Male breast reduction surgery on the rise

The number of men in the UK undergoing breast reduction surgery is continuing to rise, it has been revealed.

Figures from the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) show 790 men underwent the procedure in 2011, which is more than double the number who had it five years earlier.

Thousands of men in the UK are thought develop breast tissue - a condition known as gynaecomastia, which often causes embarrassment and discomfort and at times tenderness around the nipples.

It can occur in adolescent boys around the time of puberty but figures say that at least 30 per cent of those who have it are older men.

The operation can be available on the NHS, but research suggests that some men find that route laborious - with far too much form-filling and red tape.

Some plastic surgeons believe that attitudes towards cosmetic procedures like liposuction are changing for the better.

"The stigma of plastic surgery is reducing - and also there's a realisation that simple safe procedures can be done to make big improvements in parts of the body that have been significantly affected and that can make a huge improvement on how people feel about themselves, their confidence, and therefore what they can achieve," the BBC quoted Neil Bulstrode, Clinical Lead for plastic surgery at London's Great Ormond Street Hospital, as saying.

However, critics of plastic surgery say it can be a way of making money out of vulnerable people - and that people should not go under the knife unless it is for life-saving reasons.