16 and Summertime...am I in hell?

[Prettymiserable]

Because I can't see hell being much worse.

I'm just about done. I'm waking up every morning and almost breaking into tears at the fact that I have to endure another day of looking down and seeing the trademark lumps.

Being asked to go to the beach and to parties, knowing that I am unable to wear a regular t shirt/take my shirt off.

I'm just about done. 4 years and I've absolutely had enough, but I can't end it.+

[jamie10]

Hey I can imagine how miserable that must feel but hang in there. You should be speaking to your parents or doctor about this issue because it is clearly a concern for you. You may be able to get surgery through your healthcare system if your case is suitable. Also, you are 16 so this may just be a stage of gyno that passes, many people overcome it without surgery once hormones settle. If not you can get surgery in the future. It's expensive, but seems to be worth every penny by the looks of it.

You should, in the first instance, look around the forums for acceptance of gyno. You might have to deal with it for a short time before it gets corrected. It can be fixed though unlike a lot of other unsightly health conditions so we are all fortunate in that respect!

Don't worry about missing some pool parties or wearing a shirt for a while. Most people on here avoided that for years before treatment. Hopefully you can learn to deal with it for a bit longer, and get some corrective surgery.

All the best mate

[Donut]

Just to repeat and reinforce all of the above really!

You're most certainly not alone, there are loads of us and we know what it's like. At least now with the Internet you can learn about the condition, the fact that in by far and away most cases it disappears by late teens (and around 1 in 4 lads get it to some extent during puberty) - and that in worse case scenario there are excellent surgeons out there who can sort you out if that is what it has to be.

Get yourself some compression T's - I got some from a company called firm51 (google it) - not cheap, but amazing... Wear on their own or under a regular top and no-one (including you when you look in a mirror) will have a clue that anything is 'different' about you at the moment.

Hang on in there!

[LWS]

Speak to a Family Doctor, A reputable surgeon, and a trusted loved one!

[Btgl88]

Mate we have all been there, I know it sucks big time.

As stated above you are 16, so this could go away.

In the mean time, I was wearing compression shirts for years, I had the surgery yesterday. So I can't really say at the moment what to do, but from what I know I had to do it.

Seeing as you are 16, get more active, increase that testosterone while you can, hit the gym. That could work?

[mike93]

Hi,

I'll make this quick as it's getting late but I really wanted to input to this thread. I think these guys have said it all. Please don't forget your not alone. We're all here to answer any questions and worries you have and give you advice where needed. Gynecomastia is very hard to deal with, it ruined about 7 years of my life and i'll never get that time back. My whole teenage years which I should of been able to enjoy, make friends and work hard was dominated by my depression.

I had my surgery at 18. I would have done anything to go back and have it done at 16. Two years of emotional stress and torment I wish I could have stopped. When I started sixth form age 16, I became a selective mute and struggled to make any social friends. I know at the back of my mind I could have avoided this.

I would suggest talking to your parents about it. I think at our age this is a really important process. It will be difficult to do but when I eventually did it my parents understood and were happy to let me go through with it. It did actually take me showing my dad my chest before he realized why I am the way I am.

[Prettymiserable]

Hi,

I'll make this quick as it's getting late but I really wanted to input to this thread. I think these guys have said it all. Please don't forget your not alone. We're all here to answer any questions and worries you have and give you advice where needed. Gynecomastia is very hard to deal with, it ruined about 7 years of my life and i'll never get that time back. My whole teenage years which I should of been able to enjoy, make friends and work hard was dominated by my depression.

I had my surgery at 18. I would have done anything to go back and have it done at 16. Two years of emotional stress and torment I wish I could have stopped. When I started sixth form age 16, I became a selective mute and struggled to make any social friends. I know at the back of my mind I could have avoided this.

I would suggest talking to your parents about it. I think at our age this is a really important process. It will be difficult to do but when I eventually did it my parents understood and were happy to let me go through with it. It did actually take me showing my dad my chest before he realized why I am the way I am.

How was your recovery from the surgery? Did you have it done whilst you were at college or was it in the summer holidays? How successful was it? How much did it cost? (Sorry for so many questions)

My depression reached such a point the other the day that I had to tell my parents about how down I was, I went to the doctors this morning and I'm heading to a private hospital next week for a talk with a plastic surgeon who is the best man for the job at this place. (My dad fortunately has bupa health insurance with his work, although its unlikely that this will be covered)

Thanks for everyone's words.
I'm really hoping to have it done asap, even within the year if possible, as I do not want to struggle my way through college.

[mike93]

Hi,

I'll make this quick as it's getting late but I really wanted to input to this thread. I think these guys have said it all. Please don't forget your not alone. We're all here to answer any questions and worries you have and give you advice where needed. Gynecomastia is very hard to deal with, it ruined about 7 years of my life and i'll never get that time back. My whole teenage years which I should of been able to enjoy, make friends and work hard was dominated by my depression.

I had my surgery at 18. I would have done anything to go back and have it done at 16. Two years of emotional stress and torment I wish I could have stopped. When I started sixth form age 16, I became a selective mute and struggled to make any social friends. I know at the back of my mind I could have avoided this.

I would suggest talking to your parents about it. I think at our age this is a really important process. It will be difficult to do but when I eventually did it my parents understood and were happy to let me go through with it. It did actually take me showing my dad my chest before he realized why I am the way I am.

How was your recovery from the surgery? Did you have it done whilst you were at college or was it in the summer holidays? How successful was it? How much did it cost? (Sorry for so many questions)

My depression reached such a point the other the day that I had to tell my parents about how down I was, I went to the doctors this morning and I'm heading to a private hospital next week for a talk with a plastic surgeon who is the best man for the job at this place. (My dad fortunately has bupa health insurance with his work, although its unlikely that this will be covered)

Thanks for everyone's words.
I'm really hoping to have it done asap, even within the year if possible, as I do not want to struggle my way through college.

Feel free to ask as many questions as you like. I'm here to help wherever I can. I feel like we might be very similar.

I had my surgery done in April this year and my story is on the second page of the UK forum. My pictures are on page 2. I'm healing really well at the moment. I'm extremely happy with my results. I actually had my surgery done in my gap year (I was so depressed that I couldn't face going to university). It also helped to earn some money so that I could pay for my surgery.

I had my surgery with Mr.Levick. The total cost came to about £3900 including compression garments and travel. It does sound like a lot but I wanted to make sure I was paying for the best I could afford. With something like this you don't want shoddy work or a second class job done. There's no question about it, he and Mr.Karidis are the best in the business. I would highly suggest talking to these guys although my personal recommendation is Levick.

You may find scanning this forum that you come across the stories of cheap surgeries in Poland. I wouldn't recommend this (I also considered it). The surgery may go great and the surgeons may be fantastic but it's incredibly risky having surgery abroad and at our age I wouldn't suggest it.

My confidence has increased so much after my surgery. I can walk around without hunching my shoulders forward and without people knowing I ever had a problem. It really feels amazing, sometimes I forget how fortunate I am. You'll find a lot of people in this forum having this surgery done later in life but I would suggest getting it done as soon as possible, there's no time like the present.