More than acceptance

[mridgaf]

Every time I Google for gynecomastia, the results are always negative saying it's a disorder, a disease, affliction, a hormonal "imbalance".  This is why I feel bad about it!  Every one is trying to tell me there's something wrong with me.

darn that.  There is no masculine standard written into evolution that says men must not have breasts.  Remember not everyone has gynecomastia as a result of an unhealthy disease.  For argument's sake, gynecomastia could have been what's sexy if that's what was normal by being genetically common.  Perhaps we are the next step in evolution 8-).  No one can tell me otherwise.

But!  It is true not having the social cohesive force of being just like everyone else messes with people emotionally.  Besides that, I'm seeing my own gynecomastia as a blessing.  I think I'm more attractive than my peers because of it.  There's even the practical sexual side that it turns me on when a girl plays with my nipples, releasing oxytocin/neurotransmitters for bonding and arousal.

The only difference between me and a traditional masculine look is my breasts.  I got broad shoulders, a tight waist, and an overall muscular body.  I am 'sexually fit' by nature's standards... some minor breasts have no negative impact on that without an underlying disease.

My breasts are roughly 1.75 inch diameter (gland width) and 0.6 inch outward (gland height).  I'm sexy and a lot of people agree.

[hammer]

The facts are 60% or more males will experience breast enlargement (gynecomastia) at some point in their life! That being said would leave one to believe that enlarged breast would be the norm not the taboo.

I'm one of those people that up until my 30s was very well physically fit, very strong, had 22" biceps and had breast! I had the smaller breast as long as I can remember, going back to middle school through the service.
In my early 30s my health started to go south and so did everything along with it, and my breast grow like crazy to DDs. Well, I've learn to live with it all! Bad health caused by years of unknown diabetes, several surgeries to improve life, and large breast as well!

I don't see removing the breast as a priority surgery! Life goes on happily married, father of five, grandfather of three, but now in a bra!

Welcome to the forum.


Bob

[Paa_Paw]

What is really funny is that the term "Gynecomastia" traces back to the Greek Physician Galen. Further, The condition is clearly evident in the art and statuary of ancient Egypt and Greece. It is nothing new nor is something shameful. The condition is so common, that many doctors consider it normal and the incidence of the condition is so common that it would have to be within the statistical norm.

It can be embarrassing, nothing more than that.

[phm]

Oh my goodness!  I often joke with my wife that men with breast are the next step in evolution of man.  What is the possibility that we with gynecomastia are the correct specimen.  What do you say we start picking on guys with flat chests?  You know men?  That last sentence sounded funny while I was thinking it.  Doesn't look as funny when I typed it.  I ain't going to bully anyone.  Y'all take care.

[Alchemist]

At this point, after being a nudist since college and a lot of health problems and no possible "fix" circa 1960, I learned to appreciate the cosmic joke of being a walking Rorschach test for some, see what they project onto me by how they react. I do see expressions of surprise sometimes from first timers but they get over it.  If I were dating again I would do it in a nudist environment because the presence of breasts on men is so obviously unimportant and very common.

But again, anybody eliminated by breasts wasn't worth my time anyway.  That's as true at a public pool or beach or my own garden.

[Del]

My breasts are large and impossible to hide so over the years I accept them as part of who I am.If other people cannot accept it that it is their problem and not mine.Breasts do not alter who I am;  I just have them.I spent too much time being concerned at first and was very negative. That is no longer the case and I lead a normal happy married life with grandchildren.
 

[hammer]

Amen brother Del!

How many grandchildren do you have? I've got three, all boys oldest 9 youngest 16 months now.

Putting a bra on has become just a piece of every day clothing and my girls and son in law know that I wear one. My two sons have an idea that I do, but aren't around my area so I haven't told if I do or not. My brother knows I wear one and even a couple of my closest friends that I have I've even told them that my doctor told me that it would be best if I support them and they had no problem either! They said you got to do what you got to do to take care of yourself and be comfortable!

I've said it as well as others including yourself, if other people have a problem with my breast or yours it is their problem not ours! They have to learn to deal with that problem, not us!

If someone can't handle having gynecomastia by all means go ahead and have the surgery, but for thoughts of us that can handle it, I see nothing wrong with it!

[Del]

Thanks for your comments Hammer. With large 38DD breasts I need the support to prevent back problems from the weight. I have 4 grandchildren age range 11 to 17 years . All the family accept me as I am. As I have said before a good fitting and comfortable bra is essential and my wife goes with me for a fitting.

[hammer]

48/50 DD and my wife helps me as well! My doctor said that I should go for a professional fitting, but I haven't got around to doing that and may not as I do have some now that I can handle wearing all day.

[Alchemist]

After having sizable breasts for 50+ years, currently about 48D, (52DD before I lost the last 30-40 pounds, and now more outstanding than ever since loosing the weight and my stomach not sticking out like it did, it just doesn't matter.  I don't wear a bra.  I don't wear anything when I can.  A bra is just not the thing for a nudist.  And I don't have any discomfort from not having it.  You know, if I had physical discomfort I would wear what I needed to. I have plenty of other physical problems and pains. Fortunately my breasts have never been part of that.

I have terrible clothing fit problems.  At the sternum, backbone to breastbone, I'm a full 12 inches thick.  It makes for a bad fold across my back, 37 inch arms, 37 inch waist, broad shoulders, "tall" upper body, short legs with low rise crotch to waist.  The breasts just plain do not help.  I can't touch the wall with my head when I am flattened against the wall with my shoulder blades on the wall.  And I have been that way since mid 20s.

[Del]

The problem for me is that  I am 5 ft  8 inches and need  bra for  support. I used to be concerned ,but no longer. My problem started 10 years ago after medication for prostate cancer, which  was mis diagnosed.

[hammer]

 Del, I don't know if you would agree with this statement, but thank God for the mis-diagnose, but I would rather have breast then cancer!

Bob

[Del]

Yes I agree with you Bob and was very relieved not to have prostate cancer; in comparison having breasts  is just a minor inconvenience even if it doesn't always seem that way. But as I said it's other people's problem I am just me and they never know why I have them, although my real friends do.

[hammer]

We had a bit of a laugh this morning while getting dressed. I needed a pair of my diabetic socks that Debbie washed yesterday when she washed the delicates on hand wash setting so I asked her to bring up my oldest but most comfortable bra as well. After bringing up everything she was folding the bras and said "what's wrong with this picture"? I said "what?" She said "the size of the bra cups" mine are DD cups hers are "B"!

I asked if she would like to trade and she said "never would she want big boobs the size of mine"!

Why did I get so blessed   

[Paa_Paw]

Around 1960, I was working in the ER of an Air Force Base Hospital. The ER was totally staffed by enlisted corpsmen but it was a wild evening and a Nurse from one of the wards came down to help.  We were patching up a couple of drunks who had been in a fight and there was blood everywhere. She slipped and reached out to catch herself grabbing me around the chest as she fell. She knew, she really knew because she had grabbed a handful.

After things quieted down, She and I went to the Hospital Mess for a coffee break. It turned out that she was as flat chested as a 6 year old and she used a lot of padding. We actually became good friends and even dated for a while. We shared opposite ends of the same embarrassment.

I guess I should point out that the Doctors were on a rotating roster, Emergency Medicine was treated as a specialty in those days so we did not have one regularly assigned even though there was one on duty at all times.