After that, life for all gynecomastia patients is as predictable as it is miserable. Both boys and girls tease those kids without mercy because, really, boys are supposed to have flat, hard masculine chests.

Troy knows that wearing white will accentuate his large breasts so he takes great pains to dress in black or in large, baggy T-shirts with bold lettering. Of course, none of that will stop the daily badgering and belittling. And he dare not ever be seen with his shirt off.

The cruelest taunts of all include: “No girl wants a boyfriend with bigger boobs than she has!” and pointing fingers attached to others who shout  “Man boobs!”

Troy and his plastic surgeon, Elliot Jacobs, M.D., appeared on a recent television segment of The Doctors, along with Troy’s mom – who is now one very happy woman.

Why, you ask, is the mom so happy?

Because Troy had gynecomastia surgery about four weeks ago and is already enjoying the bliss of fitting in perfectly with his peers and not being singled out for a body feature that is seen by other teens as being something close to a freak of nature.

We can’t show you the actual television episode due to copyright restrictions but, thanks to the marvels of the Internet, we can provide a link at which you can watch Troy’s surgery as the actual breast tissue is surgically excised from his chest in a procedure also known as male breast reduction.

Watch the gynecomastia surgery at The Doctors’ website.

And for male breast reduction on a 15-year-old.

Be sure and watch for the cut-away model of a male breast with gynecomastia. It shows exactly how and where the problem occurs.

Because October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, there is publicity everywhere about the need for women to keep current with breast exams and finding a cure for the dreaded female version of breast cancer.

Even pro football teams are wearing pink shoes to help everybody keep breast cancer awareness foremost in mind.

Statistics show that, for every 100 cases of female breast cancer, one strikes a male.

Despite the long odds, I’m vigilant about it when diagnosing new patients although I haven’t seen a case in my practice yet.

The patients who are concerned about it are relieved when I tell them having gynecomastia does not make a teen or man any more predisposed to male breast cancer.

One thing of interest, I have noted, though, is that after a male breast cancer patient has been treated, they often are found to have the BRCA1 gene – the very same one that women are so on guard about. Usually, there is some family component to a male having the gene.

The red warning flags for male breast cancer would be a man who:

• Is over 40
• Has breast growth only on one side
• Experiences breast pain or tenderness
• Has any type of discharge from the nipple
• Notices retraction of the nipple
• Observes changes in the appearance of his skin

Serious changes include fine skin dimpling like on an orange rind.

An experienced gynecomastia surgeon can usually tell the difference between a male who is a candidate for male breast reduction and actual breast cancer.

However, if he isn’t sure, the thing to do is arrange for a biopsy of some tissue of the affected area.

Just as in female cases, the earlier the condition is diagnosed and treated, the better things work out in the long run.

Consider the example of Peter Criss, the original drummer for the rock band, KISS. He was diagnosed and treated in ’08 and says he is cancer-free today, thanks to early diagnosis.

It’s worth mentioning because I have observed quite a few 18-year-olds who are all up in arms about having breast cancer when they are actually afflicted with run-of-the-mill gynecomastia.