Author Topic: How to hide them?  (Read 9857 times)

rrr

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From the front, my gyne is nothing I would notice. The nipples and areola are more feminine than they used to be, but to me, all looks pretty normal. Anyone see anything odd looking for a male chest?

My problem is that from the side, it's very noticeable, and after looking in the mirror, not even a larger shirt is going to help. :(

I'm just not sure what to do at this point. I am only 15 months from onset, and it's possible they can grow for another 2-4 years before stabilizing. Does anyone here have some tricks that may help to hide them during the very warm mid-western summer?


« Last Edit: May 12, 2015, 09:04:48 AM by Bummed »

Offline Dr. Elliot Jacobs

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The only "trick" to hide them is to wear a snug compression shirt -- but that becomes more difficult in the warmer weather.  The alternative is to wear non-clingy or baggy shirts or shirts that have twin chest pockets.

Dr Jacobs
Dr. Jacobs 
Certified: American Board of Plastic Surgery
Fellow: American College of Surgeons
Practice sub-specialty in Gynecomastia Surgery
4800 North Federal Highway
Boca Raton, Florida 33431
561  367 9101
Email:  dr.j@elliotjacobsmd.com
Website:  http://www.gynecomastiasurgery.com
Website:  http://www.gynecomastianewyork.c

rrr

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The problem I have found is not one of clingy material or over-sized shirts, it's the fact that unless I stoop, whatever I'm wearing just hangs off my boobs. If my size keeps going up, even stooping won't help, and either way, it's not good for my back and neck.

With no belly to mitigate my chest, they end up being like a coat rack - everything just hangs off them. :(

B

Offline expedient-traveller

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You probably have already tried a sports bra but not all of them are the same. I tried them in the past and they just did nothing, then I tried a Champion sports bra (cannot recall exactly which one but it has cooling mesh on the sides) which holds everything tight but not too tight. I get so used to having it on that I can forget I do have one on. They run between 20 and 40 dollars depending where you get them, but they are comfortable and efficient. They would take care of your needs very easily. At 44B they hold me in very nicely and no one really sees what we see. Also I wear patch pocket shirts at work which aids in hiding the "guests". Hope it helps.

rrr

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Hello,

Yes, I did try a sports bra back when they were A-cup, but all it did was give me a "uni-boob" which made my chest look extremely odd - way too top heavy. It would be even worse now, and if I grow another size or more, I would look ridiculously odd.

The glandular tissue just does not move or compress enough to make any difference.

When it comes to shaped sports bras, I'm not sure they would compress/hide any better than a t-shirt bra, and they tend to be expensive - something I'm not willing to spend on until I reach a stable size.

I did check out Champion bras, and unfortunately, the one you mention with the mesh is not available in anything close to my size (34 band).

Thanks for your suggestions!

B

Jay55

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Honestly, I don't think your breasts are that noticeable. You look to be in pretty good shape, and your chest looks more like muscled pecs than breasts in the shirt. Maybe I'm not the best person to give an opinion, considering the size and shape of my own breasts, but I just don't believe your chest is going to draw the attention you think it is. I do think that sometimes you can be too "self conscious" and try too hard to hide what you have, and that can be more conspicuous and draw more attention than just going about your day and not worrying about your chest.

rrr

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OK, time for an opinion poll! I am biased, and I know what my chest looked like before gyno, so, please vote for A) looks like gyno, or B) looks well muscled. (in the shirt picture)

And thanks, I used to take pride in having a decent body, considering I only watch what I eat and can't be bothered to work out :(

My doctors seem to think my body appears to be much younger than it is, based on appearance and tests. I know I was quite happy with it, considering I'm in my mid 50's - until my boobs started growing...

hammer

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Compared to many of use guys that are wearing bras for support, I think most of us would trade chest with you any day to have that almost boob less look again! That being said, boob less look is in the eye of the beholder! I'm a 46H so to me you don't look like bad at all at this point!

I vote B with a little on set of gyne! The reason I say that is it looks like your in great shape, however, age is starting to show. Although I see men anytime I'm out and about when the weather is good in pull over shirts that have as much or more then you that could use a little support. So in reality, you look very normal in my opinion!


That's my twenty two cents worth, figuring in for inflation!

Bob

rrr

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Hammer said:

The reason I say that is it looks like your in great shape, however, age is starting to show.

OMG. *faints* *cries* *sniffles* You mean I'm starting to look my age????

:(


hammer

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Hammer said:

The reason I say that is it looks like your in great shape, however, age is starting to show.

OMG. *faints* *cries* *sniffles* You mean I'm starting to look my age????

:(



It happens to the best of us, unless your Cher, of course!

Offline expedient-traveller

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I would have to vote B. You look very athletic with good pecs. I have seen and talked with gentlemen who have gyne, who do not know they have it (that is my opinion) and really should do something about it...support wise. You are fine, except in your own minds eye. Life is still good!

rrr

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I suppose I'm glad several of you think it's not noticeable - you would need to see pics from a few years ago to see what I mean.

I guess they can pass for a while yet, although B-cup "pecs" that jiggle, bounce, and sway when I walk are still disconcerting - and I get the awful feeling they are going to grow for quite some time yet.

B (NOT Cher)  ;-)

Offline Alchemist

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Hi Bummed,

Seeing a couple of pictures of your chest here makes for a much easier comparison.  Looking at your chest it would be very normal and ordinary at a nudist club.  Nobody at all would notice those breasts. From your description I was picturing something far larger. They appear to be below 30% percentile or so for men.  Even if they were 99+%tile most would not notice.

Somehow people expect a brass band entry the first time they enter a club walking into the pool area without any clothing and are disappointed that nobody at all notices them.  

And one other thing to remember, gravity and entropy get us all in the end.

I'm an alchemist and practice a spiritual evolution of the being.  And I teach this.  It is about changing one's being.  I firmly believe that people can change themselves.  I don't believe that going through life afraid all the time of what somebody might think does a person any good.  

I do understand the fear and shame and the hiding. I went through the hell of junior high school, with sizable breasts.  As an adult, how much time do you spend looking at other people's chests while you are out; women and men. Quite possibly you and I and others with concerns spend more time than people without this concern. Most men are not looking at women's chests much less other men's.  Everybody is far more concerned about their own body than anybody else's.

Have you had you thyroid checked, just as a thought?  You mentioned having a change in metabolism.   Maybe something changed with your thyroid.

So, here you are, small breasts visible from the side.  And genuinely, at a nudist club they would not noticeable at all.  A substantial percentage of men there will have equal or larger breasts than you, not identical, but of equal or larger size.  There is no "average" body.  You just can't add up all the parts and average them together.  A guy with a 34 inch chest is just built totally differently than a guy with a 48 inch chest.  Saying 42 inches is average then doesn't describe any body.  So instead of having any hypothetical "average" persons you have a whole lot of unique and ordinary bodies at the same time.  What one doesn't see often are anorexic fashion models or the most beautiful men or women in the world, whatever that means.  But rather you see the same people you see mowing their lawns, or working or shopping or in church

Right now on the TV as I'm writing this was a man in a t-shirt in an ad with bigger looking breasts than you and a much bigger gut.  

I started wearing t-shirts nine years ago after recovering from 20 years of chronic illness and I had bought my first new clothes in 20 years. And in 9 years of wearing an average fitting t-shirt with D or DD breasts you know what has happened?  Almost nothing at all.  A few guys working the registers with large breasts hunched over hiding them but they don't hide well when they are big, smiled in relief to actually see somebody larger than they are in a t-shirt and not because they have to wear the company t-shirt.

Maybe it's time for the Gynecomastia Liberation Front (has to be "front", "org" just doesn't put it out front where it needs to be.  Who gives the small percentage of skinny flat as a board guys the power to be the definition of male body ideal?  I find it silly, ridiculous, for a person to think that most people even could look like that much less "should".  

Our body hating culture defines something that makes most men impossibly wrong (as the society does to women) so that the whole body fear and body shame piles on them, something that I have difficulty seeing as other than body dysmorphic disorder in some of the more severe cases.  This is important for many to be able to achieve reasonable happiness.  All those layers of hot clothing trying to hide breasts was just a different definition of misery for me.  Surgery has it's own problems and uncertainties.  And sadly satisfaction isn't always possible for many reasons.  And there are no guarantees for any choice.

People have an highly artificial idea of what a "normal" body is.  It covers a full range of all the body types  including a full range of males from flat as a board to at least "H" cups and a full range of women from flat as a board to at least "H" cups. This covers the 2 SD or 3 SD majorities as well a few folks like me and Hammer and a few others.  Natural female breasts are what, a B cup average, maybe C, these days?  They get bigger as the bodies get fatter, like men, but not always for any specific body.

I personally don't intend to live my life in fear and shame for a body type I had no responsibility in "causing", as you also state.  I didn't get to pick my mother from whom I inherited familial gynecomastia and other things. Nobody picks their parents and certainly not for biological idiosyncrasies.    

You need to do what makes you happy.  It's impossible to know in advance.  Some are fully satisfied by surgery and able to do everything like, taking their shirt off publicly, going swimming at a public pool or beach. Concealing clothing might be satisfactory for some but are often uncomfortable and clearly unable to do all sorts of things because of shame about their chest.  A few visits to a nudist club does nothing irrecoverable or terribly expensive normally.  Nothing gets cut off.  The only significant side effects are possible sunburn if you don't use enough sun block or stay in the shade.  So it is a good feasible first try.  Major side effects include having a good time and accepting your body.  You can always try something else.  

Personally, and I think many of the old timers here will agree with me, that just ignoring it and living our lives could  produce the greatest happiness.  I'm never going to be anybody's idea of great looking guy with a perfect body.  It wasn't going to happen at 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 or likely 70 either.  So I just don't opt into that game I can't win or even play.  I prefer to dazzle the ladies with good meal at least some decent conversation, and that works ever so better anyway. In 9 years of wearing t-shirts I haven't had even one rude occurrence.  My nipples are always sticking through the fabric of any shirt I wear.  Find what you do well and you will find that breasts have absolutely nothing to do with that. I wear a light cotton shirt or a t-shirt.  

You have a wife who must at least reasonably accepts your breasts and maybe has no understanding of why you have a problem. My ex-wife never understood why I was so troubled and helped me work through it.  My partner doesn't get it at all either why I would have any left over reactions.  She is far more concerned about 20 pounds extra weight of her own, which is totally normal in people.  She has seen me in everything and nothing so a more clingy shirt makes zero difference in her eyes.

To conclude, genuinely do what will make you happiest in the long run. "To thine own self be true".  Happiness isn't running your life for fear of what somebody somewhere might think of some aspect of your body.  Have fun.


Offline Alchemist

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One other comment.  Societal taboos change.  In the 1950s they were very nervous about advertising deodorant on TV. At national news time on one of the big 3 networks we now see vagina creams and hear about the hazards of a penis with 4 hour erections because of Viagra.  Whooda thunk? There are guys with breasts in drama, reality shows and advertising. Fat men with breasts have become normal on TV in recent years.  I would expect to see male bra models on TV within a few years.  Right now gynecomastia is almost unspeakable.  So were body odor, penises with 4 hour erections and vaginas with thinning walls.  Any bets what year bras for men make it on TV advertising?

Offline expedient-traveller

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Aside from your nipples sticking out you look normal. I have nipples that stick straight out and no one notices. I have seen these items called nipple pedals that cover the nipple and hide them from notice. As a side note I had someone comment that I look like I have been working out due to my chest appearance. Little do they know. Once again, you look fine so as they say in New York, "Forget about it," except say it with a New York accent. :)


 

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