Nipples and Gynecomastia

Jun 21

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Why do men have nipples?

It might sound like a very awkward question, but some men might have actually wondered why they have nipples.

Fortunately there are people such as Dr. Michael Bermant who actually provides an answer to such a query.

The nipples provide a focus point for the male chest. They direct the eye to the curve of the pectoral muscle.

Men and women are mammals (from the Latin mamma breast) a species that have breasts and feeds its young with milk. The human embryo has tissue that will evolve into breasts. Both male and female babies are born with nipples and ducts intact. It is the presence of genes that direct hormones to differentiate the breast tissue. The Y chromosome stimulates hormones such as testosterone to form male features.

Satisfied?

Anyway, having nipples, though might bug some men, is really not causing such big fuzz. What horrifies and even embarrasses them is the presence of female-like breasts, a condition known as gynecomastia.

Not all men are sumo-wrestlers who seem to take pride with those man-knockers. In fact, most men who have gynecomastia are ashamed of their plight. I certainly cannot blame them for feeling that way. Men want firm, manly chests, not breasts!

Dr. Bermant gives a short but comprehensive explanation to such condition:

Insufficient or defective testosterone, poor tissue responsiveness, or an unbalance of other hormones like Estrogen and Prolactin can cause female like breasts even in men (Gynecomastia). At birth, the small amount of the mother's estrogen in the baby can result in small breasts that usually resolve.

There can be an imbalance of hormones during male puberty that can result in temporary breast growth, which for most resolves. There are many medical problems and drugs that can cause male breast growth.

So what can men with gynecomastia do about their condition? Simple. Accept the fate and leave them as they are or have a breast reduction surgery. The latter is more preferred I guess, considering that gynecomastia ranked fifth among the most popular plastic surgery procedures done in men.

So if you’re a guy and you’re worried about your large breasts and protruding nipples, plastic surgery gives you a chance and a choice. What you do with them is all up to you.

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Anonymous on Apr 11

up to sixty percent of men? while it's reassuring to men, i'm sure, to know they're not alone, it's pretty depressing that half of the men in this country are living with male breasts, and probably living in fear of taking their shirts off at the beach, or when playing sports. i write for three plastic surgeons who specialize in Atlanta breast reduction, and i thought that your readers would be interested in a number that's a little more positive. the american society of plastic surgeons recently released their national plastic surgery statistics for 2007 - male breast reduction was performed in the U.S. 21,000 times in 2007. so, if you're considering plastic surgery to reduce the size of overly large breasts, again, know that you're not alone.

40 to 60% of men...

Michael on Apr 10

That's the estimate as to how many American men suffer with gynecomastia ("woman like breasts"). Personally, I don't (they all say that, right?). But, professionally, I've seen them. I work with a board certified plastic surgeon who performs both breast enlargement on Long Island and male breast reduction. I'm not a doctor, by the way. I just work with one (many actually), often interviewing patients about their feelings following plastic surgery. You know what I hear quite a bit - more often than not, from both women who want fuller breasts and men who want a firmer chest? I hear them question why they waited so long.

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