I heard the term “moobs” the other day. It conjured up images of men with breasts, the man boob, the “manssiere” (love Seinfeld with the bra for men). So I did what all people do these days to find out information. I googled the term. If you look in the urban dictionary, you will see it defined:
Moobs: A combination of the words “man” and “boobs.” This is what happens when fat gathers in a male’s chest area, and gives him the appearance of having breasts.
Usually seen in overweight males, but can strangely also occur in men who are not really overweight
or my favorite
Moobs: Floppy, Jell-O like protrusions in the male chest area. Usually sported by fat, overweight men or men who attempted sex change. Can be used as a form of communication when jiggled properly
I’m curious about how the moob can be used as a form of communication when jiggled, but that sounds like a whole other blog.
As with all things medicine, we have a technical term for man boobs. We call it gynecomastia. “gyne” female. “mastia” breast.
True gynecomastia is breast tissue in men. It is composed of fat, breast glandular tissue, usually an enlarged areola, and extra skin. When you feel the chest, you will often feel a firm disc of breast tissue behind the areola. These chests do not look like an overweight guy with extra on the chest: usually the areola is enlarged and there is ptosis (droopiess) of the skin. To treat true gynecomastia, we combine liposuction (usually ultrasonic to help break up the fibrous fat and tighten the skin) and direct excision of breast tissue. If needed, this is accompanied by a reduction in the areola and tightening of the skin, though I usually try to steer toward the smallest scars possible. The goal of surgery is to get you to feel comfortable taking your shirt off in public. Scars on the chest aren’t so good for that.
Most cases I see though are not really gynecomastia. Most are due to fat with little or no breast gland component, which you may hear referred to as “pseudogynecomastia” or “lipomastia”. These are most of the “man boobs” or “moobs” you see in photos. The good news is breasts made of fat are easier to treat. In these patients there is less droopiness of the skin, and the areola is normal sized. These chests tend to respond well to simple ultrasonic liposuction.
Adolescent gynecomastia is common and usually temporary. Regardless of age, if you have a case of gyecomastia which is persistent, you need to also look at other causes such as steroids, liver failure, tumors, genetic disorders, marijuana use, and some medications.
Most of my male liposuction patients have liposuction done to their chest. Liposuction is for areas of fat resistant to diet and exercise, a pocket of fat, just like the “love handles” or “abdomen”. Sometimes men in great shape with low body fat percentage preferentially gain fat in the chest. I find many of my patients will not bring it up, but I consider it part of my standard operation for liposuction in men.
Do you need a moob job? As with all things, I encourage patients to fix things they can without surgery. Look for underlying causes. If you are overweight, lose weight. There is much advice from others on what to do: I I have seen sites on cardio, special exercises and diets, herbal supplements, and even a site with the newest male bra. One site has the secret key to burning fat on just the chest. (It is only $50 for the step by step guide, and shhh, you can’t share the secret!) But as I find with a lot of cosmetic surgery, many people try to sell you a rainbow. Most patients I see have moobs of mostly fat, so lose weight. Tone up. And if the fat persists, get liposuction to improve it.