Who would think an invitation to a beach, lake, or pool party could strike terror in a boy's - or man's - heart? Yet these summer pastimes can seem a fate worse than death for a boy or man with gynecomastia, the development of breast tissue that leads many males to hide in shame and humiliation.
In his new book, Demystifying Gynecomastia: Men With Breasts, psychotherapist Merle Yost reports that up to one-third of males may have to deal with problem gynecomastia at some time. Although adolescent onset is most common, adult-onset gynecomastia is on the rise with men's increased use of prescription drugs - including anti-depressants - and this country's obesity epidemic.
Yost himself has been affected since age 11. "I was a skinny little boy who grew noticeable A-cup breasts," says Yost. "They called me 'tits' in junior high. Girls offered bras; boys twisted and taunted." He suffered through school, hiding his body as best he could.
After breast reduction surgery at age 34, Yost posted a gynecomastia page on his therapy practice website. It got so much traffic that he launched a dedicated site, www.gynecomastia.org, a free information and discussion service that now gets 1.2 million hits per year.