is it gyno or just body fat

[embarassedguy]

ive always been very active my whole life sports/lifting weights/running/etc.   even though ive always been very athletic ive always been the big guy.  after graduating high school i was about 265.   i workout at least 4 times a week now very hard(predominatley weight training).  now im at about 230lbs and about 5' 11"  and 19 years old .  i wanna take my shirt off at the pool and not be scared of being embarassed anymore.  i dont wanna wear under armours every day anymore.  when the nips are hard my chest looks almost pure muscle!  but as you can see from the pics when they are not hard it looks very fatty.   is this just body fat being pushed out by mucle?gyno?how do i know? and what can i do to help it? do i workout more? do more cardio?

btw these pics are with soft(not hard) nips and im sitting which may make the appearance a little worse

[Personal1]

To answer your thread question, it looks like theres both fat and gyno. Just continue training but I don't think that will fix the problem, I'm sorry to say but I believe surgery is the only way to fix it bro.

[embarassedguy]

here is one standing

[zane949]

I agree with personal1 You will look way better all around if you cut some body fat your chest will shrink some but the gyno will remain.  start looking into surgeons in your area maybe do a few consults.

[johnny125]

It looks like you have a combination of some gyno and body fat. Judging by your height, your normal weight should be something like 180. Losing that much weight will definitely shrink your breasts. Only time will tell if you need surgery or not. Lose the weight first.

[embarassedguy]

i agree.   it seems everybody seems the same way that body fat may be a big reason for my problem.   What would yall consider the best way for me to lose weight?  just eat healthier and continue my lifting 4 times a week?

[DrBermant]

ive always been very active my whole life sports/lifting weights/running/etc.   even though ive always been very athletic ive always been the big guy.  after graduating high school i was about 265.   i workout at least 4 times a week now very hard(predominatley weight training).  now im at about 230lbs and about 5' 11"  and 19 years old .  i wanna take my shirt off at the pool and not be scared of being embarassed anymore.  i dont wanna wear under armours every day anymore.  when the nips are hard my chest looks almost pure muscle!  but as you can see from the pics when they are not hard it looks very fatty.   is this just body fat being pushed out by mucle?gyno?how do i know? and what can i do to help it? do i workout more? do more cardio?

btw these pics are with soft(not hard) nips and im sitting which may make the appearance a little worse

Congratulations on the weight loss, 35 pounds is an achievement.

"Fat or Gyno" is a frequent question here, but misses the point.  Gynecomastia is a contour problem.  All male mammals with have gland.  All fat men and women have big breasts. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to distinguish just what is causing the problem.  Gynecomastia male breasts can be fat, gland, or most commonly a combination of both.  Sometimes skin and sagging tissues can be a factor. Pseudogynecomastia is a bad term that is supposed to be fat only gynecomastia. The problem with that "classification" is that in almost every case of gynecomastia I have seen there is some component of gland.  This gland can be very small, but it is present almost all the time.  So do you have Pseudo gynecomastia when there is a 1%, 10%, 50%, or 90% deformity from fat?  Reality just does not work that way.

Defining the problem with photographs sometimes can help.  However, it is impossible to tell from photographs if the deformity is from fat or gland. The dynamic images, of my standard set of images can show a region that compresses differently.  Even clinical examination differentiation can be difficult.

Fat tends to be soft, gland tends to be firm.  Fingers of gland often dissect between fingers of fat.  Look at this drawing and move your mouse over the arrows.  However, gland can be soft and fat firm confusing the picture.  Gland tends to be located under the nipple and pinching pressure can sometimes tether to the nipple pulling it in.

Men with excessive fat do tend to have certain contour issues.  Check out this link about Sumo Wrestlers.  Men tend to carry excessive weight in their chest and stomach.
Wearing the extra fat is not healthy.  Check out your risks with a BMI Calculator (Body Mass Index).

Unfortunately, BMI does not take into account muscle mass vs. fat.  Body Fat Analyzers can help define that issue.

Plastic surgery is better after weight loss, losing weight is a coarse tool. Plastic surgery is better used for refinement.

Weight Loss, Dealing With Excess Skin of the Chest and Body is also a major emotional issue. 

We have many patients, family members, and parents who have raved how a compression garment can really help while waiting for surgery or until stabilization of a problem.  However, I have found not all compression garments work as well.

Body shaping garments are a good temporary contouring solution.  They do not help remove or treat gynecomastia.  When the garment is removed, the gynecomastia is still there.  They can provide an emotional band-aid for the stress of contour issues and bouncing tissues.

Non-Surgical Body Shaping for Gynecomastia

Check out the multiple views for each patient. Clink on the links to see other views of the garment and features of this design I prefer.  We have tried many other brands and none seem to come close to what this one offers.

Losing weight first, to something you are comfortable with and can maintain is typically a much better option.  Weight loss is a coarse tool.  Unfortunately, you cannot pick where weight comes from - nor can you pick where weight goes back on to.  Gland that contributes to the breast shape is not helped with weight loss.  Fingers of fat in the gland can become smaller, but the contour problem from gland does not go away.  After losing weight plastic surgery can help with localized fat, gland, and extra skin.  After surgery remaining fat cells can put on more weight.

Hope this helps,

Michael Bermant, MD
Learn More About Gynecomastia and Chest Surgery

[decimal]

"Fat or Gyno" is a frequent question here, but misses the point.  Gynecomastia is a contour problem.

That sums it up so well!

Dr Bermant, in your surgeries do you strive for complete removal of the gland or do you prefer to leave some behind. I know that it is impossible to remove the breast tissue 100% because of the way it is diffused into the surrounding tissues, but given the opportunity would  you excise as much of of the gland as humanly possible or opt for selective removal.

[DrBermant]

"Fat or Gyno" is a frequent question here, but misses the point.  Gynecomastia is a contour problem.

That sums it up so well!

Dr Bermant, in your surgeries do you strive for complete removal of the gland or do you prefer to leave some behind. I know that it is impossible to remove the breast tissue 100% because of the way it is diffused into the surrounding tissues, but given the opportunity would  you excise as much of of the gland as humanly possible or opt for selective removal.

With my Dynamic Technique, I prefer to target gland first.  Residual gland is not like fat, does not move like fat, does not feel like fat, and can result in deformity that many just do not like. There is a good deal of plastic surgery literature that I did not like that goes after the fat first. Then some gland is removed to finish the contour. However, they leave gland behind to minimize crater defects. I think that approach is backwards and have seen so many patients from other surgeons who were unhappy with that deformity.  That is why I reversed the order, target gland first, and then with an artist's pallet of surgical options continue the contouring after the gland removal. Now shreds of gland will remain behind with any surgical technique. But by targeting gland first, the remaining tissues can be contoured with no crater deformity. The results look good, not just in a few selective images that seem to change what images are used for a particular surgeon's "demonstration" of how good their results are. The results should look good from all angles and during animation. The male chest should look good not just in a single picture, but while playing beach volleyball, swimming, arms up, muscles flexing.  That is the test of exceptional surgical contouring and not salesmanship.

Also by targeting gland first, there is less remaining gland tissue for regrowth. That may be a critical factor for the extremely low regrowth and revision rate I have seen with my patients.

Hope this helps,

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

[embarassedguy]

anybody else? please i just wanna know if i lose some more weight and keep working out will this go away? or at least look somewhat normal

[headheldhigh01]

anybody else? please i just wanna know if i lose some more weight and keep working out will this go away? or at least look somewhat normal

unfortunately not.  actually the risk is it can become more visible instead of less, because it's got less other mass around to hide it.  the only fix is surgery. 

having said that, you absolutely SHOULD do the weight loss as part of the prep for an op if you're going to do it, which i would, i just think you shouldn't have any unrealistic expectations about hiding it before then unless you're wearing a compression garment or something. 

the good thing is that at least it can be fixed. 

[embarassedguy]

so the fat on my chest will not decrease through healthy diet and exercise?

[decimal]

so the fat on my chest will not decrease through healthy diet and exercise?

Yes the fat will definitely respond to diet and exercise. However, the gland (breast tissue directly behind the nipple and around) which is part of the contour problem wont change at all.

Nevertheless, as Dr Bermant and the other members on this forum recommended, you must try to get as close to your ideal weight as possible before undergoing surgery. This allows the doctor to give you results closer to perfection, since now he longer needs to guess what would the chest look like if the patient were to lose more weight after surgery.

Hope that helps 

[EatingCake]

It is unfortunate and I feel your pain, I had gynecomastia for about 4 years and I went through all this training, basically anorexic at one stage and still had it, then I opted for surgery, and ever since my gynecomastia has gone I feel way better, also have increasingly become vane - which I swore myself I would not - but I simply cannot help it and I am annoyed at myself at that I have almost turned into the people I never said I would be...