What causes male nipples to protrude? What can be done?

Many men find that their breasts are bulging without realizing it in their daily lives. So what is the reason for male breast protrusion?

Cell proliferation, breast enlargement

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.

Effects of estrogen

When male adolescents enter puberty, the testicles secrete a small amount of estrogen in addition to androgen, although the amount is very small. 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 confined to the area below the nipple, and sometimes they can be painful to touch. If they grow too fast, male nipples will appear protruding.

Will disappear on its own

According to a survey, among male adolescents aged 13-15, 1/3-2/3 of them have one or both nipples protruding, the diameter of the areola increases, and there is pigmentation, but less than 1/5 of them have male nipple protrusion. Some boys don't care about the subtle changes that happen to them, and may not have noticed the changes in their breasts. Since the increase in estrogen in male adolescents during puberty is temporary, this male nipple protrusion usually disappears on its own after a few months to a year. So there is no need to worry too much.