Gynecomastia Is Associated With Several Risk Factors

Not every male gets gynecomastia, but more get it than you would think. This is likely because few people like to talk about it. If you have not been affected by this condition, there is no way to tell for sure if you ever will. However, there are some factors that may be able to tell you if you have a high chance of developing gynecomastia.
One of the most common culprits is the impact of hormones. For this reason, it is likely that if you develop this issue, it will be during puberty. Of course, this happens to be when many boys are already self-conscious and possibly being humiliated for unrelated factors, so adding excess fat on the upper body can lead to increased social issues. You should know, though, that hormones are unbalanced when you are particularly old or young, too. This means that you can develop this condition in old age, and even some newborns have it, so hormones can strike at any time and lead to excess chest fat.
If you take certain medications, you may have an increased possibility of developing gynecomastia. Not surprisingly, anything that alters you hormone levels can have an effect. This means androgens and anabolic steroids can increase your chance of facing this issue. Even anti-androgens, which are given when you are fighting certain types of cancer, can cause this problem. Additionally, your risk of getting excess fat on your chest increases when you are given medication to treat AIDS, infections, or ulcers. This does not necessarily mean you should refuse medication because of the slight risk of getting this issue. Instead, let your doctor know your concerns if you are worried about this.
Before you skip medications, it is important to note that some conditions can actually increase your risk of gynecomastia. Examples include kidney failure, hyperthyroidism, and hypogonadism, and these are just a few conditions that can lead to excess fat on the chest when left untreated. For this reason, you should not avoid treatment for these issues just because of the slight chance of excessive fat.
In addition, self-medicating can improve your chance of developing gynecomastia. For example, if you regularly drink alcohol or take recreational drugs, you may be putting yourself at risk for excess chest flab, among other issues.
It should be clear by now that this condition has several risk factors. Some of them can be controlled, while others cannot. However, either way, you have some treatment options if you do notice flab in the chest region at any age.