There is also a psychological toll: embarrassment about swimming or exercising, bullying, and reduced self-confidence, particularly among adolescents. Reassuring patients that the condition is “merely a matter of appearance” is therefore not enough if it affects their daily lives. A study of adolescents with gynecomastia found that the condition can affect self-esteem and social relationships, without always being directly related to the degree of breast enlargement. This is another reason to treat it as a health and psychological concern rather than merely a cosmetic issue.
