TeenHealthFX - Answers - Male - Hit In The Breast

Aches & Pains / Question
Published: January 16, 2003

Dear TeenHealthFX,

I'm a male, 15 years old, and about 5 months ago someone hit me in my breast. It got sore and painful for a month or two and now all I have is this abnormal tissue underneath the breast and it has not gone away. It's just on this one breast. What could this be? I'm not sure if it's from the hit I took or another reason.

Signed: Male - Hit In The Breast

Dear Male - Hit In The Breast,

This pain in your breast you have may be related to the hit your received there, but it also may be due to several other sources, most of them harmless. You mention abnormal tissue - is there any change in the skin over it? Is it getting larger or changing? Is there any fluid coming out of the breast? Go to your doctor and discuss this with him/her. Only a doctor can give you a diagnosis and treatment options.

The abnormal tissue may be from the trauma and should resolve over time. Your doctor should be able to tell you if this is the case. It may also be due to a condition known as "gynecomastia" which is an enlarging of one or both breasts in males around the age of puberty that usually resolves with time. It occurs mainly in boys between 12 and 15 and may affect up to 70% of males. It is not usually associated with other problems down the line. It can be found for the first time after injury to the breast, because this may have caused you to inspect your breast for the first time. Other causes for breast enlargement can be hormone problems, medications and drugs such as heroin, marijuana and amphetamines.

If you would like to find out more about this, search our TeenHealthFX with the keyword "gynecomastia." You will find that you are not alone with this problem.

Again, TeenHealthFX cannot make a diagnosis over the Internet, so we recommend visiting a doctor to have your breast examined. Seeing a doctor will give you a diagnosis and help you to relax a bit.

If you do not have a doctor and you live in northern New Jersey, you can call the Adolescent/Young Adult Center for Health for an appointment at 973.971.6475.

Signed: TeenHealthFX