Male breasts are becoming an increasingly common problem in society today. Although medically not a problem, it causes embarrassment. The person starts avoiding sports and outdoor activities where the breast swellings will be obvious. This situation can be corrected easily by surgery.

There are three situations where this problem occurs (and for a fourth scenario see below). One is in adolescent boys where it is due to hormonal changes occurring in the body; the majority of these swellings improve or disappear by 18 years age. The second is seen in grossly obese boys/men. Here they need to lose weight and then the swellings may go away if entirely fatty. The third variety is a swelling of fat and enlarged gland mixed together, the patient may or may not be obese. These usually persist and need surgery for correction.