you did the right first step, you found a couple of friends here who've been through the same deal. if you've had it for more than a year or two it probably isn't going away, and there's no real alternative to surgery yet or the rest of us would have been all over it long before this. so it depends. if you think you can make it till you're out on your own and can save for an op, you won't have to tell them. if you want it dealt with before that, you'll probably have to ask them for help. it's not easy, but the best way to deal with that is to understand that it's not your fault, you did nothing to deserve it, it happens to lots of guys for no reason, and you just happen to be one. if it makes you feel better to tell them one at a time, try that. if they don't take you seriously, tell them you do and you're willing to work to start saving for it if they'll help you pay. (and if not, screw them, do it anyway, you're going to be your own boss someday sooner or later.)
here's something i've suggested to people who want to try to break the ice before:
"mom, dad, i've had something on my mind i wanted to discuss. this is pretty embarassing for me to talk about, but it's something i have to deal with, and i don't want it to go on any longer. i figure other kids have done this, so maybe i can too.
i've noticed i've had a physical condition, so i did a little research on it. it's called gynecomastia, and it happens a lot in puberty, in fact close to half of all men get it in a small degree at least temporarily. in most cases it goes away in the first 2-3 years, but in others it can stick around.
apparently if your hormone ratios go a little odd, even for only a short while, guys can develop abnormal enlargement in the breast area. normally it makes people's lives hell because it's embarrassing, they get teased about it pretty mercilessly, and they get depressed and don't talk about it, but there are surgical procedures that can correct it too. the price range runs anywhere from $3-6000 depending on surgeon, location, complexity of the case, and so on.
i'm still researching this but i've found a support group online with other people who have it too. some surgeons won't operate till the hormones restabilize a little, but i think i might be ready. sometimes people try to minimize it and say oh it's nothing, but it can really mess things up and make you unhappy, so i'd like to explore getting it fixed and having a normal life."
(optional if finances become an issue): i also understand it's a lot of money, so i just want to mention again this one's really important to me, so if i have to take a job or two to help pull my weight on this one and start saving, that's how much this means to me."
adjust to fit your circumstances as needed if it's useful, if you can't say it, leave it as a note. and the more i think about it, the more i wonder if a parent couldn't print it out and ask if the kid had been meaning to write something like it too
