12year old

[gray]

My 12 year old son is showing signs of gynecomastia. My dad has it, and I do as well. His brother shows no signs. I know many kids develop it and then have it resolve on its on. Is this something I should talk to pediatrician about? Is there anything that can be done for someone so young to prevent it?

[Dr. Elliot Jacobs]

You should definitely take your son to a pediatrician for an evaluation and possible hormonal blood testing.  In my experience, however, most of the time there are no major treatable hormonal abnormalities.  It then becomes a matter of watchful waiting -- give it time for  it to possibly spontaneously subside.  If it is present and unchanged for 2-3 years, then you may have to look for a surgeon to help.

Dr Jacobs

[DrPensler]

The answers to your two questions are:
1) yes
2) no

All males have swelling of the breast bud under the areola as they go through puberty,this is a normal finding. Your pediatrician should be very familiar with this and as a general rule no testing is required for minimal swelling.Minimal swelling is something that is felt but is not really visible.This typical finding resolves with time in the overwhelming majority of males.A small minority of patients exhibit continued significant and visible breast development through puberty.In these patients with continued growth there are a number of potential algorithms but the bottom line is additional medical investigation is warranted.

[Litlriki]

From a numbers perspective, studies suggest that anywhere from 30 to 70 percent of men develop gynecomastia, and most of those are during puberty.  Of those that develop during puberty, 95 percent of them will resolve within a 3 year period after onset.  The other 5 percent will require surgery.  At age 12, the condition is probably new and it's unlikely that any treatable hormonal issue will be discovered.  Rather, gynecomastia at that age is relatively physiologic and may resolve on its own with some luck.

Rick Silverman