The idea of the “perfect” male chest, purportedly, is a flat, toned physique with defined pectoral muscles, ideally accompanied by a washboard stomach and bulging biceps. However much some men may want to emulate this ideal form, for most Average Joes, it’s a far off reality.

Having moobs can make some men deeply unhappy. They may lack self-esteem, feel unattractive to the opposite sex and avoid activities such as swimming or going to the beach because they feel shy about taking their shirt off. Sufferers can often fall into depression and start to hate the way they look.

If you suffer with moobs, it is important to understand what, exactly, they are, and what is causing them in your case. If you are overweight, it is very likely that this is the root of your problem. As well as around the belly, some men store fat in the breast area, and if you are much heavier than your recommended weight, this chest fat can start to manifest itself as moobs. Losing weight by maintaining a balanced diet and increasing your cardiovascular exercise levels will undoubtedly help to reduce the fat all over your body, including the moobs.

If you are not particularly overweight, or experience tenderness or soreness in your moobs, it is likely that the cause is medical. Gynaecomastia is a condition whereby an abnormal interaction between the female hormone oestrogen and the male hormone testosterone exists, which causes growth of the breast tissue. It is triggered by a variety of stimuli, including alcohol and some illegal drugs, such as heroin and marijuana, and especially body building drugs like anabolic steroids. If you use these substances, cutting them out of your life or reducing your intake will likely improve the appearance of your moobs.

Some medications can cause moobs, particularly those for the treatment of AIDS-related illness, steroids and cancer treatments. If you have been prescribed these drugs, they will almost certainly have a more beneficial effect on your health than not taking them, so you should always talk to a doctor if you are excessively worried. In rare cases, the cause of the gynaecomastia can be rooted in a genetic condition or even cancer. It must be stressed again that this is very rare, but, as before, if you are worried, or if you are experiencing any other symptoms or have found any lumps, you should consult your doctor. Male breast cancer is extremely rare (about 300 cases per year in the UK compared to 46,000 female cases) but the development of a lump in the breast of a middle aged or older man should always be investigated by a skilled breast surgeon.

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.

At birth, the breasts of both boys and girls appear the same. Both newborn boys and girls can produce small amounts of milk from their breast tissue in the early postnatal period, under the influence of the mother’s female hormone, oestrogen.

During puberty, a girls ovaries increase the amounts of oestrogen and progesterone which they produce. As well as causing a girl to menstruate, these sex hormones also act on the breast tissue, which enlarges, and forms the adult female breast, which are capable of lactating milk after giving birth to a baby. Since males do not have as much oestrogen as females – having more testosterone instead which promotes the development of male sexual characteristics – the breasts do not grow.

In a relatively large number of men, perhaps up to 60% at some time during their lifetime, males can develop enlarged breasts, often called man boobs, or moobs. This condition is known as gynaecomastia. Gynaecomastia is usually caused by temporary changes in the level of oestrogens in the male body or an imbalance between the action of oestrogen and testosterone on the breast tissue.. This most often arises during puberty when the young male is developing and growing, but can also occur in infancy and in senior years. In most cases, gynaecomastia resolves itself as hormone balances settle down. Sometimes, chemicals in plant-derived drugs such as heroin or marijuana can mimic oestrogen and give rise to gynaecomastia; ceasing the intake of these drugs will help to revert the problem. Other drugs including medications for the treatment of AIDS and cancer, as well as body-building steroids or alcohol can interfere with the normal hormone functioning and lead to enlarged breasts.

Another condition called pseudogynaecomastia also exists. It is called “pseudo” gynaecomastia because the appearance of the enlarged breasts looks very similar to the hormonally-affected condition, but this time the size of the breasts is caused by being overweight and storing too much fat on the chest.

Enlarged male breasts, especially those caused by being overweight, are often asymptomatic, but many men feel self-conscious, embarrassed or even depressed about having an imperfect masculine chest shape. Sometimes gynaecomastia can cause tender or sore breasts too. In these cases, seeking a doctor’s advice will help to reassure you that the condition is quite normal and easily treated. Simply stopping taking the drugs, growing up and out of adolescence or losing weight and taking regular exercise is usually enough to get rid of your enlarged male breasts.

Some men may wish to undergo cosmetic surgery to improve their chest shape, but this should only be considered as a last resort, after other options have been explored. Surgery, even elective surgery, carries certain risks and should not be undertaken lightly. For men with excess fat on their chests, liposuction could be an option to remove the fat. For those with gynaecomastia, surgical removal of the excess glandular tissue may be required.

Gynaecomastia

There are generally two types of man boobs (also commonly known as man breasts or “moobs”). The first is a medical condition called gynaecomastia. This term literally means “woman-like breasts” and is an enlargement of the male breast gland. It can be caused by many factors that affect the balance of oestrogen and testosterone in the male body. All men produce a little oestrogen, which is usually thought of as a female hormone, but when the levels of this hormone are too high or testosterone is too low, the breast tissue can develop and become enlarged and painful.

This is a very common condition and usually affects teenage boys who are going through puberty. Pubertal gynaecomastia almost always disappears within three years of its development. Surgical correction should not be undertaken in this age group unless the condition is very long lasting (several years) or unless there is gross enlragement of the breast causing major psychological problems. This type of gynaecomastia can also affect older men as their hormone levels change with ageing.

Other medical causes of gynaecomastia include prescription drugs such as treatment for AIDs-related illnesses, hormone abnormalities (for example in genetic disorders such as Klinefelter’s Syndrome) or tumours that can disrupt the normal hormone functioning. The use of illegal drugs such as heroin or marijuana have also been linked to excess breast growth in men because certain chemical in plants, called phytochemicals, can mimic the female hormones. Men on hormonal treatments for Prostate cancer often develop enlarged painful breasts. Gynaecomastia can also be caused by excess alcohol, using steroids (especially anabolic steroids in body builders) and other medications.

Testicular tumours can result in gynaecomastia, and testicular examination to exclude a lump is a basic part of the medical assessment of a patient with gynaecomastia. Similarly, some tumours of the pituitary gland (in the brain) can result in enlarged breasts, and blood test should be undertaken to exclude this as a cause. In a number of cases, the cause of gynaecomastia cannot be pinpointed because there are many ways in which the hormones can be affected. This is called idiopathic gynaecomastia.

Pseudogynaecomastia

The second type of man boobs are caused by being overweight. The physical appearance of the male breasts looks similar to that of gynaecomastia, but the breasts are enlarged because of excess fat rather than growth of the breast tissue. The phenomenon of man boobs caused by excess fat is called “pseudogynaecomastia”.

Breast size in these cases can usually be reduced by exercise and diet, although men are increasingly choosing to undergo liposculpture surgery to reduce their man boobs. Weight loss alone can sometimes leave the breast skin quite loose and so a breast lift or skin resection may help to improve the appearance of the man boobs.