My son aged 11 has grown breasts. Is it necessary for him to undergo a breast surgery to reduce breasts? (Photo)

Thanks for the question. Boys or girls below the age of 18 should abstain from having plastic surgery. I wish you all the best.

The male breast is composed of glandular tissue and fatty tissue. An excess in either type of tissue can cause the chest to take on the look of gynecomastia. Gynecomastia can affect men of all different body types. There are different types of #gynecomastia.

Particularly, Normal Gynecomastia is usually apparent in males between the ages of 12 to 15 years old. It is also common for older men 65 years old or more who experience a drop in their testosterone levels. #Normal Gynecomastia takes approximately one to two years to naturally regress on its own.

Adolescent Gynecomastia is hereditary and usually appears in 30% to 60% of boys between the ages of nine to fourteen. Many cases of adolescent gynecomastia resolve on its own as the boy grows into adulthood. Some with #Adolescent may choose to undergo surgery to correct the situation, this usually happens at the age of 18 or above. In severe cases in young boys, the physician and child development specialists will need to speak to the parents regarding the severity of the gynecomastia and if surgery is an option before the age of 18.

Adolescent gynecomastia is very common and is caused by hormonal changes. In most cases it will resolve on its own usually within a few months to 2 years. However, if it lasts more than 2 years, it may be permanent with surgery being the only option. This is an extremely difficult condition for boys to deal with and can cause a lot of humiliation and even depression. If you find your son is suffering, I suggest that you have him evaluated by a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon that specializes in gynecomastia. In some cases it is appropriate for an adolescent to have male breast reduction surgery, however if he hasn't finished developing, it is possible he may need surgery again in the future. Good luck!

This occurs in a lot of boys his age. I would not recommend any kind of surgery on you son at least until the age of 17-18 when all the puberty changes are finished.  Some gynecomastia will resolve on its own.  Meanwhile, your pediatrician may recommend your son be seen by a pediatric endocrinologist in the interim.

GailToo early to consider surgery for your son! It is highly likely that it will resolve by the time he reaches puberty. Talk to his pediatrician about possible hormonal problems. Also, read the linked article below which I wrote about Gynecomastia as you should find it very helpful! Good Luck

At age 11 there is an excellent chance that the breasts will resolve on their own. There is often a transient period of male breast development between 11-14 surrounding puberty that often self-resolves. Based on the photo alone, it appears as though there would be significant improvement if your son lost some weight with a healthy diet and more exercise. Finally, if he does need surgery then it would be covered by OHIP because he is under 18. Hope that helps!  

Thank you for the picture.  No, surgery is not the first step.  I would recommend that your son have evaluation by his pediatrician for any mass of the chest/breast area or any hormonal abnormalities.  If there are no findings by his pediatrician then observation is warranted.  Typically, as he matures his chest shape will improve after puberty well into his early twenties.  If it is an issue after that point he may decide to seek a plastic surgery opinion.

Being an 11 year old boy with enlarged breasts can be very
difficult when trying to fit in at school & society. Most boys during puberty will have some
increase in breast volume that will resolve over time. Unfortunately, for some
boys the volume persists. This usually
consists of breast tissue but can also be adipose (fatty tissue). The medical term for this problem is
Gynecomastia. It is more common in
overweight boys and men. Gynecomastia
can be caused by hormone imbalance, tumors, marijuana and certain medicines. All of the problems need to be ruled out by
physical exams and lab studies. I
usually tell the families of young boys and teenagers to wait a few years to
see if the problem resolves. If they are
overweight, I recommend they lose weight near their ideal body weight. If the Gynecomastia persists or is causing
psychology problems, then this can be treated by surgery. If the breast volume is caused by adipose
(fatty tissue) and is minimal to moderate volume, this can easily be corrected
with liposuction with 2 very small barely visible scars. If the breast volume is the result of breast
tissue, then the tissue needs to be excised.
This can be done through a small incision around the areola (dark skin
around the nipple) if not extremely large breast or droopy. If the breasts are more droopy or large, skin
needs to be removed. This can be done
around the areola (peri-areola) if minimal to moderate problem. This usually leaves a barely visible scar
around the areola. If very large breast
or droopiness, more skin will need to be removed. The most common technique removes skin
horizontally across the chest leaving a horizontal scar across the chest. This leaves a more visible scar. Because I do not like this type of scar, if
possible, I would combine the peri-areolar and skin excision along the lateral
chest wall where the scar is more hidden under the arm area.

It is important that you see a REAL board certified plastic
surgeon by the American board of Plastic Surgery. These are the only REAL plastic surgeons
fully trained to take care of gynecomastia.

Thank you for your question and photo. It is not uncommon for boys this age to develop some breast tissue, called gynecomastia. However, in many of them it will resolve or at least improve over time. I would wait until he is in his late teens and then see if it is still a problem. Surgery is needed to correct this, but if it gets better on its own, may not be necessary. Follow closely with your Pediatrician. Best wishes. 

Your son has gynecomastia.I would recommend an evaluation by an endocrinologist if possible a pediatric endocrinologist. Your son's weight is a contributing factor to his gynecomastia ,however there may be some additional issues which need to be ruled out.It is highly likely based on his photo that he will require surgical correction. In my extensive experience  both with patients who have gynecomastia in general and with patients who have gynecomastia at this age it is almost certainly highly sensitive for your son. It's great that he brought this to your attention ,often kids at this age will try to hide their chest.