Had gyno for over 4 years. Please gimmie some help.

[knicho94]

So I recently told my parents about my situation. My mom was alot more supportive than my dad, and since then she has taken me to get two professional opinons. I am 6 foot, 140lbs, and have had this condition since about 12.

The first doc told me that these things tend to go away over time. Well thats just great considering im in high school and I want to live my life. To take my shirt off and be comfortable with my chest is like the thought of heaven to me. After I insisted that I had done EVERYTHING in my power to get rid of my boobs, he sent me to a endocrinologist.

At first I thought I was just going to the endocrinologist just to give a blood sample so he could check out my hormone levels, but he asked me to take off my shirt. So, after he looked at my chest and felt it a bit he came to the conclusion that there was little if no fat. He said it was all breast tissue, and Lipo wouldnt do anything, I would have to do surgery if I wanted to solve the problem. He then said that since I have a lighter nipple color, my scarring would show very very well and would be in fact permanent. He said that in fact I would be better off waiting it out and continue exercising while getting on drug therapy before even considering going under the knife. He said after surgery I would be in the same bout because the scarring is quite visible, so people would know I had the surgery. He also said that he could tell just by looking at my there is no lack testosterone because of my muscle development.
He has prescribed me to 10MG a day Tamoxifen for three months, and if that doesnt work, he will double the dose. He told me that this is the prescription that breast cancer patients take.

Will doing chest workouts make my condition protrude even more? Or should I continue focusing on my upper chest like I have.

Will developing my back muscles & upper back muscles have any positive effect on my chest. It seems like if my back got a little bulkier it would tighten my chest up a bit.

What can I do? I feel hopeless. The doc says that 90% of guys gyno goes away on its own, but I am very skeptical about that. Its been four years and ive already lost about 30 pounds from working out. It did take off some chest fat, but not nearly as much as I had hoped. Maybe he meant 90% of guys loose it before the age of 14-15. All I can think about everyday is this. Im sooo tired of this. Ive given this as much time as I can stand any longer. Ive already gone through this web site and read numerous stories about men carrying this with them until their 30's and finally deciding to get surgery. Am I too late, or should I nip this in the bud. I want to be able to enjoy swimming with friends and other shirtless activities without the hell of hearing the taunting. Ive seen plenty of pictures with minimal scarring from experienced surgeons and I think the doc I talked to is telling me what I want to hear. I want this over with...

I dont want to be another person who lives with this until they are an adult, which happens all to often.

[alphajc]

If you have true gynecomastia (growth of excess breast tissue, and not fat), it will not go away by working out...it could make it look worse than it currently is.

You and your parents have a tough decision to make.  People have said it's best to wait until past age 18 before deciding to get surgery to see if it possibly goes away on its own, and your endocrinologist is making the correct recommendation in trying tamoxifen and buying time.

But if it's going to ruin the rest of your high school life to have moobs (esp if you are an athlete) then you would have to weigh the pros and cons and make a decision.  A good gynecomastia surgeon should be able to make the incision to minimize scarring and if bad scarring occurs there are ways to fix that later (scar revision surgery or even tatooing the area).

Whichever way you decide to go, best of luck to you.

[Dr. Elliot Jacobs]

While there is no harm in trying Tamoxifen, it usually works (if at all) during the active growth of breast tissue -- not on established breast tissue.  So I have my doubts whether it will work for you.  Also, you have had the condition for four years.  Realistically speaking, it is highly unlikely that it will disappear spontaneously in the next year or two or three.

From a surgeon's perspective, no one can predict how a scar will heal in any one individual.  Most peri-areolar scars heal exceedingly well -- but it may take a year or so for it to fade away.  However, as was so aptly stated by alphajc, if the scar is noticeable, there are tricks that plastic surgeons have to make it better.

At 6 feet, 140 lbs, you are extremely thin.  Further weight loss or working out will do nothing, absolutely nothing, for your gyne.

If your tamoxifen therapy fails, then consider looking for an experienced gyne surgeon.

Dr Jacobs

[George Pope, M.D.]

Keep in my that the opinion you received on whether or not to undergo surgery was given by an endocrinologist, not a surgeon.  It's like asking a Republican if you should vote for Obama.  OK, maybe not exactly the same, but internists look at surgery in a different way than surgeons do.  Not that we're pushing it, but we understand it better and can work around any potential problems that could arise.  Sure, you could have dark or thick scars after surgery, but that's not common at all after gyne surgery.

Alphajc is right IMO.  You could go through the rest of your high school years taking tamoxifen, and that could eventually help, but I'm not sure why that is better than an immediate fix with surgery.  And working out your pecs will probably just make the gyne look more pronounced.

Talk to your parents about getting an opinion from a plastic surgeon who performs gynecomastia surgery.  I don't know where you live, but check out the referral list on this site or go to plasticsurgery.org and click on Patients & Consumers -----> Find an ASPS Member Surgeon.

Good luck-

Dr. Pope, MD

[Paa_Paw]

Depending upon the severity of the condition and how long it has been stable; It may be possible to get surgery at a younger age.

My guess is that your condition will not change significantly without surgery because the condition has been stable for 4 years.

The reassurance that it may go away is pretty much the standard line from GP's. If you were 12 years old and it was just now showing up, I'd probably give you the same answer and I'd probably be right about half of the time. Except that I am not a Doctor.

I think it is time for a different medical opinion from someone with more experience in this area.