Are You Smarter than a Man Boob Site?
Is it just us, or does it seem that most advice available on man boobs via the Internet is wrong?
We’ll admit to being a little extra sensitive about the topic, since we have performed gynecomastia surgery in NYC for 30 years. But we just hate to see so many web pages out there promising to help men get rid of man boobs “naturally.” Just the other day we ran across a website that offers six tips for getting rid of moobs, and five of them are completely incorrect.
See if you can spot which one of these moob-busting suggestions promoted by this site actually has some truth to it:
#1 Reduce the amount of fat and sugar in your diet. No, this tip is unlikely to help. Pursuing a healthy diet is a good thing to do, no doubt, and it’s also good for people on the heavy side to drop a few pounds. But enlarged male breasts almost always contain some measure of breast gland as well as fat. So chances are that eating better and losing weight will not completely banish the moobs.
#2 Build your muscles. This strategy won’t help with man boobs either. Strength training benefits most people, but ironically, when you build the pectoral muscles that underlie your man boobs, the unwanted breast tissue may appear to be even more prominent.
#3 Get more exercise. While getting more exercise to “burn fat” is good advice for most, it won’t eliminate moobs. Fatty tissue tends to produce extra estrogen, which often results in the growth of breast gland. As you lose weight—through exercise, dieting or both—it’s likely that your moobs will persist.
#4 Take testosterone. This tip is both wrong and potentially dangerous. You should never disrupt your endocrine system by taking a hormone or hormone-like substance unless you’re following a doctor’s advice. Not only that, excess testosterone in the body can be converted to estrogen, so testosterone supplements may actually cause breast tissue growth.
#5 Drink more water. We’ll assume you didn’t choose this tip as the one that’s a good strategy. Adult males need about 13 cups of fluid each day, according to the Mayo Clinic, and water is certainly one of the best. But will extra water help you battle the moobs? Nope.
#6 Change your habits. This suggestion is the one that is actually right, in a way. This particular website stated that excessive alcohol, marijuana and certain medications can all trigger breast tissue growth. That is true. What was left unsaid is that once moobs have appeared, stopping the behavior that contributed will not make them disappear. The correct way to look at it is, if you don’t have man boobs and you don’t want them, watch your intake of such things.
If you’re a bit of a cynic, you may think that our frustration with websites laden with misinformation stems from a desire to perform more gynecomastia surgery for NYC patients. That’s not true, either! We do enjoy helping guys who choose this route; in fact, we derive a great deal of satisfaction from seeing looks of relief and even elation on our patients’ faces after surgery. But we are also happy when we consult with men who decide to accept themselves just as they are.
What frustrates us is knowing guys try some of the ineffective, wacky and even dangerous ideas bandied about on the Internet. It’s just plain irresponsible to publish material like this.
