Minor gyno on a fit guy and my story (pics)

[KuscoBusco]

I have pubertal gyno - albeit minor (as I've been told by one plastic surgeon and my own doctor). My doctor thinks I should look into body dysmorphic disorder and the plastic surgeon doesn't think I'll be happy even if I lose the weight and get in ripped shape.

I've lost and gained weight probably 10 different times. I'm 22. I just learned about gyno 9 months ago. I've scheduled (and cancelled) roughly 6 appointments with reputable plastic surgeons. I've posted here before, but I still feel like I need some clarification and some advise on whether or not my thinking is straight.

Ever since I learned what gyno was it's been bothering me - a lot - to the point where I waste hours at work on my phone looking at before/after pictures or reading patient's stories of both successful and botched surgeries. It is unhealthy.

I would say I am relatively fit. My posture is habitually bad because of my gyno. I do not feel comfortable in anything pulling my shoulders back and standing up straight because my nipples point out. This is a huge inconvenience when talking to people since I always feel like I'm slouching and come off as insecure/less-confident.

I've always been into fitness and working out. I haven't worked out consistently since learning about gyno - it has destroyed my motivation for getting in great shape because I know the gland will always be there.

I've posted pictures below - 3 of them are soft nipples and what my chest looks like normally. 1 is with my hands on my waste flexing my pecs and exposing the gland. The last (on the second post) is with my nipples very hard and some Gynexol cream rubbed on them.

I need some advice here. If I go the surgery route, I'm very worried about a less than perfect outcome. I'm worried that even though I'll get the gland removed, that maybe I'll develop scar tissue that will make them appear puffy *and yes, I know about kenalog shots, but still*. I'm worried that one nipple might be higher than the other since the gland is slightly bigger in my left pec. I'm worried that my scars will be noticeable regardless of my efforts towards post-operative care.

I've actually been considering getting a consultation with Dr. Jacobs in NY since I am local - he seems to give good surgeries to guys with just puffy nipples.

If I don't get the surgery, I'm back at square one. I'm still in this body that still has glands behind the nipples. If I workout, there is no guarantee I will even be happy afterwards and yet the gland will still be there. If I were to take this route, I'd need to lose roughly 10-15 pounds and put on around 5-10 pounds of muscle.

Is there ANYTHING I can do non-surgically to REDUCE the size of MY gyno? Yes, MY gyno. Please answer that looking, again, at MY case. I understand nothing else will work with someone who has a more significant case. However, I am hard-pressed to believe there is nothing out there that will shrink it to a point that I can at least deal with...

Thanks in advance,
KB

[KuscoBusco]

Pic of hard nipples with Gynexol cream rubbed on. 

[joe7]

First, as you already know, your gyno is minor and the gyno is unnoticeable with nipples cold. You do appear to have some excess fat / glandular tissue on your chest. I have to be completely honest with you though - you are probably a much higher bodyfat than you think. I'd put you at 20% or above. Now, your chest may or may not improve when you lose weight, but why not at least try it? Why not make it a primary goal to get to around 10% bodyfat and then reassess from there?

I have seen quite a few images of guys who had puffy chests at higher body fat that reduces significantly when they lose fat. Here's an example that comes to mind:
https://imgur.com/a/72sIZr4

From this thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/ketogains/comments/95palh/6_months_apart_keto_lifestyle_was_game_changing/

Imagine if this guy had surgery in the 1st picture? Completely unnecessary, as his chest flattens out very nicely at lower bodyfat. So my advice would be to get leaner and reassess you situation from there. Surgery is a one way route, and you have the rest of your life to make the decision.

[KuscoBusco]

First, as you already know, your gyno is minor and the gyno is unnoticeable with nipples cold. You do appear to have some excess fat / glandular tissue on your chest. I have to be completely honest with you though - you are probably a much higher bodyfat than you think. I'd put you at 20% or above. Now, your chest may or may not improve when you lose weight, but why not at least try it? Why not make it a primary goal to get to around 10% bodyfat and then reassess from there?

I have seen quite a few images of guys who had puffy chests at higher body fat that reduces significantly when they lose fat. Here's an example that comes to mind:
https://imgur.com/a/72sIZr4

From this thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/ketogains/comments/95palh/6_months_apart_keto_lifestyle_was_game_changing/

Imagine if this guy had surgery in the 1st picture? Completely unnecessary, as his chest flattens out very nicely at lower bodyfat. So my advice would be to get leaner and reassess you situation from there. Surgery is a one way route, and you have the rest of your life to make the decision.

Thanks Joe - really appreciate it. I'll get moving on a fitness regimen. 

[joe7]

Glad to help. I'm speaking from experience here. I wish I'd at least tried to get leaner before surgery. I'll never know what my chest would have looked like at a lower bodyfat.

[Paa_Paw]

Quote
"Ever since I learned what gyno was it's been bothering me - a lot - to the point where I waste hours at work on my phone looking at before/after pictures or reading patient's stories of both successful and botched surgeries. It is unhealthy."

You are totally correct. 

Lets be totally open about this, the condition is not abnormal.  all men have breasts and some of us have breast enlargement.  The degree of enlargement is what disturbes some men. In your case, I thinkit is slight and I tend to agree with your Doctor about the BDD.

But lets face it, there are a lot of us who have this condition and some that would do anything to get rid of it.   That accounts for a long list of products to hide the breasts and snake oil remedies to shrink the breasts, none of which are worth the bottles they come in. 

You have visited one Cosmetic Surgeon who turned you down on the grounds that you would probably not be pleased with the results.  When a man turns down the chance to do a procedure that will put money in his pockets, that is a man of honesty that you must admire. 

If you keep looking, eventually you will find the purveyor of a worthless product that will claim to shrink your breasts or a surgeon who will take your money but not leave you satisfied.  Please don't go there. 

Your situation is too common to be considered anything but normal and you do not really have it very bad.  Leave it at that. 

[KuscoBusco]

Quote
"Ever since I learned what gyno was it's been bothering me - a lot - to the point where I waste hours at work on my phone looking at before/after pictures or reading patient's stories of both successful and botched surgeries. It is unhealthy."

You are totally correct.  

Lets be totally open about this, the condition is not abnormal.  all men have breasts and some of us have breast enlargement.  The degree of enlargement is what disturbes some men. In your case, I thinkit is slight and I tend to agree with your Doctor about the BDD.

But lets face it, there are a lot of us who have this condition and some that would do anything to get rid of it.   That accounts for a long list of products to hide the breasts and snake oil remedies to shrink the breasts, none of which are worth the bottles they come in.  

You have visited one Cosmetic Surgeon who turned you down on the grounds that you would probably not be pleased with the results.  When a man turns down the chance to do a procedure that will put money in his pockets, that is a man of honesty that you must admire.  

If you keep looking, eventually you will find the purveyor of a worthless product that will claim to shrink your breasts or a surgeon who will take your money but not leave you satisfied.  Please don't go there.  

Your situation is too common to be considered anything but normal and you do not really have it very bad.  Leave it at that.

Thanks Paw. You're absolutely right - the surgeon that turned me down after rescheduling for a fourth time is a surgeon to admire. He cared more about my emotional state than making a few extra bucks - very admirable! That said, since I've posted this I've made some steps. I actually bought a compression shirt from amazon and I actually really like having it under my shirts. I was laughing to myself because when I was younger, I used to always wear an undershirt - always - and for this exact reason. It gives me a lot of confidence in general just knowing I don't have to be conscious of the way I am standing. From here, I might actually see a doctor for a possible hormone checkup and discuss some options there. That said, I know a lot of the reason as to why it sticks out more than I remember is because when i got heavy into weightlifting about a year ago, I got pretty big and would flat bench a lot - just because I liked it. My PR for a flat bench was 315x2. That definitely made the gyno protrude a tad more - especially on the lower pec. I'm focusing a lot now on compound movements and isolating my upper chest/shoulders when lifting those areas. Thanks all again for the support. 

[George Pope, M.D.]

You have a very minor case at best.  In some photos it is difficult to see any problem at all.  Given your level of anxiety regarding the possibility of a bad outcome, you’re not really a good surgical candidate.  An important part of any surgical consultation is determining whether a patient is a good surgical candidate.  Obviously there needs to be room for physical improvement to make the surgery indicated.  But it is also important to evaluate a patient’s potential acceptance of the surgical result, whether good, bad, or equivocal.  If a surgeon has previously told you that you have Body Dysmorphic Disorder, you should take a careful look at how you may emotionally handle (or not) an outcome that you’re not happy with. People with BDD run a high risk of poor acceptance of even a good outcome. 

[HairyKnockers]

I want to nominate Dr. Pope for the honesty award; some people just shouldn’t have surgery.  Every surgery has its risks, things beyond the doctor’s and the patient’s control.  If you don’t really need the surgery; to quote Dr. Pope, “You have a very minor case at best.” Don’t have surgery.  I see articles or news stories about someone who went nuts with plastic surgery.  One girl wanted to look like Barbie.  She should have consulted with a plastic surgeon that told he “No”.

You have one suggestion on working out, sounds like a good one.  I always feel better when I work out.  Another suggestion, from a guy with much bigger boobs than you have and very prominent nipples; let the chest hair grow it acts like camouflage.

[davhamm]

I have to agree with your Dr. get some help for the BDD. Otherwise you will never be happy. 

[clike]

I know you don't believe it but your case is very mild. try exercise first

[KuscoBusco]

Hey guys,
Wanted to post here again. 
Nothing has changed. Everytime I try and get on a running/workout schedule it just never works because I already know what I'll look like if I lose weight. I've been 170ish before - even have pictures of it. I'm really just at my end with this. I'm just now realizing how big of an issue this has been for me throughout, yes, my entire life. 
I think I just want (and need) to get the surgery and cut these damn things out of my chest. It's there. I might have a minor case, but it's there. It's there and it ruins my self-confidence when walking, talking, and just everyday activities. I'm constantly thinking about it - thinking about how I should stand, how other people see me - all these things. 
And then I wonder about what I would think of my gyno if I cut down to 170ish. The fact of the matter is, I'm just not built to be anything lower than 170. I start to look sickly thin at that point. I feel the best around 180 and that being said, 180 is still not lean enough for the gyno to look non existent. It runs in my family - my dad has it, two of my cousins have it - I just can't deal with it anymore. It's causing me anxiety, depression, low self-esteem - and I haven't done anything with my life since graduating college because deep down I know it's because I'm still not happy with myself. If I got the surgery I'd finally feel free. I'd finally be able to go on with my day not thinking about my chest. I'll finally be motivated at the gym knowing that my workouts will pay off and that in the end my body will look better than ever and I will be happier than ever with myself. I'd also finally be able to walk and talk with confidence - shoulders back, head high. That's something I just don't do right now. I can't, my nips point out and it looks like I have small, perky breasts. It fucking sucks and it's been about a year now - I think I'm ready. 

[KuscoBusco]

^^^ All that being said, if anyone can shed some light on why my mind is stuck in this "surgery is the only option" mode and help get me into a more "get into great shape first" - I'm all ears. I've tried convincing myself but I am just so, so depressed and anxious about the whole thing. Like why workout if my glands are still there... I know I still wouldn't be happy and even if I got to 165/170 everybody would comment on how thin I looked and I'd lose all my muscle mass.
Even now, with the compression vest on, some people look at me weirdly like "wait a second, I can usually see your nipples but now I can't" - one of my buddies who I haven't seen in a while actually dapped me up the other night and followed it up with a hug (which he never does). I know it's because he wears a wife beater and he probably noticed how "normal" my chest looked and wanted to hug me to feel whatever it was that was under my shirt. Like there is just no escape from this condition. 
I think everyone looks at me and knows I have it but none of them say it. That, and if I got the surgery they would all notice so I don't even know what's more demoralizing.

[KuscoBusco]

I am so f*cking depressed it's insane. It's Monday today. I have nothing to do. No job, freshly out of college (last June) - I thought these were supposed to be the best years of my life. I look back on my life and realize what a male thingy I've been to some people. I look back and pinpoint everything I did wrong. It's like I'll never escape this. I can't even get myself to workout because I just know that it'll be the same shit all over again. Either I dish out the money and get the surgery, or I don't. Regardless, this feeling of hopelessness is the worst. This condition has ruined me completely for the past year and I'm not even exaggerating. I can either lose weight and do something about my body (but no motivation because of the gyno), or I can get the surgery - hope to God I like the result - and literally start my life all over again...

[Dr. Elliot Jacobs]

You do have a small case of gynecomastia with puffy nipples.  The presence of puffy nipples represents breast tissue just beneath the areolas.  That breast tissue will remain despite any diet or exercise you will do.

I have done a number of similar cases and they are tricky -- remove too much and you have a crater; not enough and you haven't done the job.

Only surgery can target those tissues and remove them to provide you with a nicely contoured chest.  Would very strongly advise you to seek an expert in gyne surgery for the procedure -- and consider traveling for that expertise.

Good luck!

Dr Jacobs