Swollen breast tissues in men or boys caused by hormonal (testosterone and estrogen) imbalances is called gynecomastia. Both breasts or one breast, can be affected by gynecomastia. At any point in life, from birth to puberty, even in adulthood, you might develop gynecomastia. Most of the times, gynecomastia is caused by hormonal imbalances, but there might be some underlying causes as well.
Gynecomastia is normally not a serious condition, but it can be difficult to deal with the pain and embarrassment.
It can be cured with surgery or medication, if it doesn't go away on its own.

Symptoms and signs of gynecomastia include
a) Enlarged glands in the breast tissue
b) Tenderness in the breast

The causes that trigger gynecomastia include
1. Hormonal changes: Testosterone and estrogen control the sexual development in men and women respectively. Estrogen is not a hormone that only women produce; men produce it too. When the production of testosterone and estrogen are thrown out of balance, gynecomastia occurs.
2. Medication: Certain medications such as anabolic steroids, androgens, HIV/AIDS medicines, antibiotics and chemotherapy can cause gynecomastia.
3. Drugs and alcohol: Substances such as alcohol, marijuana, amphetamines, heroin and methadone cause gynecomastia.
4. Health condition: Certain factors, such as aging, hypogonadism (hormonal disorder), hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid gland), tumors, kidney failure, cirrhosis, liver failure, malnutrition and starvation can lead to gynecomastia.
5. Herbal products: Essential oils derived from plants such as lavender or tea tree, used in lotions or shampoos, have weak estrogenic actives. They have been said to cause gynecomastia.

Gynecomastia can be cured either with medication or surgery. Surgical options for gynecomastia are, however, limited. The two surgical options for gynecomastia include:
a) Liposuction: Liposuction only removes the fat from the breast, not the breast gland tissue. It has fewer complications, there is limited or zero blood loss and there is less distortion of the nipple.
b) Mastectomy: Mastectomy removes the gland tissues in the breast. The surgery uses minimal incisions to remove the gland tissue. Also, it involves less time to recover.

Treating Gynecomastia With Surgery

Allergies are a reaction of your immune system to any foreign matter, such as pet dander, pollen or bee venom, and not everyone is affected in the same way.
Antibodies are substances produced by your immune system to protect you from harmful invaders that can cause infections or make you ill.
The immune system produces antibodies when it comes into contact with allergens. Your immune system can recognise any allergen as threatening even if it s not. As a result, your skin, airways, digestive system or sinus gets inflamed.
Allergies can vary greatly in severity from mild irritations to anaphylaxis (a likely life-threatening emergency). Allergies are mostly incurable; however, there are various treatments available to alleviate allergy symptoms.
Causes-
Common triggers of allergy include:
Airborne allergens, such as mould, dust mites, animal dander and pollen.
Certain foods, especially milk, eggs, shellfish, fish, soy, wheat, tree nuts and peanuts.
Insect bites, such as wasp stings or bee stings.
Medications, specifically penicillin-based antibiotics or penicillin.
Latex, or any allergen you touch, causes skin infections.
Symptoms-
Symptoms of allergy depend on its type.
Hay fever (allergic rhinitis) symptoms include:
Sneezing
Itching of the roof of the mouth, eyes or nose
Stuffy, runny nose
Swollen, red or watery eyes (conjunctivitis)
Symptoms of food allergy include:
Tingling mouth
Swollen throat, face, tongue or lips
Hives
Anaphylaxis (a critical, deadly allergic reaction)
An allergy caused by insect stings can manifest in symptoms such as:
Swelling at the site of the sting
Hives or itching
Breathing problems, wheezing, coughing or chest tightness
Anaphylaxis
A drug allergy can lead to symptoms such as:
Hives
Itchy skin
Rashes
Facial swelling
Wheezing
Anaphylaxis
Atopic dermatitis (skin allergy) symptoms include:
Itching
Reddened skin
Peeling or flaky skin
Treatment-
Treatments of allergy include:
Avoiding Allergens: Your doctor can help you take necessary steps to recognise and avoid the allergens that trigger allergies. This is usually the most relevant step in the prevention of allergic reactions and reduction of symptoms.
Medicines to Lower Symptoms: Eye drops, nasal sprays or oral medications are commonly prescribed to reduce reactions and alleviate symptoms.
Immunotherapy: If the allergy is severe or other treatments fail to relieve symptoms, allergen immunotherapy is recommended. In this treatment, you get injected by a number of clarified allergen extracts over the years.
Emergency Epinephrine: If your allergy is severe, your doctor will provide you with an emergency epinephrine shot that you can carry with you everywhere. 

Allergies: Causes, Symptoms and Treatments

Most men, about 60%, see some development of breast tissue in their lifetime. This growth could be round, symmetrical and occurs bilaterally. This growth of breast tissue in males is medically known as gynecomastia.

Causes:

The most common cause is an imbalance between the oestrogen and androgens, with excessive oestrogens leading to the growth of breast tissue.
Excessive use of anabolic steroids
Obesity
Unknown reasons
It can affect men of all ages, and if this presents as a serious problem, then surgery is the most definitive form of treatment.

Surgical options: There are two major options available for correcting gynecomastia   liposuction and excisive surgery.

Liposuction:

Done either under local sedation or under general anaesthesia depending on the extent of the tissue proliferation
A small incision is made either in the armpit or around the areola
Excessive fat tissue and breast gland tissue are suctioned out
The chest contour also is altered at the same time, if desirable
Post-surgery, the person is made to wear a compression garment for the first few days
This helps in keeping the tissue in place and also helps reduce swelling
Healing takes about a couple of weeks  time, depending on the person s overall health status and the extent of surgery.
Excisive surgery:

This is done when the extent of gynecomastia is more severe
These people would have sagging, stretched skin around the breast area
More amount of fat and glandular tissue can be removed through excision
This is more often done under general anaesthesia
The incision is often done around the areala (dark portion around the nipple) so it is concealed or along the natural creases which are formed due to excessive breast tissue
Excessive breast tissue is removed and the incisions are closed
There could be swelling, pain, bruising, and higher chances of post-surgical infections
Recovery will take about ten days to two weeks
Refraining from exercise is often advised for up to 2 weeks
Benefits:

Restore a masculine appearance
Shorter surgery
Faster recovery
Minimal or invisible scars
Almost immediate results that can be dramatic
Improved confidence and self-image
After the surgery:

Surgery is definitely a sure way to remove the male breast tissue, it is almost a permanent treatment for this condition.
It is very important to get a trained, experienced surgeon for the procedure
It is important to follow post-op instructions including pain management, infection control, and recovery
If it was caused by use of steroids or obesity, lifestyle modification is essential to prevent recurrence

Enlarged Breasts In Men - Surgery At Your Rescue!

Gynecomastia is basically swelling of the breast tissues in boys and men. This is usually caused due to an imbalance of the hormones, estrogen, and testosterone. Gynecomastia can affect either one or both the breasts, sometimes in an uneven manner. Newborn babies, boys who go through puberty along with older men might develop this condition as a result of normal changes in the levels of the hormone.
It is not necessarily a serious problem but men might find it difficult to cope with this condition. This condition can go away on its own. In case, it persists, consultations with a cosmetic/plastic surgeon can be of great help.
Before looking at the tips from a cosmetic/plastic surgeon to come out of this problem, let us briefly talk about the symptoms and causes related to Gynecomastia.

Symptoms- 
There are certain signs and symptoms, which suggest that men could well be suffering from gynecomastia. They include the likes of:

Swelling of the breast gland tissue
Pain
Tenderness
Nipple getting discharged in either one or both the breasts
Causes -
Gynecomastia is usually triggered by a decrease in the amount of the hormone testosterone compared with estrogen. Different things can alter the hormonal balance like:

1. Natural hormonal changes

2. Several medicines including:

Anti-androgens used for treating enlarged prostate, prostate cancer
Anabolic steroids
Medicines for AIDS
Anti-anxiety medicines
Tricyclic antidepressants
Antibiotics
3. Consumption of alcohol
4. Heroin and other such drugs
5. Several health conditions like Hypogonadism, Hyperthyroidism, Kidney failure, Live cirrhosis, etc.

Tips From Cosmetic/Plastic Surgeon-
Consultation with Cosmetic/Plastic Surgeon can let men have useful tips as to the treatment as well as prevention of Gynecomastia. They include the following:

Liposuction Treatment can be an ideal way to get rid of this problem. It removes fat from the breast but leaves behind the breast gland tissue in its place. The treatment involves making two or more small incisions through narrow tubes get inserted into the chest region. The tube gets moved around gently to loosen up the excess fat tissue, which is then sucked out. The treatment involves less amount of scar.
Cosmetic/Plastic Surgeon can advise patients that there are iatrogenic causes behind this problem like side-effects from any medicine or health issues like an overactive thyroid or tumor.
Mastectomy can be another effective method of treatment. It is performed endoscopically and thus has a quicker recovery time. A patient can stay at the hospital for a few hours and go back. This involves less amount of scarring.
Cosmetic/Plastic Surgeons can also go for another extremely effective method in their hands to take care of this problem of Gynecomastia. It is the Excision Technique. This is recommended where glandular breast tissue or excess skin must be removed to cure this. The patterns of incision would vary depending on the specific conditions and patients  surgical preference.


All You Must Know About Gynecomastia!

Food allergies can be defined as a sign of danger given by the human body when it considers some particular food items as harmful. This is basically an allergic reaction to some food proteins. As per the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, about 4 to 6 percent of kids and 4 percent of adults worldwide are affected by different types of food allergies. The most interesting fact about the food allergies is that you can develop an allergy to a particular food at any age. Also, one can develop an allergy to a particular food even when you have been eating that food with ease all these years.

Food allergies can be categorized into main types:

Immunoglobulin E (IgE) mediated allergies: These allergies occur mostly in infants and children and can be seen for milk, peanuts, eggs, soy, and wheat. Moreover, the affected body areas include the mouth, skin, eyes, heart, brain, and gut.
Non-IgE mediated food allergies: These allergies normally affect the digestive tract and symptoms of these food allergies take a long time to develop.
Let us have a detailed look at different methods that can assist you in dealing with different food allergies.
Remove food items that can trigger allergy
It is obvious that food allergy is pertaining to a particular food and thus it is advisable to remove the triggering food items from your diet. It is also advised to remove the byproducts of such food items. This will minimize the danger of food allergy. There are some common food items which can trigger the food allergies which are:

Milk
Eggs
Wheat
Fish
Peanut as well as tree nuts such as walnuts
Shellfish
Soy
Try to stock your pantry with alternatives to the allergic food items. There is no need to make your taste buds suffer by removing food items which can activate allergies. You can try alternatives to such food items and have a healthy life. Read the label on food while shopping for groceries as most of the triggering ingredients are common in many of the food items. Thus, it is advisable to read the ingredients on the food labels before you buy them. You can also look for these common names for allergens:

Glucosamine for Shellfish
Flour, triticale, durum, vital wheat gluten for wheat
Natto, tempeh, shoyu, miso, Edamame, for soy
Roe, surimi, nuoc mam, fish gelatin for fish
Rennet casein, tagatose, whey, rennet casein, casein in milk
Lysozyme, vitelline, surimi, albumin, livetin, globulin, and lysozyme for egg
Write down your meal plans
Preparing your own meal can minimize the risk of food allergies. Thus, try to make your own food and keep a memo of what you would like to eat in a meal. This way you can eliminate the dishes which include triggering ingredients. These above-mentioned methods can surely help you in preventing food allergies effectually. However, if the symptoms of food allergies are severe, do not hesitate to take medical help.

Food Allergies - How To Deal With Them?

A change in weather bring about changes in the composition of dust and pollen and induce seasonal allergies, which a huge number of people fear. The good news is that there are a number of common food substances which can help control these seasonal allergies. There are specific ingredients in these foods which improve immunity and provide antihistamine-like effects (which is what most anti-allergic drugs do). Some of these foods are mentioned below:

Green tea: With its natural dose of antihistamines, it prevents you from developing allergies. A hot cup in the morning acts as a good shield against sneezing, which is common with pollen and dust allergies.
Oranges and strawberries: Vitamin C is essential for controlling allergies and it is always recommended to reach for a couple of fresh oranges or strawberries than popping a vitamin pill. They also contain other substances like traces of Omega-3 fatty acids and Quercetin.
Garlic: This blocks the production of chemicals that can cause allergies. Eating a couple of cloves in the morning daily will do wonders for the allergy prone people.
Turmeric: This miraculous Indian spice has strong anti-inflammatory properties and helps prevent all kind of allergies.
Nuts and seeds: For the vegetarians, eating walnuts and flax seed is a good alternative. A handful of walnut is equal to 3 ounces of salmon. Flax seed also contains selenium which has anti-allergic properties.
Cabbage and broccoli: The flavonoid called quercetin helps by reducing inflammation that is usually associated with allergies. Other sources include apples, onions, berries, and cauliflower.
Fatty fish: These contain a good amount of omega 3 fatty acids, and work better than the supplements any day. Take your pick from mackerel, sardines, salmon, tuna, trout, bluefish or herring. These have two types of Omega-3 fatty acids (DHA and EPA) which are known to prevent people developing allergic symptoms. This anti-allergic property provides great relief in people who see seasonal allergic changes.
Local honey: For those who suffer from pollen allergy, a morning dose of honey helps build tolerance to this kind of allergy.
Wasabi: This pungent green paste helps breathing by opening up the airways and is very good for blocked nasal passages. It also is rich in antihistamines and helps prevent you from developing allergies.
Yoghurt and Kefir: These and other dairy products are rich in probiotics which contain a lot of friendly bacteria like Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, which are generally found in the intestines. They also help build immunity and increase bodys ability to fight allergens better.
So, for those prone to seasonal allergies, there are few things that are easy to find and well within the reach of regular kitchen and can shield against allergies.

10 Foods That Help You Fight Allergies

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