Hey, so I'm hoping you guys can help me.

[The Wondering Wanderer]

I've done extensive research on the subject of gynecomastia, yet I keep running across different facts and such, and half the websites are talking about steroid usage, which I can't relate to. So I'm hoping you guys can help me out. If you dont want to read my whiole story, you can skip down to the bottom, I'll post the questions down there.

First of all, i'm 20 years old and 153 pounds. My gynecomastia started as a small pea sized lump midway through March 2013. First I was afraid it was cancer, even though I knew that was highly unlikely. My only guess for the cause is my marijuana usage, but this doesn't seem right because I have multiple male friends I was on the swim team with in high school who were serious potheads and they didn't have anything that I could see. Plus I started smoking around Christmas time, and my gyno didn't start until midway through march. My only other guess is it is the medication I was on, such as mood stabilizers and the such. But anyway, back to the story. Eventually the small pea sized lump grew into a quarter (or slightly bigger) sized lump. It's tender, and randomly hurts. But the worst part is, as I'm sure you guys already know, is the breast growth. Luckily, it hasn't grown to the extent of some of the people I've seen on the Internet. I believe this would be considered mild. It's kind of noticeable, but it may just be noticeable to me (I haven't really asked anyone). Also, in certain lights it's bearly visible at all. But I'm still greatly concerned about it. You see, I have really bad body image problems, even without the gyno, which has caused some eating problems in the past but they never progressed to a full on eating disorder. To make matters worse is I have severe clinical depression, borderline personality disorder, and am also pretty suicidal (not I'm going to go kill myself right now, more like I really want to kill myself, but not currently). I don't think it's grown in about a month, but could it get bigger though? My problem is I obsess over it. I can feel it and it bothers me considerably, and the thought of it getting worse makes me really upset, because I'm not sure if I would be able to handle that. I measure it 2-3 times a day to make sure it hasn't grown any. It's also summer, and I want to be able to go to the beach and pool and whatnot. I just hope it's not to noticeable. Do you guys think it'll go away on its own? I know puberty-induced gyno does, but I can't find whether adult gyno ever does. Also, would meds work? Would it make it go away? Or do the side effects make it not worth it, or just not work at all. If I had infinite amounts of money I'd seriously consider doing the surgery, but I guess I just have to wait and see what happens. Sorry my post is so long.

So, to sum it up: does adult gyno ever go away on its own? Do medications actually work? Are they worth it? Can gyno get worse after remaining a consistent size for a month?

Thanks for the responses!

[EastCounty]

I am not a doctor; there are surely several doctors on this forum and anyone of them can help answer your questions with accuracy and expertise. However, as someone who has had gynecomastia, I suppose I can speak on the subject...as can everyone else in this forum...with some amount of authority.

Generally speaking, gynecomastia WILL NOT go away on its own. Especially if you have true gynecomastia, which is the development of a larger-than average amount of male breast tissue in your chest. All men have breast tissue, even those with perfectly flat, ripped chests. However, when you have too much and you have the look of man-boobs, that is true gynecomastia. Breast tissue is different from fat tissue. It is fibrous and no amount of working out/diet will get rid of it. It is there to stay.

Pseudo-gynecomastia (which is what I really had) is usually an excessive amount of fat that builds up in the chest. This will also give you man-boobs. Often, gynecomastia can be a combo OF BOTH an excess of breast tissue AND fat. So, even if you were able to work out and diet like a mad man and reduce the amount of fat, you would still have the breast tissue and thus the look of man-boobs, but perhaps smaller than before, as you have reduced your fat.

As I mentioned, mine was primarily too much fat. I started getting it around the age of 32. I am 6', 172 lbs and I work out regularly. I am in good health. However, despite my best efforts, that chest fat WOULD NOT go away. The harder I worked my chest the more pronounced my man-boobs became; as the muscle got bigger, all it did was push the fat out farther.

The ONLY real solution for either true gynecomastia or most cases of pseudo-gynecomastia is SURGERY. That entails breast tissue excision and liposuction for the fat.

There are no other cures. There is NO SUCH THINGS as pills or supplements that will fix the problem. You will see ads for these online...even in this forum. These are, in essence, SCAMS. Avoid them at all costs. If you do not believe me, this is a good point for one of the resident docs to chime in and back me up.

Again, exercise will also not cure it. Perhaps if you have a mild case of pseudo-gynecomastia you may be able to manage it, but I'd say the odds are likely against you. Certainly if it's breast tissue, plastic surgery is the ONLY way. If it's a lot of fat...like I had...again, surgery. In all likely hood you would need lipo and glandular tissue excision for the most well-rounded results, pun intended.

I hope this info helps. I am sure it stings like hell to learn that surgery is the only way, but there is no point in sugar coating any of this. Best of luck to you...!