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Whats the youngest you would operate on a patient with gynecomastia?

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Whats the youngest you would operate on a patient with gynecomastia?

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There is no absolute age requirement. In general, we wait until puberty has finished and the hormone levels have stabilized, which is usually 18-20 years old. However, there are cases in which the chest enlargement is so severe that it seems cruel to make a child live with it all through high school in the hopes that it will get better. I have operated on boys for gynecomastia as young as 12 but only with a letter from their pediatrician agreeing that their problem is so severe and emotionally so difficult that he or she feels that they should not wait. Most of the time gynecomastia experienced during puberty will go away, and that is why we wait. But if it is causing enough distress, we will consider treating the gynecomastia earlier. That decision must be individualized to the age of the boy, the extent to which it is bothering him, all discussed in detail with the boy, his parents, and his pediatrician.

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