Wrestling with the Subject of Male Breast Reduction.

If a man has an excess of fat or glandular tissue under the skin on his chest, he could develop what appears to be "breasts." Men with that problem generally try to hide their unmanly appearance. They shy away from walking around bare-chested. Such men might request a breast reduction.

Not every man with larger than normal breasts is a good candidate for breast reduction. A good candidate for that procedure has firm elastic skin. The man's skin must be pliable in the hands of the surgeon. The surgeon will need to pull back on the skin that remains, following removal of the excess fat or glandular tissue.

The possession of "breasts" drives many men to seek a male breast reduction. Other men seek breast reduction in order to correct their inverted nipples. Sometimes, a man finds that he needs both the removal of unwanted "breasts" and the transformation of inverted nipples.

Medical professionals use the word "gynecomastia" when talking about a male with a larger than normal amount of tissue on his chest. Health professionals have now identified a number of different factors that can contribute to the development of gynecomastia. Some of those factors can be controlled; others remain beyond the control of the average man.

A man with impaired liver function might find that he needs a male breast reduction. An impaired liver does not metabolize drugs in the normal manner. The presence in a male of certain drugs can initiate the changes that lead to the development of "breasts".

A man who has used drugs containing estrogen might have reason to request a breast reduction. A man who has used anabolic steroids might one day walk into the offices of a cosmetic surgeon. A man who has taken an herbal testosterone might find that he does not look as "manly" as he had hoped.

A man's ability to produce testosterone determines the appearance of his chest. When a man has been born with or has developed hypogonadism, then he has low-functioning testes. Lacking a normal amount of testosterone, such a man frequently feels compelled to request a breast reduction.

A man with Kallman Syndrome has a deficiency of the gonadotropin releasing hormone factor, a substance secreted by the hypothalamus. The absence of that factor deprives the pituitary gland of its needed trigger. The pituitary does not "tell" the man's testes to make testosterone.

A man with Kallman Syndrome might desire a breast reduction. A man with a mal-functioning pituitary gland (for whatever reason) might also need a male breast reduction.

One in 500 men has Klinefelter Syndrome. Those men are also prone to go after a male breast reduction.

A man born with Klinefelter Syndrome has 47 chromosomes, as opposed to the normal 46 chromosomes. He is said to have a 47 XXY karyotype. A normal man has a 46 XY karyotype; a normal woman has a 46 XX karyotype. That one extra chromosome can cause the man who possesses it to initiate a search for a reputable plastic surgeon.