Q: My son is fourteen years old. He has large breasts for a boy. He feels very conscious. He was very weak as a child but at the age of 9, he suddenly started putting on weight and sometimes later around 11, I noticed he has developed breasts. Unknowingly, I made him conscious of it. Now he is very worried about it. Especially he is worried that when he goes to hostel for higher studies he may be ragged because of it. I feel very worried as he is my only child. I don't know how to help him overcome it. What are the options available for treatment? Is surgery advisable and safe? What is the right age for it and which is the best place to get it done? Even my husband had big breasts as a child, he told me. My son is 5.6 feet height. Hopefully he will grow taller. I feel very worried as he is my only child. He is very intelligent.

A:There is no reason for you to get worried about this problem. This condition called gynaecomastia is a common problem amongst boys in pubertal age. It sometimes regresses on its own. If that does not happen, it can be corrected by plastic surgery without any obvious scarring. You should however consult a plastic surgeon who will assess your son as to whether plastic surgery is required now or one can wait for sometime to give a chance for spontaneous regression.