Seojung Eastern Medicine Clinic

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Review

: What is precocious puberty? Precocious puberty occurs when girls below the age of 8 and boys below the age of 9 start to show traits of onset of puberty.

Precocious puberty incrased 12 times over 9 years According to Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service, the number of children receiving treatment for ‘precocious puberty’ in 2015 was 12 times higher than the one in 2006. Such precocious puberty that could cause physical and mental stress is a disease that can happen to your children.

Developmental disorders: Chances of final height being small due to difficulties of normal growth are high.
As the growth period may begin earlier than other peers, growth plates may close during the actual growth period and prevent children from growing more.

Stress: Mental stress due to physical changes may occur.
Secondary sex characteristics may emerge earlier than others. Sense of difference from peers and the possibility of being ridiculed may also occur.

Physical problems: Physical balance may be disrupted, resulting in adult diseases.
As bodies get exposed to sex hormones for a longer period, physical balance could be damaged, leading to higher risk of getting ovarian cancer and breast cancer. In addition, the heart, liver, and kidneys, all of which should develop until the age of 18~20, may stop developing early, elevating the risk of getting adult diseases.

Our daughter’s breasts were starting to get bigger during her 2nd semester in her 4th grade, and during her 5th grade she started having acne on her face. Could this be due to precocious puberty?
The onset of small masses on the breast area during the 2nd semester of her 4th grade may not be directly due to precocious puberty. However, in case in which confirmation was delayed after earlier onset of breast development, first period may happen within a year and a half to 2 years. Therefore it is very important to accurately realize when your daughter’s breasts are starting to develop. If there’s a chance in which the final height could be small due to early first period, preventive treatments should be considered.
Our 12 year old son is quite small with 147cm and 37kg, yet he already started to have dark mustaches and pubic hair. His voice also sounds quite deeper. We were wondering if this is a case of precocious puberty.
Current height is deemed normal, yet it seems that the onset of puberty will be quick. In this case a ‘complete growth examination’ is highly recommended. Since it is difficult to accurately determine with the naked eye, a more accurate examination is deemed necessary. If the results indicate early puberty and small final height, treatments can be done to delay puberty and aid growth.

Precocious puberty is a race against time! Failure to treat accordingly on time may result in ineffective treatments.
Consulting with a professional and conducting accurate examinations are necessary.

1. Accurate examination of physical constitution Treating the causes Deficiency of spleen activity
Deficiency of liver activity
Deficiency of Ki
Stagnation of Ki
Deficiency of gallbladder activity
2. Personal treatments Examining growth expectations
Basic examinations
Growth expectation examination (Body composition, growth plate, bone age)
Stimulating growth or delaying growth plate activity
3. Exercise prescription facilities Exercise prescriptions
Nutrition consulting
Body type corrections
Thorough follow-up care
Daily life habit corrections
Preventive diet for obesity and precocious puberty

Seojung Eastern Medicine Clinic Business Registration Number : 120-96-03264 Ki-Won Park
06097) 3F, Seojung Bldg., 37-15, Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Korea. Tel : 82-2-515-8585 Fax : 82-2-518-5961