Gynecomastia: Does Marijuana Use Promote It?
Posted On: April 14, 2014 Author: The Office of Dr. Stuart Linder Posted In: Gynecomastia, Uncategorized
Given the establishment of a booming marijuana trade, plastic surgeons in Colorado are beginning to wonder if mile high guys may see more patients asking about gynecomastia to see if they can rid themselves of the hated “man boobs.”
Having gynecomastia surgery is not just ego. A guy’s fleshy chest can interfere with normal development because the typical patient does not want to take off his shirt or even wear a tee shirt. During the teen years, guys with man boobs are teased and ridiculed without mercy. Many have come to the their gym lockers and found a bra hanging on it.
(Look at some gynecomastia before and after pictures.)
Most men are as, or more, sensitive to the flatness of their chests as they are to the shape of their nose. As you may know, rhinoplasty was the leading facial procedure among men during 2013, according to the ASPS.
But where does the marijuana use enter the picture? The substance has been shown to lower the male hormone, testosterone, at least in animals.
(Learn more about the gynecomastia procedure and recovery.)
Doctors note that gynecomastia develops during the teen years when an imbalance takes place between the male and main female hormone, estrogen. But lowering an already low level of testosterone with marijuana is not the wisest move.
Other studies have shown high estrogen levels in many drinking water supplies. Other scientists have found some prescription drugs also linked to gynecomastia.
(Read more about the gynecomastia-pharmaceutical link.)
Still other scientists have found common products – like some hair shampoo – and too many female hormones in drinking water supplies responsible for the rise in “man boobs.”
(Read more about Man boobs and estrogen in drinking water.)
Moreover, the numbers of gynecomastia procedures are up, says the latest plastic surgery statistics. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, (ASPS), 21,000 male breast reduction procedures were performed in 2013, a five percent increase over the previous years.
The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) counted 22,638 gynecomastia procedures for 2013 and noted it was the 4th leading procedure for men among the members of their organization.