When a guy goes through puberty, all kinds of changes take place in his body. Some guys develop a small lump in one or both breasts, which can be tender. This is called gynecomastia, and it's normal. In fact, about half of all boys develop it during puberty.
The lump is usually located underneath the nipple and areola (the circle of dark-coloured skin surrounding the nipple). However, the vast majority of breast lumps are caused by a condition called gynaecomastia. This is a common non-cancerous condition where male breast tissue becomes enlarged.
Puberty — Gynecomastia that occurs during puberty usually resolves without treatment within six months to two years. The condition sometimes develops between ages 10 and 12 years and most commonly occurs between ages 13 and 14 years. The condition persists beyond age 17 years in up to 20 percent of individuals.
Gynecomastia may present as early as age 10, with a peak onset between the ages of 13 and 14 years, followed by a decline of incidence in late teenage years. By age 17, only 10% of boys are found to have persistent gynecomastia.
Pubertal gynaecomastia is a common finding in boys: seen in 38 % of boys aged 10-16 years; reaching a peak of 65% in 14-year-olds (1) the gynaecomastia is generally transitory - pubertal gynaecomastia resolves in 73% of boys after 2 years and 92% after 3 years (1)
Yes this is normal for boys starting puberty.
Your son is almost certainly going into puberty, which would explain why he is starting to grow now. Both boys and girls show changes in their breasts at puberty. The areola or area around the nipple increases in size in both sexes but to a lesser extent in boys than in girls.
Sometimes, guys develop breasts during puberty. This is called gynecomastia (pronounced: guy-nuh-ko-MAS-tee-uh). It's usually due to normal hormone changes during puberty, and almost always goes away on its own within a few months to a couple of years.
Signs of gynaecomastia
Signs vary from a small amount of extra tissue around the nipples to more prominent breasts. It can affect one or both breasts. Sometimes, the breast tissue can be tender or painful, but this isn't always the case.
For most people with pubertal gynecomastia, the breast mound will flatten within approximately two years of onset, and medical treatment or surgery is not needed.
Gynecomastia can be seen as a button-sized growth underneath the nipple. You may be able to see this as a breast lump or feel it when you press on the area. The lump may move easily within the breast tissue and may be tender to touch. Breast lumps and breast enlargement may occur in one or both breasts.
Generally, gynecomastia isn't a serious problem, but it can be tough to cope with the condition. Men and boys with gynecomastia sometimes have pain in their breasts and may feel embarrassed. Gynecomastia may go away on its own. If it persists, medication or surgery may help.
Gynecomastia in adolescent boys is usually caused by puberty-related hormonal changes. Pubertal gynecomastia usually resolves on its own, but the condition persists into adulthood in up to 20 percent of individuals. In extreme or painful cases, a brief course of tamoxifen might be recommended.
Intraductal papillomas are growths in the ducts of the breast. They usually feel like lumps just under the nipple and can cause a bloody discharge from the nipple. Women close to menopause may have only one growth. Several growths in both breasts are more common in younger women.
Generalized lumpiness was once thought to be abnormal and was even called fibrocystic breast disease, but it is so common that it is now considered normal. Breast lumpiness usually goes away after menopause but may be found in women who are taking hormone therapy after menopause.
Montgomery glands
The darker area of skin around the nipple is called the areola. On the areola there are some little raised bumps. These are quite normal and are called Montgomery glands.
Gynecomastia is a disk-like tissue, beneath the nipple, at least 0.5 cm in diameter, which presents as a unilateral or bilateral palpable mass (12).
The breasts will continue to grow as the girl's body fat increases during puberty. They become rounder and fuller. The areola (the area around the nipple) may get darker and larger and the nipple may become erect, or stick out.
For most young men, it goes away on its own by the age of 21. Adult males who have gynecomastia are rarely able to get rid of it on their own with medications, working out, and dieting. The main causes of gynecomastia are hormone imbalances, steroids, marijuana use, and some types of medications.
Boys with physiological gynecomastia reached peak height velocity at a significantly younger age than boys who did not develop gynecomastia (13.5 versus 13.9 years, P = . 027), and they had significantly higher serum levels of IGF-1 (P = .
Hormone imbalances themselves can be caused by medications, puberty, substance use or abuse, and conditions like hyper- or hypothyroidism. So while most gynecomastia cases are harmless and may eventually resolve on their own, some can be signs of other, more serious conditions.
In girls, the first puberty change is the development of breast buds. These are small mounds that form under the nipple as the breast and nipple become slightly raised. The areola (the circle of different colored skin around the nipple) gets larger at this time.
Early in puberty, most boys experience soreness or tenderness around their nipples. Three in four, if not more, will actually have some breast growth, the result of a biochemical reaction that converts some of their testosterone to the female sex hormone, estrogen.