Does Gyno have to involve breast tissue under the nipples?

[GynoHelpWanted]

Does gynecomastia have to be centered around the nipple?  Is that the only place where glandular tissue can develop?  I ask because I have had some tenderness/enlargement that is on the far right side of my breast, underneath my armpit and down the side of the breast.  It is not centered around the nipple at all.  It is on both breasts, with the right one being slightly worse. 

This started after taking propecia for 5 days, and continued 6 months after stopping.  It was worse at night, and occasionally I even had swollen lymph nodes in the same area, as well as more tenderness in that area.  This started immediately after propecia, and I had no issues at any time before.

It has gradually started to get better, however, my chest is not nearly as flat as it was before (and bounces quite a bit while running now), and i can still feel tenderness in that area.  Initially a doctor felt something there too, and had me go for an ultrasound immediately.  The ultrasound came back negative, and a consultation with an endocrinologist confirmed that it could not be gyno, since it was not centered around the nipple, and was in an area where there were no ductal tissue.

Is this correct?  I'm left wondering what changes happened in those 5 days where I took propecia, and why I still had some slight breast growth (the increase in "tissue" on the far right of the breast still makes the breast stick out slightly more than it ever did before).  Thanks a lot for any help.

[Paa_Paw]

The area involved is loaded with lymph glands. while this may be a long shot, it may be a possibility, that you simply had some inflamed lymph glands.

[GynoHelpWanted]

The area that seems affected is definitely in the area of the lymph nodes, however, the area does not extend from my underarm area to the middle of my chest; it is simply from a little above the nipple to my underarm, along the side of the breast.  Pretty much, the lymph nodes that are circled in the following pic:



The area has been inflamed for 6 months, though...it gets worse at night, and also seems to get worse with stress.  I know that my lymph nodes underneath my armpit became inflamed 4-5 times in the last 6 months, late at night, during moderate stress.  That area actually felt like lymph nodes, whereas this feels more like tissue to me....if I roll over the area with my fingers, there is kind of a "krinkling" feeling..it seems looser in the morning and tighter at night; the entire area, when flexed and squeezed between my fingers is probably 1.5 inches in width, and extends from my armpit to a little above my nipple (but on the side of my breasts).   the breasts and this area became tender/enlarged immediately after taking propecia (about 3 days after...I stopped after 5 days on 1/2 dose).

My breasts seem enlarged, and have a slightly more feminine look to them; my nipples also seem slightly different.  The largest "mass" seems to run along the side of both breasts, though, rather than from the center of the breasts.  On a scale of 1-10, the tenderness/growth of this area has dropped down from a 10 to a 4 in the last couple of months (it has been 6 months post-propecia).  The area still looks enlarged, and no improvement has been seen in a reduction in size, but the tenderness (which I assumed was growth), has started to subside a bit.

My chest was always very flat, and I have had two people comment on the slight difference in the last couple months...I was actually just hoping this was in my mind, lol.  Is it possible this could be lymph nodes?  Is it possible that it's the start of gynecomastia, and it never got to the nipple area because I stopped propecia almost immediately?

I had an ultrasound done, and that revealed no breast tissue.  I've had checkups at the doctors, and they did not mention lymph nodes.  I also just met with an endocrinologist and he mentioned that it was not gyno, but could not tell me what it is.  All I know is that it happened immediately after propecia and was enough to get me to stop the drug immediately.  I am really trying to keep my hair, but the gyno/lymph nodes/tenderness/etc was too much to handle and I immediately stopped. 

I know people have mentioned that ultrasounds aren't that reliable, and doctors can sometimes miss the gyno.....if there's still a chance that this can be prevented/stopped, I am very interested in doing so.  If it's already too late (if it is gyno), then I guess I'll just sit back and wait to see how it unfolds, before deciding if I want surgery or not.

[Paa_Paw]

Cannot see your picture.