Hot discussion among PTT netizens: Halfway through the marathon, my nipples were "bulging and bleeding"? Doctor teaches 3-second self-test for "gynaecomastia"
Sports and fitness are booming, and marathon events are in full swing across the country, but long-term running can cause unexpected troubles for men? A netizen posted a question on PTT. During the training process, he found that the breast glands on his chest were too large and caused bulges, causing friction, redness and swelling. He wanted to remove the entire breast gland to prepare for the marathon, which triggered a heated discussion. Some enthusiastic netizens suggested getting checked to see if there is “gynaecomastia”, making “gynaecomastia” a topic again.
Dr. Cai Yunda, who is an aesthetician who also practices marathon training, is the former chief physician of the Breast Surgery Department of Mackay and an expert on gynecomastia. He analyzed the relationship between bulges and gynecomastia and taught everyone about the relationship between bulges and gynecomastia. How to diagnose breast disease and how men can solve the problem of bulging breasts.
Doctor: Running bulges are not necessarily related to gynecomastia!
Gynecomastia means that male breasts are swollen or protruding and look like female breasts. One out of every five men in Taiwan suffers from gynecomastia. In some European and American countries, gynecomastia surgery ranks among the top 3. You can also see many netizens’ pre- and post-operative experience sharing on the popular plastic surgery projects PTT and Dcard. People with this problem are more common than imagined, but as long as you feel a bulge or bulge in your chest, is it gynecomastia?
Dr. Cai Yunda clarified that in fact, nipple abrasion caused by running is one of the common problems among marathon novices. Excessive friction between the nipple and the fabric of clothing causes injury, swelling and pain. Especially because long-distance running often lasts for two or even more than ten hours, causing frequent friction on the chest, which greatly increases the chance of nipple injury and bleeding. However, if you don’t have bulging problems when wearing clothes, you don’t need to worry too much.
If your nipples protrude unnaturally when wearing clothes, your breasts are plump and droopy, you have symptoms of bamboo shoot breasts, or you still have soft bulges on your chest that cannot be ignored even after training your chest muscles hard and losing weight and fat, or you feel like your chest is lumpy when running. If the shaking amplitude is large, there is a higher chance that the breast causes gynecomastia with protruding nipples and large areola area.
Pinch with your fingers and compare in 3 seconds to determine the type of gynecomastia
Gynecomastia can be diagnosed by not only visually seeing whether the appearance, size, and shape of the breasts resemble female breasts, and by observing whether the breasts have become enlarged or the front of the breasts protrudes, but it can also be determined through self-examination. Is it pseudo-gynaecomastia or true gynecomastia.
Dr. Cai Yunda teaches a quick test method: Just lie down and pinch the areola with your index finger and thumb. If the thickness of the pinched area exceeds 2 cm and you can feel a hard lump or lump, it may be caused by breast glands. True gynecomastia. On the other hand, if the cause of breast enlargement is fat accumulation rather than breast tissue, and no lumps can be felt during the test, it can most likely be attributed to pseudogynaecomastia. The most common type is compound gynecomastia, which combines the above breast types and fat types.
Gynecomastia surgery, removal of breasts once and for all?
Generally speaking, pseudo-gynaecomastia is treated by removing chest fat through liposuction, while true gynecomastia requires removal of breast tissue to achieve the goal of flattening the chest. According to foreign research statistics, the recurrence rate of breast-type gynecomastia is only 1% after professional surgery. Basically, removal of the breasts can cure it once and for all. However, fat-type gynecomastia has a higher chance of recurrence. The reason is whether there is Maintain good diet, exercise and living habits. If you gain weight and accumulate fat, there is still a possibility that your breasts will become enlarged.
Tips for protecting nipples during marathon running: breathable tape and chest patches to reduce friction
In summary, nipple abrasions while running are not necessarily related to gynecomastia. In many cases, they are simply caused by excessive friction. Dr. Cai also shared that if you want to avoid nipple abrasions when running, simply putting on breathable tape, special chest tape for runners, areola tape, or applying Vaseline or suet ointment can effectively reduce friction and reduce pain. In addition, choosing a running suit material that is close-fitting and not too loose is also the correct way to protect your body. Whether it is a half marathon or a full marathon, runners with loose hair must not neglect nipple protection to avoid nipple injuries and painful pain.
Further reading: Men with large areolas and protruding nipples should beware of “gynaecomastia”! Doctor: Obesity and poor eating habits may be the main causes
