Gynecomastia?

[Alfaqv]

Hi I am new to the group and would appreciate any thoughts on my breasts which have developed over the last few years?  My nipples are also protruding.  Is this Gynecomastia?   I am normal weight but there seems to be excessive tissue in this area.

[Dudewithboobs]

It’s hard to tell so close to the body that you cannot see if it’s muscle or breast tissue. But given the details of the outer chest especially where it kind of curves out a little at the bottom and the little lumps of skin along the outside lining of the chest tells me it’s breast tissue development there not muscle. 
A couple things you can do to define it at home is the pinch test. Another I feel validates is the lean over or sit and put arms in front test. Not necessarily a test just something I learned over time as my breast tissue grew more that I found my chest would no longer be flush but hang some. And when sitting I’d have a crease that grew when I put my arms out where the breast tissue stayed in place as other skin creased. 
Ultrasound or exam by your physician also will confirm. 
Definitely looks like gynecomastia to me but not too bad of a case from onlooker view 

[Alfaqv]

Thanks for the reply. The pinch test suggests Gynecomastia.  I intend to accept it and see how it develops.  I have read that chest exercises can increase the size of the breast tissue by building the muscle underneath rather than reducing it. I am currently a 36B when fitted for bras. 

[Dudewithboobs]

I’m a 34b. Chest exercises may encourage added projection from muscle development but chest exercises can also assist in creating a more flush chest as much as may be able to with muscle and fat reduction in place. As the muscle builds over the chest it can aide in filling out other areas of the chest in muscle form that may remove the contour of breast tissue where it has developed. 
The idea that chest exercises will make it worse I don’t believe in. Also, the more fitness focused, more muscle built in arms, shoulders, etc which all will take attention away from the chest in my opinion. 

[Busty]

Can’t be sure, but I would venture gynecomastia.  Definitely not pseudo.  How does it feel and look when you wear a bra?

[Alfaqv]

It feels comfortable and very natural. I was very surprised to see how full they looked when I  had my first fitting. I was very self conscious at first but nobody seems to notice even under just a tee shirt. When wearing a bra I do notice a the weight of my breasts in the cups and a slight bounce when I  walk which is quite pleasant actually.  Do you wear a bra? 

[Dudewithboobs]

It’s impressive when wearing a bra and you realize how much you have to move in to the cups. Which indicate more gynecomastia than muscle mass if it can move as such in my opinion. First time I put a b cup bra on I couldn’t believe I filled it all the way I remember being with past girlfriends and knowing they were a b cup and knowing I could fit in the same bras was a bit of a shock. 

[Alfaqv]

After wearing a bra all day it is quite noticeable how it has shaped my breasts when I  remove it. They look far more feminine and bigger after 12 hours in a bra than first thing in the morning.  I think that they accumulate fluid through the day as my cups are also fuller in the evening. 

[gotgyne]

The accumulation of fluid during the day in the tissue is normal, hence the feeling that a bra may get more uncomfortable in the evening. Many women put off their bras being at home after work. This is quite understandable. The same with shapewear. It often becomes quite uncomfortable in the evening.

The longer lasting effect of wearing bras is the " breast tissue migration". After several months it is noticeable.

[Alfaqv]

I always suspected that long term bra wear could have this effect. Some women. actually use vacuum devices to encourage tissue growth by stretching it.. Bras certainly leads to better posture as the shoulders are pulled back by the bra straps when walking and sitting at my work station.  A couple of pics of 2 of my current bras. 

[Alfaqv]

A couple more photos which I  think suggest Gynecomastia with the breast contour? Especially the 2nd  photo where the left breast looks more developed than the right. No pain but a tendency to have errect nipples most of the time poking through my shirts. If I lean forward they just hang like cows udders which is not pretty. What do you guys think?

[Evolver]

It feels comfortable and very natural. 

Belated welcome aboard, Alfa. If wearing a bra feels natural to you, go for it! It seems like you have your head around your situation very well, and that is most of the journey.

Kudos for going in for a fitting, but what made you reach that point? Had you experimented with bras much before then but had no luck? Or was it due to unbearable discomfort without a correct fitting bra?

[Alfaqv]

Thank you for your warm welcome. In my pre gynecomastia days I  always had poor posture and back pain and my GF would tell me off for stooping, so began a long journey with posture braces which either didn't work or were torture to wear. I eventually came across posture bras and having an open mind gave them a try. In those days I  was lucky to be an AA cup so had plenty room at the front. I found that these bras encouraged a shoulders back and open chest posture which greatly helped with aches and pains. So I  wore them on and off for a few years. Eventually gynecomastia started to develop which I  thought was muscle from swimming (LOL ) but jiggled about too much for that.  I tried a 38A bra which helped a bit and then challenged myself to go for a fitting and came away transformed by a 36B bra. I have been a full time bra wearer ever since and accumulated quite a collection! 

[dbweb]

I too had to recognize that at a point, a bra was necessary.  While in my 30-40's, my kids always teased me about my moobs when I had my shirt off or was in the water, as I passed through my 50's and started on meds for prostrate issues, my chest started to really grow, to a point at one of my annual GP visits, my family doc ( a lady picked by my wife years earlier) mentioned that I had substantial breast growth, and offered me several choices.  The first was to have them "taken care of surgically" and she would refer me to someone that could do that, but warned in some cases, they just redevelope again, or start to wear appropriate clothing to deal with them, same as half the population do without concern.  She stressed that I should be able to find a good fitting bra that would help me manage my bouncy chest and avoid nipple projection which I mentioned was already a concern to me. She also mentioned that this was the most econimical choice for me now, but if I couldn't deal with it, could always go the referal route
After a discussion with my wife, I went for my first fitting at a large outlet center near us, and was faced with a choice of several styles, but because of my large chest was limited to a couple bras available without waiting for a special order, and walked out of there wearing my first Playtex 18hr bra, a 48B lacy streach version which was more comfortable to me than the sports bra I also tried. I tried the soft cup styles as well, but didn't like the larger cut cup and filled out bust that they gave me.  I also got a Bali bra, but in the size I needed, it was an underwire version which was comfortable at first due to the thin cup design, but after a day of wear, was uncomfortable with the underwire, and my wife didn't like it either as she said she didn't need an underwire bra, and neither did I.  Problem was that in my chest size, this seemed to be more common as I was told.
Over the years I had several other fittings, and found other styles that worked well with me, especially after a trip to a Katherins store for fitting prior to that closing just after covid. Was sorry to see that go as they had many more styles that worked for me considering they were a big girls store exclusively.  Now all I have is Lane Bryant, but their choices seem to be much more about fashion?
These days after losing ~40 lbs, I have settled into my everyday style, again a Playtex, this time an ultimate lift and support  46B which is very full but comfortable and fits me well. It seems that as I am now into my 70's my chest development has slowed, but even after losing a bunch of weight, I am still dealing with a very defined bust and am happy for the choice that I made to just wear appropriate support

[gotgyne]

The Playtex 18 hours bra is a very nice bra in my opinion. It seems that young women don't like it, but a lot of women nevertheless know how supportive it is. Of course for somebody who doesn't like the pointy cups, it may be the wrong bra. But I like them, thus my liking for the Triumph Doreen or the Playtex 18 hours.

Btw, I admit that I found it some years ago strange that we as men discuss about bra styles and other topics that are in general associated with women, but I've come to like it. In the end we have the same problems as bad fitting bras or the need for support and so on.