Boys have lumps on their chests. What causes this?

It is very common for women to have lumps in their breasts, but it is relatively rare for boys to have lumps in their chests. If it is a little boy, this may be a normal phenomenon of physical development and may be a breast lump during puberty.

1. Breast development is generally the first sexual phenomenon that occurs in girls during puberty. This is mainly due to the high level of estrogen secreted by the female ovaries, which stimulates the development of the mammary gland alveoli and mammary gland ducts, causing the breasts to bulge. However, some boys who have reached puberty may occasionally feel a little pain in their breasts. When they touch them carefully, they find lumps in their breasts, which makes them feel anxious.

Second, in fact, breast lumps during male puberty are normal physiological changes. Breasts are mainly composed of mammary tissue, fat and connective tissue. There are special structures on the surface of mammary cells that can recognize and accept estrogen. When estrogen binds to the receptors of mammary cells, the metabolism of mammary cells becomes active, causing mammary cells to proliferate and breasts to develop and bulge. After male adolescents enter puberty, the testicles secrete a small amount of estrogen while producing androgen, but of course the content is very small.

3. Estrogen causes breast cells in the nipple area to proliferate continuously, leading to the formation of lumps in the breast. Breast lumps in adolescent boys are often limited to the bottom of the nipple, and sometimes they may be painful to touch. According to a survey, among male adolescents aged 13-15, 1/3-2/3 of them found that one or both sides of the nipple protruded, the diameter of the areola increased, and there was pigmentation, but less than 1/5 of them had breast lumps. Some boys don't care about the slight changes that happen to them, and may not have noticed this change in their breasts. Since the increase in the amount of estrogen in male adolescents during puberty is temporary, this kind of breast lump usually disappears on its own after a few months to a year. Therefore, whether it is boys or parents, there is no need to feel embarrassed or uneasy.