Do I have gynecomastia or just fat?

[teatake2011]

I'm 17 years old almost 18. I have 20% BF. I weigh about 146 pounds. My height is 5ft 7in. I feel hardness under the nipple but when I pinch the aereola (however you spell it) it just feels like its air. When I am cold my chest looks normal. When I press my man boobs all the way down I can feel my ribs and it does not hurt at all and my nipples are not sensitive or painful. I went to a family doctor and he made me get a mammogram. The lady who did my mamogram said she does not see any abnormalities in my chest. But my family doctor said I have gynecomastia. My doctor did more testing and it turns out I have a hypothyroid, High TSH levels. I am currently taking Synthroid for about a month now. Could the high TSH level be a cause? Should I have my doctor refer me to an endocrinologist?  

What do you guys think? Should I run/excersise to lose my BF? That is my current goal.
Any help will be appreciated because this has been runining my life whenever I go to the pool haha.

[Raider Fan]

Hi teatake, and welcome to gyne.org.

It looks like you might have some mild gyne going on.  It's one of those things where you can't exercise it away, and in your case, it's clearly not due to body fat.  So losing weight isn't going to help it either.  

The only way to truly correct gynecomastia is through surgery.  It is certainly not mandatory.  Many guys decide to live with it and have done so for many years, while other guys simply can't do that.  Gyne makes them SO unhappy that they simply must get it corrected surgically.  

So it all comes down to which camp you're in.  Does it bother you enough to have surgery for it and get it corrected?  Or, do you think you can iive with it?  It's your choice.  

As far as your hypothyroidism, I'm not a doctor, but I don't believe that has anything to do with your gynecomastia.  Your thyroid regulates the hormone, thyroxine, which controls your overall body metabolism, growth and development.  But it is not related to your sex hormones.....the ones that are imbalanced and likely causing your gynecomastia (testosterone and estrogen). These hormones have a way of regulating themselves as we get older and most of the time gyne will go away in young men.  However, sometimes it simply doesn't.  And if it doesn't, surgery is the only answer.  I believe if I were a young man your age, I would definitely look into having the problem corrected if it bothered me.  There will be many times in your life where you will NEED to be able to take your shirt off in the upcoming years, and you will need to be able to do so without fear or embarrassment.  

You could ask your doctor about being referred to an endocrinologist, but most of the time that is not really necessary.  Your primary doctor can do the same blood tests that an endocrinologist would order if he/she wants to see if there's any real physical reason for your gyne.  But in all probability, there's not going to be reason for it.  Most gyne is idiopathic, meaning no reason is ever determined.  

If you do decide to consider surgery, it's best to meet with two or three plastic surgeons who have a LOT of experience at correcting gyne.  Don't go to just any plastic surgeon; only a board certified one with a wealth of experience.  Ask to see each doctor's before/after pics and then decide which surgeon you would most want to have operate on you. 

In the meantime, if your gyne is too noticeable, there are compression shirts that are designed to hide gyne, and they work quite well.  Consider one of these shirts while you think about surgery. 

[teatake2011]

Soyou are saying none of my chest is bodyfat that I can lose? And isn't gynecomastia a abnormality? If the doctor didn't see any so wouldn't it mostly be just fat? I can't afford surgery.

[alphajc]

You might have a mild case of gyne to just pseudogyne. Seeing that you look a tad overweight...you maybe able to get rid of it with just exercise.  Even at your current situation I'd say you fall well within the normal bell curve of the population in the area of gyne and don't need surgery.

[teatake2011]

So should I get down to about 10bf?

[gabrielsebastian74]

Come back in 30 days after this routine. Every other day.
5 sets each
pushups all types if possible, wide close, declined normal and spartans (spartans are the hardest)
Do squats,
lunges
get two stools and do dips.
pull ups. IF you need a chair to get up to the bar on your sets do it
Situps, not crunches.

Dont wait anymore than 90 seconds between sets.
Do every set until failure, dont go for a number
Every set do it until failure, in other words until your muscles are trembling and you feel like dying.
Youtube it to see how they are done.

Dont stop for 30 days even if you feel like dying.
You will tell your doctor to run the same test and see if you still have the hypothyroidism
you seem to be suffering. Get off the drugs

[teatake2011]

I will do it! So your saying it's fat?

[Raider Fan]

It's not fat that's causing this, it's simply gynecomastia.  You could lose 30 pounds and and exercise 6 hours a day and your chest likely would not look much different. 

Read around these boards and you'll find many, many guys who have tried losing weight and exercising to correct their gyne, but it did absolutely no good.  If you have established gyne, the only cure is surgery.  That's just the way it is.

[Dr. Elliot Jacobs]

You do have a mild case of gynecomastia -- no amount of additional dieting or exercise will get rid of it, unfortunately.  However, many guys live with it and have no problem -- for others, surgery is the only solace.  The decision is yours.

Would continue to work with your endocrinologist.  Gyne is associated with hyperthyroidism, not hypothyroidism (as in your case).  It may take some months to get your hormones stabilized.

Dr Jacobs

[gabrielsebastian74]

Dr. Jacobs, I'm sorry you feel that way.
To you I pose this question.
Your telling me that if he developed his body to a very good potential, eg growing his back 5 inches of muscle and lowering his waist line a good 3 inches will not at least improve his appearance?
in other words if he cut down a good 5% of his body fat, and gained 10% body muscle he will still look like that?
At 200 lbs for me, losing 5 % body fat would be 20 lbs, gaining 10% muscle mass would mean 40 lbs. Are you still telling me that:
A: His body will still look the same overall?
B: The perception of fat wont be at least obscured by his larger and more solid frame?
Gaining serious muscle everywhere, more importantly in his shoulders, arms and back will appear much more appealing than getting fat sucked out and still having flaccid arms, a thin back and a larger abdominal area.
I would personally take at least being physically as fit as possible and not having a soft body as he also seems to have over getting rid of gyno and still having a soft body.
I never recommended a diet, but drink lots of water, eat right, get bigger muscles and tell me if that his body wont look better overall.
I look forward to having this discussion with you after 60 days, as I am now going through a muscle growth phase. Just serious weight lifting and a little cardio and eating right. I have pictures posted on this website and hope to show everyone you can improve.

Now, about severe cases, which he doesn't seem to have, I am sure there will be needs of surgery, but this is akin to having an obese child and
having the doctor tell me my son has diabetes and recommend him to taking a pill.
I would rather have another doctor tell me to get my son exercising, moving his body and getting closer to what a healthy lifestyle should be.
Then see the doctor 30 days later and run the same tests.

[Dr. Elliot Jacobs]

There is no doubt that exercising, losing fat and building muscle is good for everyone. 

However, as virtually everyone on this site has observed, building muscle merely pushes out the gyne tissue which sits on top of the muscle -- it does not do anything for it.  Yes, losing weight can make the gyne slightly smaller (the fat component diminishes -- the gland remains and actually concentrates).

Again, the choice for surgery is an individual one --whether one is physically toned or not.  The choice of exercising is also an individual decision.  Some guys can do it -- others cannot.

Dr Jacobs 

[teatake2011]

Thanks Gabriel! I feel really confident now that with exercise my gyne will not be as noticeable hopefully after I lose some BF and gain muscle. I am going to the gym 3 times a week since I just started college.

[gabrielsebastian74]

Doctor, I completely agree with the lump still being there. But your only focusing on highlighting the chest as the only component that will grow and outward. Not true, the shoulders get broader, the back gets wider, and the arms get larger. Perception is reality, or else this site wouldn't be sponsoring the "Underworks" vest.
Yes, I more than can imagine I will get surgery, but like I sated on another post, it will be the finishing component.
As for the person in this post, he is 17 yo. Not 71. I am more than sure he can get a workout routine that will improve him.
Also, most of my chest workouts i focus on filling the upper chest which when it grows pulls up the skin.
Making him feel that doing chest will make him worse is not true.
Here are tow pictures of mine.
Both, I still have gyno, excpet, the second one I am seeing the fat around the gyno deflate as the definition between my chest and upper chest becomes defined.
Teatake, anytime you need encouragement to keep working out, hit me up. Look up workout routines about building muscles and push yourself harder everytime. You wont regret it.

[teatake2011]

I will gabriel! And I am not going to get surgery. I know I have hope since my younger brother used to have a high BF like me. Now he is down to 8% BF and does not have any signs of gyne. He has a flat chest.

This is my workout plan. Monday - Chest/Shoulders , Wednesday - Biceps/Triceps, Friday - Back/Legs. I will run for about 20-30 minutes after each workout on the tredmill

[gabrielsebastian74]

Awesome, make sure you post pics. Your young. 99.9% of the guys here would trade you in years anytime. Myself included.