Boobs vs Moobs?

[rrr]

While I agree with Dr. Jacobs' assessment that from a surgical perspective, there are no practical differences, I think there are definitely differences outside of that narrow topic.

I am in my early fifties and definitely not overweight - I would be hard pressed to "pinch and inch". My gynecomastia started in November 2013 with the same lumps I had for a short time as a teen - I assumed they would go away again. Not lucky the 2nd time around, as they are definitely A cups and on their way to B. The doctor tested for everything, and all is normal (figures).

I just joined, so I have a lot of reading to do, but one thing I have noticed in my general internet research is that most of the folks seem to have pseudogynecomastia instead of "real" gynecomastia. so much doesn't apply to me.

Moobs are very normal for an overweight male. I have seen them all my life, although they seem a lot more prevalent today. In clothing, the moobs blend in as once of the folds of fat, frequently they do not extend beyond the large mid-section, and tend to not be very prominent. Even going topless, the moobs just seem to be another roll on the upper body.

Contrast that to a male of healthy weight growing boobs. The body looks much more female with protruding breasts - protruding beyond any other part of the body. The issues of acceptance and ability to hide them seem to be quite different between the two types.

If mine keep growing as the seem to be, my most prominent upper body feature will NOT be a large gut with moobs, it will be women's breasts hanging on a relatively fit male's chest.

Thoughts? Ideas? Comments? Complaints?

[hammer]

First of all, welcome to the forum.

I'm one of the old timers here, but not the oldest, but likely the largest when it come to the size of the breast, yes I call it what it is.

Like many I've had them from my younger days and never lost them, but I did loss the testicles then gained 46H breast! However, in my younger years I did 11 years in the military, fathered 5, I now have a 4th grandchild on the way and owned my own construction company until becoming disabled 16 years ago! I never let breast get in the way and I'm still happily married to the best gal I ever known for 27 years.

For multiple reasons I don't get the surgery. The surgery would be very hard on me due to size, and I also don't feel it's needed. I've had several other surgeries such as both knee replacement and two back surgeries and a host of minor for health reasons I find more important.

I don't feel that having breast makes you less of a man or wearing a bra to support them at the recommendation of my doctor from the VA makes you less of a man.

My last thoughts. You said your in your 50's, and at that age we start or have already started to see major changes in ourselves due to aging. I personally see no reason to go spend thousands of dollars to try to change my looks when "Mother Nature" is doing enough of that for me at no cost!

I'm not going to go buy a fancy sports car either, I love my truck!

There's my $2.00 worth adding more for inflation.

Bob age 56

[walt]

Well said Bob.I have Breasts and that's the way it is.

[Sven]

I'm only about half your age, so I don't know what it is to be your age and develop gynecomastia, but I do know what it is to be a guy with gynecomastia.  I have had surgery, so this is a problem of my past, but I do remember a lot of ways in which the breasts caused me grief - and I'm not talking about issues of social anxiety or embarassment.  I remember going surfing with my friends and my chest kept developing a rash and would eventually bleed because of the extra protrusion that the other guys didn't have to worry about.  I was thin and fit, just had pointy boobs, I had to start wearing a rash guard even on the warmest days when it would be cooler and more comfortable to go shirtless.

I took up distance running.  If anyone on this forum has done any distance running, they know about the bloody nips.  What a niusance.

For me, having that surgery has alleviated these sorts of issues.  I have been open with friends and family throughout this journey (not without some ribbing), and they were supportive.  My mom was concerned I was being vain when I "elected" to get the surgery, but when I explained to her that it was worth that amount of money to me to be able to run and surf without having to take provisions that most of my piers weren't in a position to need to take, she understood.

Like others have said, it is what it is.  You do with it what you will, nothing wrong with keeping your breasts around, nothing wrong with getting them removed - do what fits your lifestyle and budget best.  In my case, the money spent on removing them was worth every cent.

[hammer]

Sven, I agree as far a get surgery or don't get it it's a individual's choice, but as for some of the things you talked about I've seen those problems on a lot of people! I use to do "health and welfare" watch for marathons as a "Ham Radio" operator and our job was to watch for people that were ready to fall over from heat exhaustion, or other health related problems, and call the numbers in for further observation. As for bloody nipples I've seen them in some of the flattest chested men and women in the world as well as others! I was on the 24.5 mile mark all the time and I would also see some with very red chest that I had assumed was from the rubbing of the tee shirt they had tied around their waist now at my mile marker. This could have very well been a rash.

I'm not saying that by getting the surgery didn't help your situation, I'm just saying I've seen similar problems in many others that did or did not have flat chest.

[Alchemist]

Hi rrr,

I'm another old timer with breasts developed during puberty, age 12 or so and 66 now.  Now they are D-DD depending upon edema and exact weight.  And yes, they stick out more than anything else and pass the pencil test.  By the time I leave I will have spent 6 weeks at a nudist camp, less than some summers.  After a few weeks without clothing it feels quite odd, hot and uncomfortable to put it on again.  It certainly means nothing anymore.  I wear t-shirts when I want to.  I garden and cut the lawn shirtless.  I'll even go to gyms and swimming pools when I want to (no beaches around here unless you like near saturated salt solutions.)

With outstanding D/DD breasts on a 48"+ chest with a 36" waist, they get noticed.  Mostly nobody at all says anything these days.  It isn't jr. high school.  I don't make up stories to scare myself about what people might think.  I teach tantric alchemy occasionally.

[Paa_Paw]

I am 77 years old. Mine were first noted at the age of 12 With the usual comment that they would go away in a couple of years. They did not go away, but grew to almost fill a B cup size. That was quite obvious when I was only about 145 lbs and going into the Air Force in 1955. The size has not really changed over the years, even though I am now over 210 lbs. The difference is that they are not as obvious with my greater weight.

As the Good Doctor noted, we do not distinguish between "true" and "real" Gynecomastia. The former being Breast enlargement due to the growth of Glandular tissue and the latter being fatty breasts devoid of glandular tissue.  The truth is that both of those conditions are really rare. The usual finding is a mound of fat with some glandular tissue threaded through it.  While the relative amounts of fat and gland are variable, no one seems willing to say at what percentage of glandular tissue does the diagnosis change from pseudo to true. Palpation before surgery can be very misleading. Lacking a clear statement of what distinguishes one kind from the other and no criteria of examination and classification that is reliable; we say that they are one and the same.