Changes in the Aging Male
A growth here, a wayward stream there, weird noises in the night: Age happens and brings with it a vast assortment of changes in men, ranging from the oddly curious to rather alarming. Here we profile a few common changes to help you better understand what’s going on and when medical attention is warranted.
Man Boobs
Fatty tissue can expand in many places, including the breast area, which is why the appearance of “man boobs” can occur in overweight and obese men. Jesse Mills, MD, Director of the Men’s Clinic at UCLA, recommends trying a calorie-restricted diet and aerobic exercise. Do chest exercises, as they develop muscle mass and tone the fatty tissue into a more male chest appearance. Man boobs also can be caused by gynecomastia, which is usually driven by high estrogen or prolactin levels. It can be quite painful. As Dr. Mills explains it, gynecomastia is glandular breast tissue under a man’s nipples that can, under rare hormonal circumstances, even secrete milk.
“Certain medications, including psychiatric medicines and prostate medicines, can alter hormone levels and lead to gynecomastia,” says Dr. Mills. “Hormonal therapy and sometimes surgery or focused radiation therapy can improve gynecomastia. If a man feels tender nipples or lumpy tissue under the nipple, he needs to see his doctor soon.”
Sawing Logs at Night
Alas, snoring and older age are intimate companions. With age, the upper airways can loosen, causing tissue to vibrate. The use and overuse of alcohol and sedatives, as well as congestion due to a cold or allergies, can also result in the annoying buzz-saw sound. But snoring could also be a symptom of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). This serious sleep disorder temporarily halts breathing while you are asleep, causing choking and gasping sounds. Other symptoms include daytime fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and dark circles and bags under the eyes. Untreated, OSA may lead to medical problems including high blood pressure and heart disease. An at-home sleep study ordered by your physician can help diagnose OSA. Hormones also play a role, as a large percentage of men with OSA have testosterone deficiency. To sleep better, avoid alcohol and heavy meals before bedtime, don’t use digital devices in bed (the blue light can disrupt natural sleep rhythms), and keep the room cool, dark, and quiet.
And ladies, OSA is not for men only: Post-menopausal women are especially at risk for this sleep disorder.
Loss of Morning Wood
Men typically have eight or more erections a night, and lack of a morning erection can signal underlying conditions. “The most common reasons are lack of good quality sleep to reset the pituitary gland, or low testosterone,” says Dr. Mills. “The pituitary gland regulates testosterone production in the testicle, and poor sleep equals poor pituitary.” It could also be a symptom of erectile dysfunction. Dr. Mills recommends seeing your physician soon after losing morning erections so he or she can diagnose the problem and provide treatment.
Hair Where?
If it seems like hair is suddenly sprouting out much more thickly from unwanted areas such as the ears, nose, eyebrows, it’s not an optical illusion. A rise in the hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT) is the culprit. DHT is usually responsible for hair loss on the scalp, but paradoxically elsewhere, DHT causes hair follicles to get bigger, and as a consequence the hair gets thicker, too. You can trim it, wax, or try laser hair removal. Conversely, if you suddenly lose hair from your eyebrows, eyelashes and other non-scalp areas, see your doctor, as these can be symptoms of thyroid disease or lupus.
Trouble Downstream
A urine stream that suddenly strays, sprays or splits in two can not only be messy, but troubling.
“Splitting stream can be a sign of a stricture, such as scar tissue in the urethra, which causes urine to spray just like if you put your thumb over a garden hose,” says Dr. Mills. “If it only happens occasionally, it’s more likely that the urethra is a bit dry and the tissue is stuck together so the initial stream sprays and then hoses out normally.” A dry urethra is no big deal, but if you have constant splitting, see a urologist to get checked out for a stricture. An enlarged prostate can cause many urinary symptoms, including frequent need to pee, straining to do so, dribbling, and weak urine stream. A urologist can help with those issues, too.
The post Changes in the Aging Male appeared first on University Health News.
