1 sided issues

[Blackman820]

Hey everyone I've been here on and off in the past but since my gynecomastia generally doesn't bother me I don't worry about it. I'm approaching 21 now and have had my gynecomastia under my left nipple since I was 17. I'm really fit and very healthy and the endocrinologist said there was nothing wrong when my blood first got ran and that this just happened. Growth has fluctuated on and off over the past couple of years and I've generally come to accept it. I take my shirt off at track practice all the time and will joke about it with my friends. My issue now is that my left side is getting large enough that some days I feel it needs support. I don't know what cup size I am but how would I go about wearing a bra for just one side. I know they make inserts for women who have one breast larger than the other but do they make one sided bras for cancer patients? Or should I just get surgery. Some days it really stings. My parents have been very supportive of me and I have enough saved to get surgery after I graduate college. If I do get surgery, what are the chances that it returns? How much does surgery cost for one sided cases?

[Raider Fan]

Why not just wear a compression shirt?  That would provide all the support you could need and would surely be much more normal feeling and acceptable. 

[Pooz]

I find it odd that your growth has fluctuated throughout the years. hmmm...
but yeah just wear a compression shirt or underarmour.

[Dr. Elliot Jacobs]

One sided gyne is not common -- but it does occur.  What must be determined is whether there is any tissue on the other ("normal") side as well.  If there is some tissue on the other side, then it is not one sided gyne but rather asymmetric gyne.  Any surgery to help would then be best directed to both sides.

Bottom line:  If it bothers you, you have two alternatives:  live with it and wear a compression garment, or have surgery to remove it.

Dr Jacobs

[DrBermant]

Hey everyone I've been here on and off in the past but since my gynecomastia generally doesn't bother me I don't worry about it. I'm approaching 21 now and have had my gynecomastia under my left nipple since I was 17. I'm really fit and very healthy and the endocrinologist said there was nothing wrong when my blood first got ran and that this just happened. Growth has fluctuated on and off over the past couple of years and I've generally come to accept it. I take my shirt off at track practice all the time and will joke about it with my friends. My issue now is that my left side is getting large enough that some days I feel it needs support. I don't know what cup size I am but how would I go about wearing a bra for just one side. I know they make inserts for women who have one breast larger than the other but do they make one sided bras for cancer patients? Or should I just get surgery. Some days it really stings. My parents have been very supportive of me and I have enough saved to get surgery after I graduate college. If I do get surgery, what are the chances that it returns? How much does surgery cost for one sided cases?

The issue of one sided breasts has been asked many times before. Why not try a forum search for

Unilateral Uneven

Check the options box for: Show results as messages 

and you will see others with similar concerns. Sometimes it takes a few tries to find what words other use for similar concerns.

I find one sided gynecomastia is quite common and demonstrate a few cases on my site. Much more common is uneven gynecomastia. This becomes a critical issue as I cannot operate on only one side of an uneven gynecomastia and reliably come up with matching a small contour problem of the other: both sides need to be done. Why do I love the true one sided cases?  It is part of the passion of my surgery. Be able to operate on one side and make it look like anther side that has never been operated, the perfection issue better surgeons strive towards but never can fully achieve in reality. It was such cases that stimulated my move towards improving bruising and swelling for all of my cases. When surgical techniques have more swelling and bruising it shows up even more so when only one site is done.

There is a much more important issue here. You seem to be saying that the growth has not stabilized:

My issue now is that my left side is getting large enough that some days I feel it needs support. I

Finding out why something is getting bigger is critical. Surgery does not stop breast growth. Not all Endocrinologists have the same skills. If the tissue is growing or getting bigger from weight gain or from hormonal stimulation, stabilization is the first step, not surgery.

I have demonstrated the effective nature of Body Shaping Garments with many variations. Although we have had patients try it in the office, sorry, I do not have pictures demonstrating that variant on the resource I built. That is an awesome temporizing tool to camouflage contours. Much better than having both sides bounce around by inserting a prosthetic, unless you like the look of breasts on you body.

Hope this helps,

Michael Bermant, M.D.

[jojo82]

True unilateral gynecomastia is fairly uncommon, and is often associated with drug side-effects. For example, finasteride is notorious for causing unilateral gynecomastia when it causes gynecomastia as a side-effect, according to one study. Although extremely uncommon, breast cancer in males almost always manifests itself unilaterally.

Surgeons differ in their techniques and how well they fatten their bottom lines. The more work required, the more they charge. Keep that in mind. However, it very difficult for a surgeon to tell how a man's chest is going to contour without first making an incision- there are too many variables. The main thing to keep in mind is that you choose a surgeon you trust.

[Blackman820]

Sorry I haven't been on for a few days. Work just started up again and I've been adjusting to my new schedule. I'm pretty sure tehre's nothing at all under my right nipple. I've been to an endocrinologist twice who said my blood work came up normal. I also could not take anti-estrogens as they are illegal to compete with. I think my growth fluctuates because I'm a collegiate athlete (not on any growth supplements, just regular ol' protein powder. Usually whey or caesin) and I have long periods of hard work followed by breaks. And this started after I put on a lot of muscle weight over a few months in high school. I don't even really care how it looks, it just hurts and is in the way. Gyno hasn't stopped me from taking off my shirt at practice and a big scar wouldn't stop me either. I know this is usually treated as a cosmetic issue but seeing as I don't care about the cosmetics does anyone here know of cases where men getting gyno removed has been treated as (i guess it would just be removing a potentially malignant mass)? But I have been looking more at unilateral resources here on the site. Very helpful. Thank you