What Causes Unilateral Gynecomastia?

Unilateral Gynecomastia is very common in teenagers, or even teenagers turned into adults. Unlike asymmetric Gynecomastia, this condition is not solely affected by genes and can affect anyone suffering from a variety of medical conditions. The types of Gynecomastia might be different from each other, but the sole cause of it is the same.

Hence, unilateral Gynecomastia is caused by un-uniformity of both testosterone (the hormone responsible for suppressing the effects of estrogen) and estrogen (the hormone responsible for the enlargement of breasts).

Testosterone is dominant in males due to which they have small or un-swollen breasts, while estrogen is very common in females due to swollen and enlarged breasts. Unlike asymmetric Gynecomastia, the breasts are not as enlarged. One thing to note is that this Gynecomastia can also change the anatomical symmetry. It is very similar to bilateral Gynecomastia as both of these conditions cause the enlargement of one breast while the other is normal.

The clinical appearance of unilateral gynecomastia varies considerably. The gynecomastia can either be large or small in size and can appear very similar in appearance to a true female breast. For unknown reasons, it is more common to develop on the left side of the chest. It may or may not be associated with tenderness, which usually persists for only a short period of time unless you are taking medications that are causing inflammation of the tissue. The actual gynecomastia tissue itself is more commonly glandular – rather than the fibrous variety – for unknown reasons.

How Is It Treated? Can I Just Hide It?

Although it’s uncommon for anyone to have a perfectly symmetrical chest, pronounced unilateral gynecomastia will upset the balance and symmetry of the chest, which makes it very difficult, if not impossible, to hide with clothing or posture changes. A woman with two different sized breasts can wear a bra and pad the smaller breast, but this is not an option for men. Since we are programmed to “see” things that are exceptional or different, unilateral gynecomastia is very noticeable and brings unwanted attention towards it. This in turn only further adds to the psychological burden of gynecomastia. I even have known of patients who wore multiple compression garments or resorted to using duct tape to hide unilateral gynecomastia. Poor posture with flexion of the spine at the chest level and shrugging of the shoulders is a very common way to hide this condition and can lead to musculoskeletal imbalance.

Contrary to what you would think, the best treatment for unilateral gynecomastia is treatment on BOTH sides. I have learned that it is essential to treat both sides so that the result is smooth and symmetrical. There is usually some fullness on the smaller side that benefits from treatment so both sides look the same. If not, the smaller side will appear like it has gynecomastia after treatment! At the Boston Gynecomastia Specialists, the treatment of choice for almost all patients is the use of VASER™ Ultrasonic liposuction to shrink the actual fatty tissue, followed by the use of cannula liposuction to remove the “loosened” fat and contour the shape of the chest. A small incision is made at the areola border to remove the enlarged breast tissue.

Seek The Expert In Treating Unilateral Gynecomastia

In summary, unilateral gynecomastia makes up about 5% of gynecomastia cases and is no different in diagnosis and treatment when compared to bilateral gynecomastia. Treatment is usually bilateral, and when performed by an expert, the results will be chest symmetry and liberation from both the mental and physical burden of gynecomastia.

Wondering if you have unilateral gynecomastia or details about our treatment? Complete our online intake form including photo of your chest through our online initial intake form to schedule your consultation with Dr. Ishoo.