i'm 18 with gynecomastia

[electricaltape]

At age 13 I developed breasts, they were very small at the time and I didn't let it bother me. I felt comfortable wearing t-shirts, going swimming, etc. I was a confident and happy person. Then highschool started, and I got teased a lot and people grabbed at them and gave me purple nurples. I was a lot less confident in public. I starting smoking pot, and went from being an very good student to failing classes. I had absolutely no self-esteem and gained a lot of weight, I was only 5'4" at the time and about 175 lbs. I was very depressed and contemplated suicide every day, and came very close to following through a few times. At age 16 I went to "fat camp" and lost a lot of weight, but I still had breasts. I did have a lot more confidence but once I went to school again in september I was made fun of still, and I gained back all the excess weight just making things worse. At age 17 I was at an all time low, and I dropped out of high school. I've suffered from a lot of social anxiety from having breasts, and I've let it control my life. I've had no girlfriends, very few friends, and not a day goes by where I am not self-consious about having breasts. I wear a constrictive undershirt to try and hold them in a bit.  

In October of this year, I joined a gym and I've been going a few times a week in addition to eating healthy. I'm 5'8" now and went from 190 to 155lbs. I plan to still lose more fat and gain some more muscle, but it is quite apparent that no matter how much I build up my pecs or how much fat I lose, I'm still going to have breasts. So now I am left to analyze my options, I can either live with breasts and try not to let it bother me too much. Or I can go get surgery. Personally, surgery freaks me out. My nipples and the surrounding area are VERY sensitive, and I am afraid that after the surgery I am going to be in a great deal of pain. Also, I don't have much money so I have to see how much coverage I can get from OHIP (I live near Toronto).

I'd like to hear what you guys have to think. And maybe some people who've decided not to get surgery and just cope with it, could give me some strategies they use to not let it affect their self-esteem.

P.S. I've recently begun attaining the remainding credits I need to complete high school. (Sorry for boring you with the life story but I thought it was relevant.)

[from_philly]

Definitely can relate to a lot of the mental problems that you've experienced as well.  This shouldn't even be up for debate, get the surgery

[Paa_Paw]

I'm 68 and I've had it since about the age of 12.  The surgery has only been available for about 20 years. If you do a little simple arithmetic, you'll see that I had no choice but to cope for a long time.  

First, the girls do not seem to care too much.  I once even dated a girl who was so flat chested that my breasts were larger than hers. We eventually went our separate ways, but not because of the Gynecomastia.

What the girls do pick up on is your self attitude.  If you do not have a high regard for yourself, no girl will either.

Some guys swear by the various compression garments; I found them too restrictive and expensive. (Though they have improved greatly over the years)  I simply wore a very tight tee shirt under a slightly oversize shirt buttoned up.

Work on your self image, What is going on between your ears is much more important than a bit of surplus tissue on your chest.

[kev]

Agreed - remember while surgery can get rid of the lot of tissue - and surgery is quite simply the best thing I ever did in my life, no question - the psychological scars need to be dealt with too.

Good luck to you!  And work on getting that high-school finished!

kev

[Allan7865]

Some guys swear by the various compression garments; I found them too restrictive and expensive. (Though they have improved greatly over the years)  I simply wore a very tight tee shirt under a slightly oversize shirt buttoned up.  

Haha I guess that worked fine for you. I wont claim to know the fashion styles of every generation. But I just know that today, guys my age would draw even more looks towards them walking around the mall with buttoned up shirts. The only time I will ever wear a buttoned up shirt is at a special occasion.

I do feel truely sorry for anyone who never had surgery as an option. I guess plastic surgery is such a recent thing.

I feel even worse for anyone living a thousand years ago with Gynecomastia, with no scientifique explanation for it they must have thought they were just cursed.

Either way thanks for the input.

[kev]

>>>anyone living a thousand years ago with Gynecomastia

Depends - there is some indications that gyne was/is something to be respected in some cultures, e.g. some Native American cultures, according to an anthropologist friend of mine... you could be lucky.

I also remember one of the great Egyptian Caliphs - forget the name off the top of my head- was a widely respected ruler "who had breasts hanging down to his waist."

Gyne in history, eh?

[mrfantastic5]

lol i'm sure thousands of years ago they were too busy trying to survive rather than worry about if they had breasts or not

[from_philly]

I feel even worse for anyone living a thousand years ago with Gynecomastia, with no scientifique explanation for it they must have thought they were just cursed.

off subject, but speaking of a thousand years ago ... I was watching this show about the Roman Empire and they were talking about surgery even back then ... and they mentioned some people in the Roman Empire (men) getting a breast reduction surgery! lol It was wierd seeing the problem so far back

http://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/H/history/a-b/ancientsurgery6.html

"Celsus also describes a procedure to reduce the breasts of an obese man because, he says, ‘they looked unsightly and shameful’. In Roman society, being fat was, apparently, as bad as being an ex-slave or a Jew and well worth the pain to have the stigma erased."

[electricaltape]

Thanks for the replies. I think I owe it to myself to get into my best shape possible (physical and mental) before I make a descision about surgery. Paa_Paw, I know what you're saying, but it's very difficult for me have a positive self-image with my man-boobs. Although, there are areas that I regard myself very highly, I have a good sense of humour, I'm witty (not around girls though :p), and I'm a genuinely kind person. But when it comes down to confidence about my appearance, I have none whatsoever.

[Hypo-is-here]

>>>anyone living a thousand years ago with Gynecomastia

Depends - there is some indications that gyne was/is something to be respected in some cultures, e.g. some Native American cultures, according to an anthropologist friend of mine... you could be lucky.

I also remember one of the great Egyptian Caliphs - forget the name off the top of my head- was a widely respected ruler "who had breasts hanging down to his waist."

Gyne in history, eh?

Tutankhamun is thought to be the oldest known case of gynecomastia in the world.

[micheal]

i hate hearing this shit, srry man sounds like the rest of us

[mrfantastic5]

sounds like u are a good candidtate for surgery to me.  U joined a gym, you made attempts to lose the weight, and ya i know it can be frustrating because like u said no matter how much fat you lose, and muscle you build, theyw ill still be there.


my advice.  Get surgery, but also realize that the surgery wont make your chest perfect.  IF you have a good case of gyno, you need to come to grips with the fact that again your chest wont ever be perfect.  

So a nice combination of acceptance, and surgery is ur best bet

[Paa_Paw]

One of the first things you need to do is to have a serious talk with a parent about your situation.

Then, you need to see a Doctor. Gynecomastia is usually physically harmless, but it can sometimes be an important symptom of serious health problems.

Next would be a referral to an Endocrinologist who specializes in reproductive issues.

A Psychologist may be able to help you with your self image and may be able to show a medical need which would make it easier to get surgery covered by medical insurance.

Finally, do some research and find a really good surgeon if that is what you want.  The guys who see the surgeon first have a lower chance of a really good outcome. It pays to go through all the steps.

Good Luck!