New to this board

[jim45999]

Where do I start. I’ve been reading these boards for a while now. Like most people on here we all have a story to tell. I first noticed something was wrong aged 11 when my fatty chest seem to appear out of no where. You learn to cover up but never accept it. Early teens I had comments made to me, even people grabbing my chest. It effected me mentally in every aspect of my life. Aged 17 I thought sod it I am gonna train like a man about to die.Aged 20 I went to the docs and he  asked me if I was using steroids. I said no and he said I it would even itself out. I was muscular and shredded with veins popping out every where. It was a mad stage, heavy weight training combined with a H.I.T training for cardio, eating a typical bodybuilding diet but I still had fat around the chest. That was then. I am 31 now  although I still train and play football I have now conceded that no amount of exercise will get rid of it and surgery is the only option. I have spoken to my doc who is understanding although he reckons it is not the worst case he has ever seen and I agree. Some people it can bother other people don’t care. Its down to the individual. I have had various blood tests and every thing is normal. When I grab hold of my chest most of it feels hardish or stringy or like a gristle. Thats why I think it is more glandular than fat but im no surgeon. When i weight train and get my bodyfat down it is less noticeable but at the end of the day it is still there.

I have heard and read a lot about Karidis. I’ve got the money to get surgery done. What do you guys think? I have more body fat on me than I used to.  Is having a low body fat percentage better for the surgeon? I want to get something done now because I am starting to realize that life is to short and before you know it I’ll be old and wishing life could have been different. Does anyone know how much karidis is and how long between booking and surgery? I have read that its around £4100. Is this still correct? Comments appreciated. Cheers.

I will stick a couple of pics up soon.

[Wheeeee!]

Hello, I'm booked for surgery with Dr. Karidis in a little under three weeks' time. The timescale was about ten days from first call to consultation and then seven weeks from consultation to the actual operation date.

Total cost for everything was £4,318.
£    75 - Initial Consultation
£   125 - Blood Test Fee (Can be done by GP and not incur the charge)
£2,678 - Surgeon Fee
£1,440 - Hospital Fee (Operating theatre, anesthetist, nursing staff etc)

The cost for me has just changed as I went back today to see him about doing a bit more liposuction whilst he's there. Although not as much as I was expecting 

I'm losing weight and training hard to get back to my ideal body composition and have just under a stone to go so should be there by the 27th. My thinking is that the closer I am to where I would be normally then he can shape me to look better than if he does it then I continue to lose a bit more weight.

Hope that helps, mate.

[jim45999]

Thats not a very long to wait then. Pretty good. With the economy the way it is going I bet a lot of people are going to have to think twice about getting surgery done in the next year. The cost is a lot of money but at the end of the day people blow that sort of money on a car without even blinking an eye. Doing something like this can change your how outlook on life itself. Money, at the end of the day is only a means to an end.

Over the past couple of years injuries and drinking prob to much beer has made the prob even worse. I think its the realization that you cant achieve your goals when you have an obstacle like this in the way. If your fat, you can loose weight. If you got a fatty chest with more glandular tissue than the average person it doesn't matter what you do the only route at the end of the day is surgery.

You know I love weight training and going down the gym. Its so annoying when you cant achieve the body you want because of a problem like this. Not being able to go swimming. Wearing certain clothes . Putting a couple of layers of clothing on in the summer. It seems so extreme having to get surgery but there is just no other way.

[NotFedup]

Doing something like this can change your how outlook on life itself.

i agree 20000000000%
do it

[another_case]

Definitely do it, I had surgery with Dr. Benito back in Feb and I am very pleased with my result, has completely changed my life to be honest! I would recommend seeing him aswell for a free consultation as he has a very good reputation also and does his consultations/follow-ups in Harley Street. coordinator@cosmeticsurgeryabroad.org is the contact if you want to book a consultation and his assistant's name is Aida, she is very efficient. Good luck

[Jackd]

Doing something like this can change your how outlook on life itself.

i agree 20000000000%
do it

I second that.

Just knowing I have the surgery booked for less than 1 months time has changed me already, as I'm looking forward to being able to wear just a t-shirt next summer, maybe pool parties if I'm healed enough in time, but just to be able to wear what I want, not have to justify my reasoning for wearing jackets all the time and to be able to relax more is enough!

Credit crunch or no credit crunch, don't let anything stop you from getting surgery done, you have to accept that surgery is the ONLY way to beat this and it WILL cost a lot of money.

[PaulSW]

I too enjoy weight training and remember a picture of a competitive body builder on one of the American surgeons web sites. He was cut to the bone but still had gyne which he had surgery for. Although his gyne was smaller with his extreme diet it was still there.

My wife was never bothered by mine but I was and so looked to have the surgery.

It is almost a year since my surgery and I need more work done (which is booked). I have been through many stages of feelings. I first thought it was good to have it done and then feeling it was a waste of time and money.

At this point even needing more surgery I am glad I had it done as in the end the time and money are only small factors (and the memory of the pain and the cost fades). Whereas the idea of getting up each day and looking in the mirror thinking about my clothes and the gyne was not the best mentally.

In the end I think it has to be your choice

[jim45999]

Thanks for the kind replies. I just feel i have come to a point in my life where although i don't have the worst case in the world, it bothers me. I'm thinking of contacting Karidis. Just trying to pluck up the courage to do so. I've got the money to pay for the whole lot in one go but i was thinking of banging 2000 grand down on the credit card and just taking the rest from my savings. I plucked up the courage to speak to my mum and she was surprisingly supportive. The less people know the better. I am hoping to just disappear then reappear a month later if and when i get it done

In my own mind it seems so extreme to have to do something like this but I have been down all other avenues and there just seems to be no other way.

I suppose if i had developed this fat when i was older it might not have effected me as much. Because it started when I was eleven, the metal scars of having to grow up with this has made it an obsession that I thought I could get rid of through weight training and cardio which as we all no including me, you cant especially if you got more gland than the average person.

[hadenuf]

Go for it mate. I am a little older and have had it since about 12 or 13 and it has scarred me also. I have never had any confidence and never been on a mates holiday abroad and only been on a beach holiday once with my wife. It has affected everything in my life, even jobs as the lack of confidence has had a knock on effect in everything. For once in my life now I feel much better about myself.

I am sure you wont regret it

[jim45999]

The only other thing i am worried about is that the surgeon might turn around and say its not that bad and he would not recommend surgery. I have this fear because i went to see my doc and 20 and he sent me to see a NHS consultant who gave me a load of b.s and basically just fobbed me off. He wasn't interested in the slightest. I agree its not the worst case of male breast compared to some people but i also get scared that if i went to see Karidis he might say the same thing.

10 years later and realizing it will not just disappear with nutrition and exercise I'm still trying to pluck up the courage to do something about it. sometimes having a small amount might be worse than a large amount because making that final decision to do surgery seems harder because you think is it worth going to such extreme lengths to make yourself happier in your own body.

Hadenuf, i def agree with what your saying. Relationships, work and holidays are all defined by this problem. Decisions are all governed by how you look, will people notice, do my clothes cover it up. I used to train eat like a bodybuilder and be ripped to the core but still cover up. my biceps used to peak like Arnold's. had a nice six pack. People used to say how muscular i looked but i still covered up. Could not show my chest, although defined as well still had pocket of fat across and around nipple area. Bloody annoying.

Its only recently i have spoken about it to some family members and there encouragement is helping me in trying to decide what to do. It def helps to talk about it rather than dealing with it on your own as I have done for most of my life.

[George Pope, M.D.]

It def helps to talk about it rather than dealing with it on your own as I have done for most of my life.

Well said.  I wish everyone on this site understood that.

[Albion71]

The only other thing i am worried about is that the surgeon might turn around and say its not that bad and he would not recommend surgery. I have this fear because i went to see my doc and 20 and he sent me to see a NHS consultant who gave me a load of b.s and basically just fobbed me off. He wasn't interested in the slightest. I agree its not the worst case of male breast compared to some people but i also get scared that if i went to see Karidis he might say the same thing.

Whoever you go with, get them to manage your expectations. Ask for photos of comparable cases and how they turned out. You may find similar cases on this board.

I had a relatively mild case of gyno, and I haven't been as pleased with my result as some on here. But for some people, 60-70% improvement is well worth surgery.

You need to ask yourself what you will be happy with.