Author Topic: Just so tired of it  (Read 3834 times)

Offline John7231

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 4
Hi guys,

I don't even know were to start..so i guess i'll start from the onset.

At the age of 15 i was run over by a car and when i recovered i noticed that my pecs were a bit flabby so i thought i needed to start working out,but no matter how much i worked out it got worse as the years went by until the problem was very noticable and it couldn't be covered up by wearing an extra shirt or wearing a jacket.

I'm 36 now.

I've gone to doctors and they are very nonchalant about it."Yeah it happens and is no big deal..its only cosmetic" or "alot of guys who get this get plastic surgery".

My one question has always been what if its a medical problem wouldn't it come back even with plastic surgery to which i have never gotten a good answer.

To me this is a quality of life issue and not "no big deal".I'm sick and tired of being called a shemale or a he/she and i guess my breaking point came the other day at work..I really hate to say something bad about someone else,especially someone i don't know well,but besides my man boobs i am fit and try to exercise regularly and this guy i work with who looks like he spent his whole life sucking down twinkies had his family at work and made a comment as i walked by"We're not really sure what that "thing" is".


Really?!

I don't know what to do..I would just like to be able to live my life without bother or comment  on my physical appearence.

DrBermant

  • Guest
Hi guys,

I don't even know were to start..so i guess i'll start from the onset.

At the age of 15 i was run over by a car and when i recovered i noticed that my pecs were a bit flabby so i thought i needed to start working out,but no matter how much i worked out it got worse as the years went by until the problem was very noticable and it couldn't be covered up by wearing an extra shirt or wearing a jacket.

I'm 36 now.

I've gone to doctors and they are very nonchalant about it."Yeah it happens and is no big deal..its only cosmetic" or "alot of guys who get this get plastic surgery".

My one question has always been what if its a medical problem wouldn't it come back even with plastic surgery to which i have never gotten a good answer.

To me this is a quality of life issue and not "no big deal".I'm sick and tired of being called a shemale or a he/she and i guess my breaking point came the other day at work..I really hate to say something bad about someone else,especially someone i don't know well,but besides my man boobs i am fit and try to exercise regularly and this guy i work with who looks like he spent his whole life sucking down twinkies had his family at work and made a comment as i walked by"We're not really sure what that "thing" is".


Really?!

I don't know what to do..I would just like to be able to live my life without bother or comment  on my physical appearence.

There can be a great deal of Emotion Living with Gynecomastia, you are not alone. Not all doctors understand or deal with this contour problem the same way.


I caution each of my patients that surgery does not typically stop male breast growth.  If there is a problem with growing breasts, recurrence can happen.  Any of these medical problems and or these medications can cause gynecomastia. So, if you want to get worried about regrowth, you could get yourself evaluated for each of these conditions to see if they could be a factor. 

If you are using something that can stimulate breast regrowth, shreds of gland remain behind with any surgical technique.  It is just not practical to remove all elements of gland.  The problem is that there are fine fingers of gland that dissect between fingers of fat and can extend quite far into the chest. Take a look at the Anatomy of Gynecomastia to see what I mean.  Even with a radical mastectomy (a disfiguring technique used for some male breast cancer problems), some gland can remain.  Surgery also does not prevent weight gain in the chest.  Men tend to put weight on the belly and chest regions.  I educate each of my patients that this surgery will not prevent further breast growth.  It is like changing/fixing a tire with a nail.  Fixing/changing the tire will not prevent you from getting a new nail in that tire.

Regrowth of gland from stimulation can occur where shreds of gland remain behind. This can be behind the areola, along the deeper edges or margins of a zone of excision. 

I take care of many patients with gynecomastia, as many as 8 in one day alone.  With all the gynecomastia surgery I have done, it is very rare to have regrowth for patients I have sculpted.  One patient (who had surgery on only side by another doctor) came to me with pro hormone induced gynecomastia that only came back on the side that had no surgery.  His growth was massive on the one side and none on the other.  His surgery by that other doctor had left a massive crater - the skin was adherent against the chest wall with normal fat surrounding the ugly deformity.  One side looked like the deformity seen here.  The other side was almost a B cup breast so tender that I could barely examine it.  As with each patient who presented to me with current breast growth, he was referred for an endocrinology evaluation and stabilization before considering surgery.  I do not know if such radical surgery was a factor or not.   Even if it did, removing all fat under the skin just gives an unnatural look.

Here is another example of Gynecomastia Breast Regrowth on my site.  Caution this is a graphic picture of the massive gland regrowth removed on the operating table.

This patient is rather unusual. He was a misdiagnosed genetic female who has lived his entire life as a male.  His birth certificate says male as does his driver's license. Yes, a terrible mistake labeling him male made from birth and early on not recognizing his Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia.  His body has been exposed to high levels of androgens and estrogen since within his mother's womb. This results in an a condition better called Intersex than the older phrase Hermaphroditism.

I prefer to target the gland first with my Dynamic Technique. This permits me to remove most of the gland and then sculpt the remaining tissue to minimize contour problems.

By concentrating on the gland first I am able to minimize the chance of breast regrowth.  It is very rare for my patients to have recurrence.  With my techniques and my Red Flag Evaluation System before surgery, I have only a few patients over the many years I have been doing surgery that I know have regrown.  However, gynecomastia surgery does not stop breast regrowth.  For patients having breast growth, I have advised for many years that they should get their problem under control before surgery.  There are exceptions, such as young men with massive breasts that have not stopped growing.  That is why each case needs to be individually evaluated. 

Prevention and stabilizing the problem(s) causing gynecomastia, when possible, is much better. We help patients explore such issues during consultations or preliminary remote discussions.

Hope this helps,

Michael Bermant, MD
Learn More About Gynecomastia and Male Breast Reduction

Offline Whiff

  • Bronze Member
  • **
  • Posts: 66
you can't control what other people say but you can control how it affects you. They are only words and its not like it was someone you like or respect. fact is you need to decide what to do, you are on this site so it's clearly a big issue for you. I'm 43 and spent some 30 years of that covering up before deciding to have surgery. It was the right solution for me wish I'd done it 15 years earlier. With the careful choice of a surgeon you should get a positive result and maybe it could be life changing. If surgery isnt an option for you then you need to find a way to accept it maybe with help from a councillor. If you can do that you probably wont give a toss what other people say and once they see that you don't care they'll move on.

Offline John7231

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 4
I think the shemale and "It" comments bother me the most.

I would like to act like they don't bother me but they do..alot.

Thank you to both Dr. Berman and Whiff for replying.

I copied down a couple numbers from this site and really hope to talk to someone that understands this...

It's easy to say it's cosmetic and no big deal..or just live with it..if you haven't gone through this.

As for blowing off crude comments..Everyone has their breaking point and i reached mine.

Offline John7231

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 4
All i want to find out is this a condition induced by Trauma,another cause,or something simple like a thyroid problem and to take steps from there to correct it.

I don't see why every doctor i talk to acts like its no big deal...if they grew boobs,and were put down constantly, they would think it was.

Offline gyneco_1001

  • Bronze Member
  • **
  • Posts: 80
Hey John... there are numerous potential causes for gyno... the most common one happens to be your body's estrogen level during puberty... some meds have been known to cause it as well... and I wouldn't rule out trauma as being a potential cause either... there is no documented "cure" for it except for surgery unless what you have is pseudo-gynecomastia, where simple weight loss could do the trick.... otherwise if your chest area has remained stable in size for at least a year, you can be sure that surgery is the only way to "fix" it... as far as general physicians go, I completely understand what you mean... they're not specialized in psychiatry nor plastic surgery so you can't expect them to know much about it nor do anything to make you feel better... a psychiatrist can certainly understand your pain... however only a plastic surgeon who is experienced in gynecomastia surgery can really do something about it... and if it is financially viable for you, I would certainly look into getting a consultation... considering how much pain this has put you through (as it did for me)... just know that you're really just one physical transformation away from changing your life and begin brushing off all of those emotional scars... I wish you all the best, and do keep the community posted.

Offline John7231

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 4
Is there any legal recourse i have if i am constantly being harrased at work over this condition?

Offline gyneco_1001

  • Bronze Member
  • **
  • Posts: 80
Look at the laws listed here... these are Canadian laws however I can imagine that they are similar in the U.S. as well.

http://www.chrc-ccdp.ca/publications/anti_harassment_part3-en.asp#351

DrBermant

  • Guest
I think the shemale and "It" comments bother me the most.

I would like to act like they don't bother me but they do..alot.

Thank you to both Dr. Berman and Whiff for replying.

I copied down a couple numbers from this site and really hope to talk to someone that understands this...

It's easy to say it's cosmetic and no big deal..or just live with it..if you haven't gone through this.

As for blowing off crude comments..Everyone has their breaking point and i reached mine.

You are quite welcome. Yes, some people can be cruel. But that is why we have evolved sculpture contouring for this problem and I demonstrate temporizing measures such as Body Shaping Garments to help others who are trying to stabilize their problem, lose weight, or wait until they can save up for surgery.

Hope this helps,

Michael Bermant, MD
Learn More About Gynecomastia and Male Breast Reduction


 

SMFPacks CMS 1.0.3 © 2024