More Serious/Extreme Case, Posting for my Sanity

[ZachJ92]

I haven’t been a part of this site for too long, so there might be others with similar stories, but I figured I would post mine anyway, assuming that my case is quite unique among cases.
I’ve struggled with obesity and had a larger than average chest (to put it mildly) since I was at least 5 years old, when I started kindergarten and started getting teased for being overweight and, specifically, for having such a large chest. So, right off the bat, I feel a bit different than most people with (pseudo)gynecomastia, most of whom seem to develop their condition around puberty. I was obese pretty much all throughout elementary school until after college: it caused me a lot of social anxiety, and I had a big problem making friends and feeling like I could fit in, specifically because my big chest made me feel like a loner even among other overweight/obese people.
 
In 2015 I weight 331lb: now in 2020 I weigh 230lb (I’m 6’3, 28 y/o), having lost the weight over the course of a few months (as you can see in my pictures, I also have issues with excess stomach skin, and excess skin/fat in several other places). I’ve kept the weight off since then without going back up, and my social life has improved a lot since slimming down some, but I still have issues with being too anti-social and guarded. I have a boyfriend now of 2 years, and we’re in the process of having a baby via surrogacy, so I’m going to need to get over my own personal demons if I’m going to be a good parent. My partner has encouraged me to finally do something about this issue as he’s noticed how much it’s affected both our relationship and my personal life for the past 20+ years (note: he doesn’t care if I get surgery or not, he only wants what will make me happiest, but surgery is looking more likely as it’s so hard for me to imagine having the chest that I have and still living a happy, *healthy* life).
 
I haven’t felt comfortable talking about this subject or looking for help until recently because a. I figured I would just be told to lose weight/keep losing weight to solve my problems, b. I didn’t think I could afford surgery/whatever the solution was, and c. I didn’t know if surgery would be able to fix all my problems. My bf has been supportive, both emotionally and financially, of my finding a solution to my excess skin, so I’ve finally made an appointment to see a local plastic surgeon, which is scheduled for April 2021 (I live in western Mass. and have an HMO). I don’t want to wait that long, and money isn’t really a question anymore, but I want to go through my insurance company first because I’d like to have this issue diagnosed as a health concern instead of just a cosmetic issue. I’m open to going to a plain-old plastic surgeon if it wields better results. I’m pretty sure that I have pseudogynecomastia and maybe some feminine breast tissue, but regardless of what I have I would like to have a much smaller chest. I’d rather not wear any supportive device/bra, just not what I want, and compression shirts don’t work well enough for my case.
 
Just posting this for my own sanity: as I wrote in the beginning, I feel like my case might make me unique among gynecomastia sufferers. Opinions of all kinds are welcome, too. Thank you all!

[blad]

My breasts are at least that size but more self supporting.

I have found comfort and satisfaction wearing a bra for a number of years. If you have not tried a well fitting bra for maybe a month I would recommend it to see if that is an option that would work well for you, before committing to any surgery.

[FredL]

Hi Zach,
Bravo for losing all that weight! And I wish you the best on your journey to becoming a dad. Your child will benefit from your efforts to feel and look good because you will project all of that on to him/her.
 
I was also fat as a child and the boobs made it all worse. I have lived in denial all my life, blaming myself for being out of shape. Just recently, at 56, I dropped weight only to find that the boobs stayed. At the rate I was going, I would need a bra. That is not what I desire. A switch went off in my head and suddenly I was on the path to surgery.  Just a few more weeks and it's a memory of a mammary. I wish I had done this in my 20's or 30's.

I'll be posting about my progress if you are interested. I will be curious to read if you choose to come back and post more.

[FredL]

btw- I think your plastic surgeon will have good suggestions for remedying things. There's definitely help out there but you have extra skin so you will probably have to deal with some scars. Personally, I've been hiding my body my whole life so I'm willing to have scars if it means I look good in my clothes. 

[Traveler]

While you do have some very loose skin due to significant weight loss, you’re not unique. Many men have breasts your size if not larger! (Raises hand) You may have to consider surgery if your skin doesn’t tighten up some. Don’t know if a compression garment might help tighten up your loose skin or not. You might talk to a doctor that deals with weight loss to see if they have recommendations.

[Dale Warnio]

You definitely have good size female shaped breasts. I agree with blad.  You would most likely feel and look best in a bra 

[paulpark21]

I'm not keen on surgery, but in your circumstances I would go for it.  I think you would be much happier with this course of action.

[ZachJ92]

Thanks all for the replies! Sorry I've been away for a while, took some courage to come onto this thread. I appreciate that there are others out there, and I'll try to be more responsive as time gets closer.