Adipomastia

Adipomastia
Other namesLipomastia, fatty breasts, pseudogynecomastia.
A male with probable comorbid gynecomastia and pseudogynecomastia
SpecialtyPlastic surgery
Symptomsexcess of skin and/or a flat layer of adipose tissue in the breasts without true gynecomastia.
CausesWeight loss
Differential diagnosisGynecomastia
TreatmentLiposuction, surgery.

Adipomastia, also known colloquially as fatty breasts, 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 a man's breast without true gynecomastia. It is commonly present in men with obesity, and is particularly apparent in men who have undergone massive weight loss. A related/synonymous term is pseudogynecomastia. 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. The two conditions can usually be distinguished easily by palpation to check for the presence of glandular tissue. Another difference between the conditions is that breast pain/tenderness does not occur in pseudogynecomastia. 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.