It would be easy to say that the best way of getting rid of your man boobs would be to not get them in the first place, but this is not often possible or realistic. Certainly, many men’s man boobs, or “moobs”, are initially caused by being overweight – losing weight can help but it is not always this simple.

Being overweight, in some men, causes the body to lay down extra adipose (fat) tissue around the breast area, giving rise to enlarged breasts that can sometimes start to resemble those of a woman. This can be very embarrassing and cause self-consciousness or low self-esteem. For younger boys, it can be a trigger for bullying and taunting and can make the child very upset indeed.

To get rid of man boobs caused by excess fat, exercise, particularly cardiovascular exercise, can help to trim and tone the body. Fat around the breasts is often very stubborn and is hard to shift without complete dedication to the fitness regime, but the condition will certainly be improved if you stick at it. Exercises to strengthen the chest muscles will also help to define the pectorals and while they will not specifically burn chest fat, they will help to improve the appearance of the chest. It is recommended to speak to both a doctor and a well qualified fitness instructor before starting any exercise programme, so that you can receive tailored advice.

For the large number of men who have enlarged breasts because of a medical condition called gynaecomastia, exercise will not help to reduce the problem. This is because gynaecomastia is enlargement of the glandular part of the breast tissue rather than the fat in the breast, and weight loss will have no effect on the glandular parts of the breasts themselves. A healthy lifestyle will help. Alcohol, marijuana, anabolic steroids and heroin have all been linked to gynaecomastia, and stopping intake of them may lead to reversal of the symptoms.

Gynaecomastia can often disappear on its own, especially in teenage boys. It can also be triggered by certain prescription drugs, so if you stop taking these, the problem will often correct itself. Of course, if the medication does more good than harm, then you would be ill-advised to stop taking it, at least without prior discussion with your doctor.

For persistent, idiopathic gynaecomastia, that is gynaecomastia for which there is no obvious cause and which does not seem to get better, many men are now considering cosmetic surgery. Excess breast tissue can be cut out during a surgical operation to reduce the size of the breasts and reshape the chest to give a flatter, firmer appearance. Surgery should not be undertaken lightly, and certainly not without expert advice from a well qualified breast surgeon.

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