส่วนใหญ่

accurate - correct, exact and without any mistakes ถูกต้อง, แม่นยำ
diagnosis - when a doctor makes a judgement about what disease a patient has
accurate diagnosis

treatment - the process of providing medical care การรักษา
treatment is needed

kidney - one of the two organs in your body that clean your blood and remove waste ไต
kidney failure - when a kidney stops working

chronic - (of a disease or pain) serious and happening and lasting for a long time เป็นประจำ
chronic liver disease

tumour - a mass of cells in your body that grow fast in an unusual way (See Wikipedia)

genetic - dealing with the genes and common characteristics that are passed from parent to child ทางพันธุกรรม
genetic disorders - health problems that people are born with from genes that run in the family, the brain disorders of Parkinson's Disease and Huntington's Chorea are examples (See Wikipedia and list of diseases)

side effects of drugs - health problems caused by drugs the doctor told you to take (prescribed drug) - (See Wikipedia)

Usually, it's only unappealing. However, if the change in size is sudden or becomes painful, then medical intervention is required. The majority of males with gynaecomastia are overweight, however there are a few medical conditions that can cause it, so an accurate diagnosis can help your doctor decide if treatment is needed. Some people get it from hormonal imbalances that may come from exposure to androgen hormones usually taken by bodybuilders. Other possible medical causes of adult male breast growth include kidney failure, chronic liver disease, tumours, genetic disorders and side effects of some drugs.

chest - the upper front part of the body of humans and some animals, between the stomach and the neck, containing the heart and lungs หน้าอก
lower chest exercises

remove - to take something away เอาออกจาก
remove chest fat

couple - two or around two คุ่
couple of years

subsides - goes down, becomes smaller
subsides after a couple of years or when you lose weight

identify - find out what something or someone is, find, locate, specify what or who someone is ระบุ ระบุชื่อ
identify whether the cause is a hormonal imbalance

suitable - right for a situation; acceptable or right for someone or something เหมาะสม
take a hormone therapy that is suitable for you

melting - changing from a solid form to liquid (e.g. ice to water) ละลาย
mesotherapy (fat melting injections) - injection lipolysis (See Wikipedia)
lipolysis - "the breakdown of lipids and involves the hydrolysis of triglycerides into free fatty acids followed by further degradation into acetyl units by beta oxidation. The process produces Ketones, which are found in large quantities in ketosis, a metabolic state that occurs when the liver converts fat into fatty acids and ketone bodies, which can be used by the body for energy. ...The following hormones induce lipolysis: epinephrine, norepinephrine, glucagon, growth hormone, testosterone, and cortisol" (See Wikipedia)

Diet and lower chest exercises can help remove chest fat when you have pseudogynaecomastia, which is when you don't have man boobs, but a lot of chest fat making it seem as if you have breasts. However, gynaecomastia or man boobs, normally subsides after a couple of years or when you lose weight. If it doesn't, we need to identify whether the cause is a hormonal imbalance. If that is the case, then you may be recommended to stop taking any drugs that increase oestrogen levels in your body and take a hormone therapy that is suitable for you. For other cases, mesotherapy (fat melting injections) can be helpful. For best results this needs to be done three to five times.

liposuction - the medical procedure for removing fat from some place in the body (See Wikipedia)

effective - done in a way that works (that allows you to achieve your goals)
effective way
most effective way 
probably the most effective way

radio frequency
combination - the mixture you get when two or more things are combined การรวมกัน

bruise - a mark on your body thatyou get when you hit something; that is broken blood vessels under the skin (also called: minor hematoma, contusion) แผลฟกช้ำ (See Wikipedia)
bruising

firm - not soft; solid and strong  แข็ง,  ไม่นิ่ม
firming

downtime - when machines and factory are not working and not producing goods
simultaneously - happening at the same time ในเวลาเดียวกัน,ที่พร้อมกัน

tissue - the substance that animal and plant cells are made of เนื้อเยื้อ
breast tissue

surrounding - all around a place บริเวณรอบๆ
in one sitting - in one visit to the doctor

Liposuction is another - and probably the most effective - way to get rid of male breasts, especially with the newest technology that combines radio frequency with liposuction. This combination makes it easier to remove fat with little bruising and downtime. Body Tite allows liposuction and firming to be done simultaneously. This means you are able to lose the breast tissue and tighten the skin surrounding the area in one sitting.

spot - one place (example: fat reduced at one spot on your body)
spot reduction - reducing the amount of fat at one place on your body

old-fashioned  
old-fashioned remedies of fat loss

apply - 1. are relevant here, in this case or example; are to be used here; 2. to make use of something นำมาใช้

Losing weight in one location is known as spot reduction, which isn't likely to happen. You need to lose weight throughout the whole body to see loss in one specific location, so the good old-fashioned remedies of fat loss apply. Eat healthier - more white meat, fish, vegetables and fruit. Boobs are almost always the result of years of eating junk food, which contain more calories than whole foods. Reduce the intake of alcohol and drugs also.

cardiovascular - the heart and blood vessels that moves blood around the body delivering oxygen and nutrients to cells and collecting waste products from cells such as carbon dioxide and delieverign them to the lungs and kidneys (See Wikipedia)
cardiovascular exercise

calorie  (noun) - a measure of energy in food
calorific (adjective)

lungs - the organs in your chest that fill with air when you breathe ปอด
burning calories

daily calorific debit

session - time during which activity takes place; a meeting ประชุม
30 minutes per session.

Make yourself stronger. Cardiovascular exercise helps strengthen your heart and lungs while burning calories. To add to your daily calorific debit, perform cardiovascular exercise four to five days a week for at least 30 minutes per session.

emphasis - special importance or attention that is given to one thing in particular การเน้นย้ำ
place special emphasis on

elliptical trainer - a piece of exercise equipment used for a a non-impact cardiovascular workout "used to simulate stair climbing, walking, or running without causing excessive pressure to the joints, hence decreasing the risk of impact injuries. For this reason, people with some injuries are able to use an elliptical to stay fit, as the low impact affects them little"   (See Wikipedia)

You can also place special emphasis on your chest muscles by using an elliptical trainer, the machine on which you move foot pedals back and forth as you push and pull hand poles.

posture - position of the body, e.g., sitting, standing, walking, etc. ท่าทาง เช่น ท่านั่ง ท่ายืน
fix your posture

tighten your chest muscles

slouch - to stand or walk with your shoulders bent forward and your head low so that you look lazy การนั่ง ยืน หรือเดินหลังโกง (See Wikipedia)

Finally, fix your posture. Working at a computer all day could tighten your chest muscles and cause slouching, which will then make your man boobs look worse. Sit and walk with your shoulders back, instead of letting them slouch.

certified - inspected officially and verified that standards are met or rules are followed ผ่านการรับรองคุณภาพ
dermatologist - a doctor specializing in the skin 
American Board-certified dermatologist

Dr Nantapat Supannachart is an American Board-certified dermatologist and laser surgeon. Call 080-500-0123 or visit www.apexprofoundbeauty.com