Adipomastia | |
---|---|
Other names | Lipomastia, fatty breasts, pseudogynecomastia. |
A male with probable comorbid gynecomastia and pseudogynecomastia | |
Specialty | Plastic surgery |
Symptoms | excess of skin and/or a flat layer of adipose tissue in the breasts without true gynecomastia.[1] |
Causes | Weight loss |
Differential diagnosis | Gynecomastia |
Treatment | Liposuction, surgery. |
Adipomastia, also known colloquially as fatty breasts,[2] is a condition defined as an excess of skin and/or a flat layer of adipose tissue (that doesn't protude like female breasts) in the breasts without true gynecomastia.[1][3][4] It is commonly present in men with obesity, and is particularly apparent in men who have undergone massive weight loss.[5][6] A related/synonymous term is pseudogynecomastia.[7] The condition is different and should be distinguished from gynecomastia ("women's breasts"), which involves female-like protruding fat tissue and/or glandular tissue in a male.[1][7] The two conditions can usually be distinguished easily by palpation to check for the presence of glandular tissue.[6][8] Another difference between the conditions is that breast pain/tenderness does not occur in pseudogynecomastia.[5] Sometimes, gynecomastia and pseudogynecomastia are present together; this is related to the fact that fat tissue expresses aromatase, the enzyme responsible for the synthesis of estrogen, and estrogen is produced to a disproportionate extent in men with excessive amounts of fat, resulting in simultaneous glandular enlargement.[5][9]