How does it go away?

[Bosshog69]

Hi guys, I have had puffy nipples for a little over a year now I have a gland under my nips about an inch across I am 14 and I was wondering if this could ever go away. I have also been reading and I am still not sure how the pubertal gynocomastia goes away some people say it's overnight and I am wondering how this is possible. So how does it go away and is there anything I can feel in my nips that will tell me it's going away or shrinking? Tenderness, not tender, erect, etc. Has anyone ever tried freezing their nips, I have seen a new thing that is like liposuction except you freeze the fat.
Thanks

[Dr. Elliot Jacobs]

If you have had the problem for only one year, best recommendation is to leave it alone and there is a decent chance it will spontaneously disappear.  There is no recommended treatment to make it disappear faster.  And please, don't try the "fat freeze" treatment, you will only be left with sore nipples which are the same size.  Remember, the cause of puffy nipples is breast tissue, not fat.

Dr Jacobs

[Bosshog69]

Thanks Dr. Elliot, so how does it go away I have yet to find how it happens and is there something you can feel like soreness numbness etc. that will tell you if it's going away? I have also heard it goes away over night, is this true?

[Dr. Elliot Jacobs]

Actually, no one knows for sure how it disappears.  And, it certainly doesn't disappear overnight -- in fact, it is very gradual.

There are no tell tale signs, like soreness, numbness, tingling, etc.  Be patient!

Dr Jacobs

[DrPensler]

When males go through puberty the breast bud increases in size. The mass which you feel is the breast bud that is a bit painful to touch and resolves in the majority of cases with time.The resolution is not ever overnight but rather over a period of months typically 6 to 12 months. When a physician quotes the typical time course it is for an average case meaning half of the cases resolve faster however half of the cases resolve slower. You are still in the midst of the various hormonal changes which occur during puberty so sit tight and chances are good that things will resolve.

[Bosshog69]

Somebody said to tomoxofin would help is this true?

[DrPensler]

Tamoxofin is not effective for treatment of gynecomastia.

[Litlriki]

You are going through what is a normal physiological process--puberty--in which as high as 70% of men will develop some degree of gynecomastia, 95% of which go away in a 3 year period.  Those are numbers worth remembering--this is a very common thing, but most young men don't talk to one another about it (or at least they didn't when it happened to me at age 13...I was sure I had cancer and was going to die!)  The internet allows for a raised degree of awareness, but things like treating with Tamoxifen, and so on, are not good options during the time of hormonal sensitivity anyway.  You want your body to do what it's supposed to do, and unfortunately if you have gynecomastia when that's all over, you may need surgery some day.  But if it's been a year, you have at least 2 more years before surgery should be considered.   And I don't think medication should ever be used, except in very limited situations. 

Good luck,

Rick Silverman

[Bosshog69]

Thank you so much Dr.Rick that was very reassuring! You mentioned you had gynocomastia when you were younger, and I was wondering how yours went away and how long you had it also, did you notice anything when it was going away like soreness or anything like that? Did it shrink over time or was it fast? Sorry about all of the questions but I have not been able to find anything like this on the internet and I'm assuming it's because if a persons gynocomastia went away during puberty they probably just forgot about it and moved on with their lives not putting it on the internet or anything.

[Litlriki]

I don't remember much about it. I had a small pea on the left side, and one day I realized it wasn't there anymore.  No pain, no sensitivity. I'm sure it varies from person to person.

RS