Do I have gynecomastia or pseudogynecomastia? (Photo)

If you have pseudogynecomastia, which is breast enlargement caused by fat alone, losing weight and exercising may reduce your breasts. However, about 90% of males with female type breasts have true gynecomastia which is a combination of fat and breast tissue which can only be reduced by surgery. Be sure to see a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon who specializes in gynecomastia. Good luck!

Dear JohnlivinThank you for your question and photos!  You appear to have some fullness of the chest - overlying the pectoralis muscle.  This can occur with weight gain, at the time of puberty and in the 3 and 4th decades.  It can be caused by medications and THC.With Warm RegardsTrevor M Born MD

Thank you John for your equation and pictures. As you likely know, true gynecomastia is excessive breast glandular tissue on a men's chest.  All males have a tiny amount of breast tissue under the nipples but in gynecomastia, there is more than average amount of gland tissue.  In gynecomastia, one can palpate the gland (harder tissue) and the gland is more sensitive to pinching than fat.  True gynecomastia has several causes, but the most common is idiopathic (i.e. we don't know the cause).Pseudogynecomastia "looks" like true gynecomastia but it is composed mostly of excessive fat, as we see in many men as they get older and chubbier.  Loosing weight and getting fit would definitely help the pseudogynecomastia.Both conditions can be help with plastic surgery, with liposuction alone, gland removal alone or a combination of both.  Some men will also consider pectoral implants as part of the surgical plan.  That is, if the gym work has not produced enough a reduction in the pseudogynecomastia.The distinction is make clinically, at the office.  So best would be to visit of one us for an assessment.Hope this clarifies better.Kind regards,Dr. Marc DuPere, aesthetic plastic surgeon

Hello.  Because the treatment options are dependent upon the correct diagnosis, you need to be evaluated with a physical examination by a board certified plastic surgeon.  You will be glad that you proceeded in such a manner and it will be well worth your time.  Best of luck.

Gynecomastia can either present with fat, glandular tissue or both. If gynecomastia presents with fat alone, it is known as pseudo-gynecomastia, which may reduce with the help of exercise and dieting. 'True' gynecomastia is cured only via surgery. This can be distinguished by either checking the tenderness surrounding the areola or using an ultrasound.

A consultation could help determine where liposuction alone or direct excision would be the ideal way to treat your concern. I see many men in my practice who are in great shape and have excess fat and / or tissue in the chest area. After gynecomastia surgery, these men are very confident and happy.  Please seek out a plastic surgeon with a lot of experience who can demonstrate their expertise by sharing many before and after photos with you. An idea result will be smooth with scars that are barely perceptible.

From the pictures, i guess your are not over weight. then your condition is probably gynecomastia. Either way, the treatment is surgical removal of the offending tissue and give you a better shaped chest. Its possible to get the result without any prominent scars. 2 weeks should be enough provided you can stay away from strenuous physical exercise for about 4 weeks.

Hi there,Thanks for sharing your photos. You have a fullness in the lower part of your pectoral muscleschest that is making your chest out of shape - or more like a female breast. this could either be because of the gland alone or gland with fat. either way the treatment is surgical involving liposuction and gland excision with more time spent to doing liposuction or gland excision depending on which component is more. So I'd say dont break your head with the technicalities. Go and meet a qualified plastic surgeon who can do both procedures and can give you the best result. Best of luck

Thanks for the question.  Pseudogynecomastia or Lipomastia is the presence of fat which results in the appearance of female breast tissue.  This can often be treated with liposuction alone.  Gynecomastia involves the presence of breast tissue as well as fat which requires surgical excision.  This can often be done using a minimally invasive technique with local anesthesia. 

Good question -- and the answer depends upon one's personal perspective.  By definition, gynecomastia translates to "female breast."  Which means, if you have excess tissue on your male chest, you do have gynecomastia.  It doesn't differentiate between either fat or gland.  And in truth, virtually all gynecomastia has breast and gland, in varying ratios.  And further, the treatment (lipo plus gland excision 90% of the time) is virtually the same.  So a discussion about differentiating gynecomastia vs pseudogynecomastia is like trying to discuss how many angels can dance on the head of a pin -- it truly doesn't matter!I have written an extensive piece on just this topic and I recommend you read it.  It is captioned below.Elliot W. Jacobs, MD, FACsNew York CityPractice sub-specialty in treatment of gynecomastia