# How Do I Get Rid Of These Man-Boobs? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 8, 2002, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-rid-of-these-man-boobs/102408 "2002-04-08T02:22:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![The\_Griffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@The\_Griffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Griffin)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2002, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-rid-of-these-man-boobs/102408/21 "2002-04-08T21:40:01Z")
I have this problem a little bit too. I think the answer is to watch what you eat (not too much fat) get lots of exersise, do loads of press-ups etc. I think it’s just a case of your body storing fat there, and you must get rid of it. ---
**Author:** ![CyberHippy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dec6dc/32.png) [@CyberHippy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CyberHippy)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2002, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-rid-of-these-man-boobs/102408/22 "2002-04-08T21:51:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by pendgwen \* > \*\* > > Well, I remembered it from hight school health classes so I looked it up and found support in medline’s medical encyclopedia. > [Here’s](http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003165.htm) my first ever attempt at a link. \*\* And if you follow the link provided at that site, it leads to a factual description of the effects of marijuana use which includes zero references to gynecomastia. Google is my friend, and I finally found this quote: > [@](#): > > Warnings in some anti-marijuana literature that marijuana use among young men will cause “decreased masculinity” and growth of breasts, and that women will “lose sex appeal” by taking on a sort of “maleness” (hair on chest, face and arms, reduced breast size etc.), are **not reasonable warnings for teens**. In rare situations, heavy marijuana users have developed some glandular changes, including enlarged breasts in males. These cases are rare and relate to both heavy use and probably physical predisposition. [Source.](http://www.drug-abuse-information.com/four.htm#4-24) And this: > [@](#): > > A few studies have suggested that some cases of gynecomastia may be caused by the use of recreational drugs such as marijuana, though researchers have not conclusively linked gynecomastia to recreational drugs. [Source.](http://www.imaginis.com/breasthealth/bcmen.asp) Snopes didn’t have anything, I think I’ll submit it to them because it sounds more like anti-drug propoganda than fact. CyberHippy, who has small breasts… ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2002, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-rid-of-these-man-boobs/102408/23 "2002-04-08T22:33:14Z")
[http://healthlink.mcw.edu/article/901217600.html](http://healthlink.mcw.edu/article/901217600.html) > [@](#): > > The commonest causes in adults are alcohol-related liver disease and medications, such as cimetidine (anti-ulcer), spironolactone (diuretic for high blood pressure), digoxin (heart drug), and marijuana. Of course any hormone-related disease or ingestion of hormones such as estrogen would need to be ruled out. Lots of different drugs have estrogen like effects. Estrogen receptors are not infinitely specific to natural hormones, so funny things do on occasion bind to them and provoke various hormonal responses. Marijuana is no exception. As far as I recall, the information suggesting that marijuana might cause breast enlargement came from a reputable journal back in the early eighties. It was quickly picked up and distorted by the “Just Say No” crowd, but I’ve never heard that the original finding was in any way questionable. ---
**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2002, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-rid-of-these-man-boobs/102408/24 "2002-04-08T22:34:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Surreal \* > \*\*I’m sure I wasn’t born this way. It started happening when I was a teenager. Before then, flat-chested. \*\* That’s when it happens to females, which pretty much tells you what’s going on. I had an operation (just on one side) by a general surgeon, who called it a mastectomy not plastic surgery. Anyone that has had this condition knows that you’d better not be too thin skinned about it, since someone is bound to notice and razz you about having big tits. ---
**Author:** ![tsunamisurfer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a698b9/32.png) [@tsunamisurfer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tsunamisurfer)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2002, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-rid-of-these-man-boobs/102408/25 "2002-04-09T03:19:43Z")
Why not go to a physician and get his/her opinion? IANAP, but it’s possible that surgery/liposuction might mitigate this condition, but the important thing is to make sure it isn’t symptomatic of something more serious. You need the big picture. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-rid-of-these-man-boobs/102408.md?page=1)