Gynecomastia: The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on its Awareness.

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Gynecomastia is the enlargement of breast tissue presenting most commonly in the post-pubescent male [1]. Most of these individuals complain of low self-esteem, social embarrassment and have a fear of malignancy rather than physical symptoms from the enlargement.

Following the lockdown measures of the recent SARS-COV19 pandemic, unhealthy eating patterns and low physical activity have ensued [2]. Conversely, there has been a boom in social media usage and content, drawing attention to one’s physical appearance and a more acceptable body frame [3]. The increased internet access during the pandemic has led to a better understanding of the condition due an increase in both pictorial and descriptive information on social media platforms and also greater acceptance of its treatment [4, 5]. In the last decade, the usage of social media by the plastic surgery fraternity has increased as a means to advertise one’s practice, to promulgate the ever-changing trends, and busting lingering myths regarding certain patient perceptions [6, 7].

Also due to the social and travel restrictions, the pandemic has ushered telemedicine into the forefront. These telemedicine-related policy changes have expanded the reach and access to healthcare-related information and reduced the financial burden on the hospitals [8, 9].

An objective assessment of the gynecomastia patients presenting to the out patient department (OPD) at our center is put forward here. We observed a notable rise in the number of gynecomastia patients visiting our OPD once the travel restrictions were lifted. Prior to the pandemic, a total of 28 cases had undergone evaluation and surgical correction for gynecomastia over a period of 24 months (April 2018–March 2020) whereas a total of 26 cases underwent evaluation and surgical correction in a span of 9 months following the relaxation of travel restrictions (July 2021–March 2022) (Table 1).

Table 1

Comparative data of gynecomastia patients across the two time periods

		Pre-pandemic	Post-upliftment of restrictions
Duration		24 months	09 months
Number of cases (n)		28	26
Age group	< 18 years	01	03
	18–25 years	20	19
	>25 years	07	04
Laterality	Unilateral (n)	05	04
	Bilateral (n)	23	22

The above figures show that there is a marked rise in the number of gynecomastia patients visiting our center since the upliftment of restrictions as compared to the pre-pandemic period. This may be attributed to increased awareness through social media and telemedicine-related policy changes. Also, the realization of simplicity and effectiveness of the management and the current work-from-home scenario offering a greater downtime for post-operative recovery, may have encouraged the patients to approach a plastic surgeon.

We believe, restrictions due to COVID-19 has had a positive impact in creating awareness among patients suffering from gynecomastia. It has helped the plastic surgeons to be innovative and play a key role in propagating appropriate information through various social media platforms, thus, enabling the individuals to make a well-informed decision.