The silent sufferer of man-boobs Gynecomastia, Men or women, we all have insecurities. Some of us dislike how our arms are a little too thin, while some of us dislike the way that our jawline isn’t as masculine as we wish they were.
All of these insecurities usually come from our comparisons to ‘ideal’ figures presented on the media, and many of the times, these ‘ideals’ are actually just products of awesome Photoshop skills.
Regardless, we make efforts to improve our physical appearances – some through strict exercise regimes, some through undergoing aesthetic procedures, whatever works for each of us.
The latter is riddled with misconceptions, and the term “cosmetic surgery monster” tends to pop up as an insult, and many a times as an unfair exaggeration to the individuals who simply took an alternative route to improve their appearances.
But what if some of these surgeries were actually rooted in health issues?
For example, a bulging belly is more of a health than aesthetic problem.
We’ve probably heard about those who undergo jaw surgery to reduce issues from strong under and overbites, and some who require rhinoplasty to fix breathing problems. However, not much is known about man-boobs gynecomastia, also known as the medical condition of having male breasts.
In the US, male breast reduction surgeries made up around 27,456 in 2015, which represented a 35% growth since the year 2000.
We spoke to David (not his real name), a Singaporean in his mid-40s, and a silent sufferer of “man boobs” until his gynecomastia surgery.
When It Actually Becomes A Health Problem: Silent Sufferer of Gynecomastia
“Man boobs” also have physical implications, like soreness.
“Man boobs” are commonly seen as an issue when guys are wearing shirts with a tighter fit, and the bulges aren’t in the right places. (Also a problem for women.)
For David, however, the extra fat in his chest was actually making him feel physically uncomfortable.
“I’ve always felt a little discomfort on my chest area in my early 20s but have always passed it off as nothing. It wasn’t until the discomfort started getting overbearing and disrupting my daily activities.”
He first assumed that it was a sign of heart problems, but checks with a doctor revealed no issues, so he turned to the most common trick in the bag – exercise for gynecomastia.
While his regime did help him lose weight, the fats on his chest didn’t go away and the pain was still persisting. He even resorted to putting ice on the sore areas, but it only served as a temporary relief.
Putting A Name To The Condition And Its Solution
Unable to find a solution offline, and adding on to the fact that it’s not a common topic of discussion among Singaporean men, David had no choice but to search online for solutions.
He soon found out that what he had was man-boobs gynecomastia, and eventually, stumbled upon a gynecomastia clinic, which presented an opportunity for him to finally get help for the embarrassing condition.
However, the decision wasn’t as easily made as compared to, let’s say, getting help for an illness like flu.
He was wary about seeking help from a medical aesthetic clinic, especially since cosmetic surgeries are usually cast in a negative light.
“I wouldn’t call it a misconception, more of a lack of understanding. I’ve always thought of aesthetics procedures as solely for vanity and never did I imagine that they could do more.”
However, being that it was a means that he could finally be rid of his suffering, he decided to book an appointment to see how things go.
“You can imagine it’s quite unnerving considering that I have no prior experience personally or by proxy of aesthetic procedures. But with encouragement and relentless persuasion from my wife, I decided to take the first step.”
