Opinion and advise required (pics)

[ChestMan]

Hi guys,

Here is my condition (thanks stonecold for the advice on uploading pics). I want (still don't know if i have the balls) to get surgery before my wedding in Nov. I am hoping to lose another 5 kg also which will hopefully help. Have been referred to and Endo and have not heard anything as yet. If anyone knows the cost and location of a private endo in London, it will be much appreciated.

My plan is to see the endo and determine if this can be fixed (treated) with prescription drugs. If they say it is too late (as I heard they only help in early stages), I may op for surgical correction.

My fiancé says that I am just being vain and should not worry about it. Wanted to get your thoughts. I am always conscious of it and feel very embarrassed at the beach (hence my desire to fix before the honeymoon).  Please be honest.






Looks like one is breast is bigger than the other - never noticed till today!



Sorry about the odd sized photos

BM

[limaecho]

Your weight is not a problem, you look fine. It does look like you have gland behind your nipples. Does it feel like a hard round lump? I can only recommend what i did, and that is to see Dr Levick in Birmingham. My results are good so far, and because of your weight I'm sure you would get cracking results from him. Good luck with whatever you decide to do and enjoy your wedding and honeymoon!

[ChestMan]

Thanks limaecho for the well wishes. I cant feel any lumps which leadss me to believe it could be mostly fat.

A lot of the pics I have seen it looks like it only occurs around the nipple. In my case the nipple area is not to bad, however the chest has an overall breastlike appearance (notice the curves near the armpits). I am hoping that 5 kg of fat loss will help, although I have lost a little wight and my chest wont seem to respond.

I am hoping to see an Endo asap before seeing Levick (or others) to see if they can help and/or avoid it from recoccuring psot op.

[orrible]

Glad you got your pics sorted.

Gland can be dispersed and quite soft though. I think you will have gland their. Its not to bad, a moderate case, but i think surgery will be the way forward once youve been cleared by an endo. I dont hold much hope for the drugs they prescribe to clear it. Ive tried nolva before with no avail, and the longer the gyne has been their the harder it will be to reverse with meds. Some people claim success though so if you are willing to hold out and try then probably not much to lose.

Its good your fiancé  doesnt mind your gyne but you must do what you feel is right for you. Somebody who has gyne is not being vain at all. Its not a vanity surgery but more of a normalising one.

[Time_to_fix_it]

Hi Breastman, welcome to the boards.

I would echo what Stonecold says.  I’m no doctor so I can’t comment on your chest.  If it is gyne then I would say from looking at your photos then it would be classed as mild.  However the important thing is how we perceive it ourselves.  I think you are wise to get checked out by a good endocrinologist before surgery though.  If you have had it for a couple of years, the general opinion is that it can only be removed by surgery.

There are endocrinologists up and down the country, but finding one who specialises in the male reproductive system and who will see you on the NHS may be difficult and or time consuming.  There is however the private option and yes there is one in London who comes highly recommended, but of course there may be others.  The chap I refer to is Dr Malcolm Carruthers, who works out of The Mens Health Centre, 20 Harley Street, London W1G 9PH (Tel 02076368292).

I have seen a Professor in Oxford on the NHS over the last 18 months who was a great guy but he has drawn a blank.  My last course of action now before surgery, is to see Dr Carruthers who some call the foremost Endo in this country who specialises in male hormones.  He has been recommended to me by a number of people including another Endo.  The funny thing is I only got off the phone about 3 hours ago booking my first appointment with him.  He seems to take consultations on Wednesdays and Thursdays and it appears the waiting list is about 2 weeks.  The fees are not cheap. The price I was quoted was £595 for a full assessment which includes full clinical consultation, history taking, assessment and clinical examination.  Blood and urine samples are taken in the morning and all being well the results and the second consultation are done later on the same day.  As I say there will be other Endos who will see you privately and they may be cheaper.  There is a chap on here called HYPO IS HERE who may be able to furnish you with other names if you send him a private message or ask in a post.  I think it is a case of “you pays your money and you takes your choice”.

Good luck and keep us posted on how you get on.

[ChestMan]

Stonecold -you are right, I have never really thought about it as normalising surgery. I guess it just like get nose jobs or jaw re-alignment.

Time to fix it - thanks for the extensive response. I have been waiting over a month now since my doctor claims he made the referral so I think I need to take matter is to my own hands - although £595 is a lot of money. I'll see if hypo has any suggestions.

I think the reality is that I will have these puppies for the honeymoon/wedding (Nov this year). My other concern other than the honeymoon is the stag night - what if the stripper takes off my shirt ?- all my close mates already tease me, but this will expose my condition to my not so close mates and extended family- I’ll be labelled the breastman for life!.....I must speak to my best man about arranging a chess night instead.

Anyway, sorry about my ramblings. After reading the posts about massaging my chest for months on end, I think I am outta time. I will still do my best to see surgeons over the next couple of months, however as I want to seek endo  treatment first (which could take a while), I am cutting it fine. Furthermore all my leave has been allocated for my wedding and honeymoon, so I not exactly sure how I could get time off for the surgery.

Another question. To those of you that have had mild to moderate case and undergone the knife - have you been genuinely satisfied with the results? I ask this because through all the messages I have read nobody seems to be 100% satisfied (other than the guys who have had real hooters). I am worried because if I am just going to replace my gyne with scar tissue and the net result ends up looking the same – it seems like a lot of effort for minimal gain (or should I say loss).  Please let me know your thoughts.

[orrible]

You'd be hard pushed to find people who are 100% happy as we are a hard group to please  :-/ that said i think that you could get a very nice improvement with surgery. With scar tissue its almost like two steps forward getting rid of the gyne, then one step back developing and battling that. I think some people have more trouble with it than others. Im sure surgeons skill and technique plays a big role in this.

[Niall1982]

At the moment I'm working on a new ITV 1 discussion programme that will air daily in an afternoon slot from mid November.

The show will offer a platform to real everyday people to tell their story with the intention that we provoke some thought amongst our audience.

One of the issues we'd like to focus on in the programme is that of the condition Gynecomastia.  We'd like to make a wider audience aware of the huge effect it has on the sufferer’s life.

Should you be interested in discussing the programme further I'd really appreciate the opportunity to have a chat.

Many Thanks

Niall Flanagan
Brighter Pictures Ltd
niall@brighter.co.uk
020 7533 6642

[ChestMan]

Hi everyone, I finally received my letter from the Endocrinology Outpatients clinic - will be interesting to see how long it will take to get an appointment.

I have a few more questions I was hoping you guys could help me with.

1) With regards to the endocrinologist appointment- what exactly am I asking to be tested for? I was just going to tell them about my condition and ask if they had any drugs to eliminate the problem. As these are appointments are difficult to arrange, I am keen to get the most out of it. Can anyone advise of the questions I should be asking?

2) Scarring after surgery- how come breast implants appear seamless? I have seen my fair share of adult films and I have never noticed any of the porn actresses sporting any surgery scars (I have never come across fake ones in “real life” – well at least I think I haven’t!…..other than strippers – yet those clubs are too dark to notice). How come the same technique is not used for gyne surgery?

3) Scar tissue formation after surgery – does this only happen for gyne surgery or do people that get lipo (e.g. on their stomachs) get scar tissue formation as well?

4) Sorry to ask again – but Stonecold is the only one to respond. Has anyone who had mild/moderate cases corrected with surgery been satisfied with their results?

Thanks again for any and all info you guys can provide.

BM

[geg100]

1
they will be testing all your hormones
mainly your oestrogen and testosterone and their balances if they are within the norm as well as other hormone.

2 breast implants do have scarring and most of the time can be worse than gyne ops.look up capsular contracture.my dad does these ops and tells me all the darn up jobs that goes on by cowboy surgeons.

3 lipo too does have scar formation.you have to realise anything causing trauma to the body has scar formation but the amount of scar depends on lots of things.surgeon technique/experience
the person and how he reacts
diet
infection pre and post op etc

4 i had moderate gyno surgery and am well pleased wish i did it in uni/younger instead of while workin.you can turn back the clock.

[ChestMan]

Thanks Geg for your response.

Do you have any pics pre and post op?

Spoke to the endo out patients office - they are booked out unitl the end of October - the manager is supposed to be calling me to make an earlier appointment. I may have to chose the £590 private option. This is frustrating.

BM

[orrible]

Hey BM,

Gegs covered it all but heres my take.

An endo will test for everything and have a feel of your testicles to boot  . They will be used to seeing gynecomastia and will know what to look for and test for, so you shouldnt worry. If you want to get the ball rolling your gp could get you blood tests within a few weeks to test for the basics and see if they are in the normal range. Testosterone, prolactin etc

"I have seen my fair share of adult films and I have never noticed any of the porn actresses sporting any surgery scars"

That made me laugh, you aint noticed them becuase your going blind next time look under the actual breast where the crease is. The surgeon puts scars their and then the breast hangs over the scars. I have actually noticed this before, but then i knew what i was looking for. Depends on the position and the camera angle  

Scar tissue is basially apart of all cosmetic surgery that involves making any incisions.

[uk2000]

i wudnt worry to much about having a endo problem if yr past yr 20s.  the chances of it being a endo prob is about 10% out of 100%.  it is fairly rare, but still possible.
i had a endo check before my op, after a guy from here called Hypo scared the crap out of me, saying that endo probs are what causes gyne, blah blah blah.  wish i never listend to him tho,
when u get yr results for endo, certain levels have to fall within ranges to be on the safe side.  but this can vary.  for example u are supposed to have this test in the morning as that is when yr testerone level is the highest.  as later on in the day it falls.
but relax and take it as it comes

[ChestMan]

Hi fellas,

Made two appointments today - one with Levick and one with the Harley medical group.

Have to wait till October to see Levick as he only has limited availablity before he goes on leave for 3 weeks in September. Quick question - I was quoted £100 for the consultation. Has Levick increased his prices? I'm sure I have read it is £80 some where on these boards.

BM

[ChestMan]

Went to Harley medical group today and left a little disheartened.

It was free consultation, so I met one of their "Cosmetic Counsellors". The discussed the procedure and advise that areola incision would be best option and possibly (depending on the surgeon) a small hole about 5cm below the nipple.

I asked loads of questions and the did their best to appease my concerns. When I mentioned scar tissue, the counsellor advised that she has never heard of patients having any problems. I told them that many people in this forum have mentioned complaints and was advised "don't take chatrooms or what you here in he media as gospel".

I asked for examples of their work and I was only shown one picture. I asked if they had any pics that were 6 months post op and was advised that they only have 6 weeks post op because after surgery "men just move on with their lives and we never hear from them again". I was also told that only 3-4% of cases require revision.

They did there best to book in an appointment, and then suggested that perhaps I meet a surgeon first.

Anyway, I’m seriously starting to have 2nd thoughts about all this. My fiancée suggesting that I should lose more weight. As I have never had a six-pack her hypothesis is that I have never really given the weight loss route a fair go. If I am able to get abs and then still have gyne - then she will believe that surgery is the only option.

So the plan is now - go hard at dieting, cardio and resistance training for the next 11 weeks (up to my wedding).  If I have abs by then (I know it is an ambitious plan) and the gyne has not reduced I wll get surgery after my honeymoon. In the meantime, I'll still make surgery enquiries and try and get as informed as I can about surgery and best techniques etc. I am finally seeing an endo in late sep and have a consultation Levick in early Oct.

I'll keep you posted on how I go - will post pics after my 10-week weight loss plan. I am not expecting much, but then at least the missues will be convinced that this is my only option.

PS – they quoted £4,050 for everything. (including more than one compression garment)