TVScope: The development of breasts on men's bodies is often associated with obesity. Yet, a significant minority of men of average weight experience breast enlargement, as part of a condition called gynecomastia.
Gynecomastia is the visible enlargement of the male breast due to a growth of the breast gland, resulting from an imbalance in the hormones oestrogen and testosterone.
Estimates of those affected by the condition vary wildly, from 4 per cent to one-third of the male population. Boys with Breasts explored the medical causes and psychological impact of gynecomastia on a handful of men in Britain and the US.
Tatum Johnston was a 27-year-old gym instructor desperate to get rid of his breasts. He had undergone breast reduction surgery, but the liposuction machine hadn't been strong enough to suck out the fat and glands.
Now, he felt he had no choice but to undergo a second surgery - despite a problem with retaining scar tissue and the possibility of regrowth - as he felt his breasts were "a daily reminder" of his difference.
In California, John O'Hara was contemplating his first surgery, having battled the condition for several years through exercise, without success. He too spoke about wanting to feel "normal".
As with most cosmetic-type procedures, surgery for both men looked particularly gruesome. But, apparently it wasn't always this easy, or effective, as O'Hara's surgeon, Dr Cheski, pointed out. He said liposuction had been a huge boon for treatment of gynecomastia as, prior to 1980, this type of breast reduction was often "very deforming", involving the excision of fat and glands.
David Dennison was one man who had undergone surgery in the pre-liposuction days and was severely scarred by the experience, both mentally and physically. He had the operation at the age of 15, because he felt like a "freak" and was shunned at school: "I thought I was turning into a girl. It scared the hell out of me." It was even scarier to see the result of his botched surgery: uneven and nipple-less cavities in his chest.
The programme also focused on men who had grown to accept, and even celebrate, their breasts.
John Phipps had been through depression, but had adjusted to gynecomastia to the point where he was proud to sport a 50DD bra.
Never content with simply relating the bizarre, in true Channel 4 fashion, we were told in sombre tones of the men, "on whom nature has played an even worse trick". These were the men whose breasts could produce milk, dubbed "The Men Who Lactate".
LA-based journalist Ken Baker described discovering his breasts were lactating after running a marathon. Ken had a pituitary tumour, which was secreting over 100 times the normal level of prolactin, the hormone responsible for lactation in women. Once the tumour was removed, the milk disappeared.
The programme then headed into a weak segment on men who had, it claimed, been able to induce milk production.
Gynecomastia is a serious and traumatic condition. Boys with Breasts might have worked better had it resisted the urge to delve into the unsubstantiated and the downright freakish.
