Surgery required? Or just wait and see?

[Squish33]

I'm 19 and developed gynecomastia around the age of 14. It stopped me from playing sports, shattered my confidence, restricted my outdoor activity and disturbed my posture. In the last year of have lost 30 kg's and naturally the fat layer on my chest has gone down and I am reasonably fit. But a breast layer with small scattered lumps still remains (clearly gyno). I began puberty at a reasonable stage (11ish) but at around the age of 13/14 it slowed down big time and I developed gyno. I have only just began shaving small areas around my face and I still do not feel confident enough to take off my shirt or play sports.

Since I started shaving in small areas at 19? Should I just wait a year or so two to see if it dissapears with my awesome delayed puberty (-.-).
Or because I have had to for five years already it looks like it will be persistant gyno in my case and surgery is required?

I may post pictures eventually... any opinions or thoughts?
Thanks for reading.

[Raider Fan]

It's hard to answer your questions without pictures, because it's impossible to gauge the severity of your condition.  In general, however, if you're at an acceptable weight and still have true gynecomastia at age 19, then it's not likely to go away.  Pictures are really needed to make any kind of informed decision.

Also, a recommendation.....if you haven't already done so, make sure to have your thyroid functioning checked when you can.  It might be just fine, but thyroid functioning is one of the first things you look at when someone isn't maturing as expected.  You might just be slow, but it's best to know for sure.  The thyroid is a powerful gland that does powerful things to the body.  Lots of doctors don't routinely get blood tests to check the thyroid during annual physicals.  If yours has been checked that's great, but if not, I think it's reasonable to do so.

[Paa_Paw]

adrrei,

Reading your post was like reading my own life story. I was 19 years in 1956 and still sang soprano, beginnings of a beard, little to no body hair etc. I did not fully mature sexually until the age of about 35. X-Rays to determine bone age when I was 48-50 years old showed me to be about 17-20 years old.

There are now medical specialties that were not even dreamed of back then and there is no reason for you to endure this. Raider Fan has the right idea but I would take it a long step further and a specialist. The right Doctor might be a challenge to find as you will be looking for someone with several overlapping interests. Kind of an Endocrinologist with an interest in development from pediatrics through puberty. I think you get the picture.

Take heart my friend, While conditions such as this were curiosities when I was young, we live in a very different word now and if there is a developmental problem it can be treated.

[Dr. Cruise]

Clearly there is no harm in waiting the only significant problem is if it is affecting you significantly, socially, etc. , which it appears it is. Typically if you've had Gyne more than 3 yrs it's unlikely it will resolve completely on it's own. It's not unreasonable to wait another year to see where it goes.