Breast-Reduction Surgery Increasing for Overweight Teenage Boys

Wednesday, September 03, 2008 by: David Gutierrez, staff writer
Tags: teenage boys, health news, Natural News

(NaturalNews) A condition known as gynaecomastia, in which teenage boys develop female breast tissue, is becoming more common; a trend that some doctors attribute to rising obesity rates.

"This is different to someone just being overweight. These are firm female breasts, something that any woman would be proud of," said obesity-related plastic surgery specialist Christian Duncan. "There isn't one month that has passed in the past 12 months where I have not seen a new patient with this condition. It used to be much less common and I am afraid it is a sign of the growing problem of childhood obesity."

Duncan said that he has conducted 20 breast reduction surgeries on boys in the last year.

"We try to teach these boys about making lifestyle adjustments, like getting them to go to the gym, but they just won't go," he said. "They become very self-conscious and it can start to affect their ability to socialize and concentrate at school. Often they are bullied. To rectify the problem for them we basically use liposuction to remove the glandular and breast tissue and fat from around the chest to give a flatter appearance."

Gynaecomastia is caused by a hormone imbalance during adolescence. Known causes include body-building or recreational drugs, cancer and diseases of the kidney or liver. But researchers also suspect obesity and environmental toxins - particularly female hormones or chemicals that mimic them - of playing an important role.

"Both men and women have breast tissue but there is something about obesity that triggers hormone imbalances and causes an unnatural growth in these boys," Duncan said. "If nothing is done to stop the growing tide of childhood obesity in the city I expect to see more cases year-on-year."

In addition to the 20 surgeries he has conducted, Duncan says he has also counseled many other boys who are seeking breast reduction surgery but do not qualify. He has urged these children to lose weight through changes to their diet and exercise habits.

Sources for this story include: www.timesonline.co.uk.