Marijuana and Pubertal Gynecomastia

[Jim Smith]

I've read online that marijuana can cause gynecomastia. I've had it since puberty which is before I started smoking marijuana so I know that weed isn't the cause of it, but I'm wondering if smoking marijuana on and off since I was 17 until now (age 24) could be the reason my gynecomastia never went away on its own. If this is the case, how long after totally quitting marijuana would it take before I started to see my gynecomastia go away, if it isn't too late for that all together, so I can then focus on surgery.

[Dr. Schuster]

There is not any real scientific proof that weed causes gynecomastia. Stopping it will not make the gynecomastia go away. If the gynecomastia does not resolve within two years (assuming it is developing during puberty) I do not believe that it will ever resolve without surgery.

[Litlriki]

I agree with Dr. Schuster's comments.  The connections between marijuana and gynecomastia are found in texts and papers from the '70s, when marijuana seemed to cause everything bad.  There are some biochemical mechanisms that explain the causal relationship, but they seem rather contrived.  In my experience as a gynecomastia surgeon, I have had far too few patients present with a claim that marijuana caused their gynecomastia (indeed, none who were certain and perhaps 5 to 10 who commented that they "smoked a lot of weed").  This compares to patients who come with specific medication use, such as Propecia, or steroid and pro-hormone use.  
Finally, it's most likely that you are just one of those unlucky guys for who the condition didn't resolve on its own. 

[Michael Law, M.D.]

I also agree with Dr. Schuster. There is no  solid evidence that the use of marijuana contributes to gynecomastia. There does seem to be an increase in gynecomastia and many theories about what might be causing this. The good news is that surgery can provide an improvement.
At age 24, it is certainly not too late for you to consider surgery. Gynecomastia patients can range from teens through men much later in life.