17 year old with gynecomsastia

[whitewalter]

Hey everyone im new to this site and i just wanted to let u know about my story.When I was a 14 i started to notice that my chest was getting bigger for  while it wasn't a big deal just a little growth.Then maybe half way though freshman year of high school i really noticed them being much bigger this made me lose all self confidence.Before i had large breast i was very outgoing and never a shy person and was always at the pool or beach but after  i noticed my breast getting bigger i became a shell of my former self i never wanted to hang out with friends or do any thing i would just go to school and feel very self conscious and embarrassed then just go home and be by my self i never wanted to do anything this made me lose allot of very close friends from grade school.I am now a senior in high school and have learned to cope with this condition after three years of having it freshman sophomore and junior year i started to go to the gym about 5 times a week back this past June and i love weight lifting it has improved my self confidence allot but i am still very self conscious about my breasts and i am considering surgery i am not overweight im 5 9 170 and like i said i work out allot so i was just wondering about the surgery and if it is right for me

                         thank you.

[Paa_Paw]

So many stories indicate a profound lack of self confidence. I never had that. While in High School, I wrestled and while I was not really all that good, I could seriously hurt someone who thought my embarrassment was a source of humor. I never had to deal with a lot of teasing because I did not make a very good victim.

There was one instance where a guy grabbed at my breast. I took hold of his arm and in the scuffle his shoulder was dislocated. Word quickly spread and that didn't happen again.

[hammer]

I too was never a victim, as I said in my story, people were afraid of me! I was not the bully, but the one that put the bully down, because of my "no fear" attitude and self confidence!

Once you stand up for yourself, you will show your self confidence and others will leave you alone. you will also build on that then, and carry that with you as you go through life. Having self confidence can bring you though many trials that you will face throughout your life, today is the day to start believing in yourself!

[shaknbake]

I remember being teased while in grade 7 and 8.  That's about when I started to "develop".  The teasing didn't last much longer however since I sprouted quite a bit after beginning high school.  Once I reached 6'5" and 200lbs, not too many people wanted to piss me off (even though I was really a teddy bear!).  But the pain and humiliation of past teasing never went away.  I learned to hide my chest much better as time went on, and no one really seemed to notice, but I did.  Every minute of every day.  Like you, I began to work out constantly to improve my self esteem.  It worked to a degree, but never completely.  Once you come to the realization and acceptance that this is who you will always be, you have a choice to make.  Accept yourself for who you are and carry on, or make a change through surgery.  It's a tough choice to make.  It took me 28 years to decide.  Which ever way you go, be happy with your decision and live for a better tomorrow.