A British man who has a condition which has caused him to develop abnormally large breasts says he is frustrated he has been repeatedly turned down for surgery by the National Health Service.23-year-old Lee Jardine, from Mansfield in Nottinghamshire, suffers from a condition called gynaecomastia. The causes of common gynecomastia remain uncertain, although it has generally been attributed to an imbalance of sex hormones. In 10-20% of cases, gynecomastia in adults can be attributed to medications such as androstenedione (a performance-enhancing food supplement) or antiandrogens (a prostate cancer treatment). In older men, it can sometimes be attributed to declining testosterone levels.
Jardin's doctor says he needs to lose weight but Jardine said this made no difference to the size of his breasts. "I've got a rare condition that not many people know about that I refer to as man boobs," said Jardine. "When I go out, I strap a belt around my chest, put a couple of t-shirts on, a thick jumper and a baggy coat to hide my body."
Jardine has visited his doctor twice to ask for the breast reduction surgery, which would cost somewhere between $7,000 and $13,000. The first time he weighed 147 pounds (a healthy weight for his height) but said he was given no clear reason for not having the surgery. At his second visit, Jardine (who now weighs 200 pounds) was told to lose weight before they would consider an appeal against the initial decision not to fund the surgery. Jardine said he was now considering asking for anti-depressants because he was so unhappy about his breasts.
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