ENOUGH ABOUT SURGERY; what about puberty

[TeenWithGyneOMG]

okay. when i first researched male chest development and discovered Gynecomastia( about 2 weeks ago ), i felt relieved to find out that the majority of its victims just get rid of it with time. It says that it  usually takes up to 3 years for it to go away. To tell you the truth, i cant even remember when i got gyne. ive been covering it up for probably 2 or 3 years already. Well i saw myself in the mirror one day, and i decided to check my sources. While browsing the internet, i found this site. All that stress is building up again. Im back in school and very concerned. The ONLY posts i have seen on this site are about surgery. There are no stories about gyne's evening out. To tell you the truth, surgery scares me. I don't want scars on my chest. I don't want to pay thousands.

all i want is some proof that gyne can go away with time. can anyway back that up? pleaseeeee

[supaaman]

Dude,

Take some solace that many of us here have (and are) experiencing some of what you are feeling.  This is a good place to deal with this and face what you are feeling head-on.  The plain truth is that it is very, very unlikely to resolve in you now.  Once gyne has been there for a year or so, it pretty much becomes permanent even if your hormones have come back to normal levels.

Surgery is not that bad.  Scars fade quickly.  With a good surgeon, most scars are virtually undetectable a year later.  Costs can be high (depending on where you live), but as a young fellow, you have plenty of time to save.

In the meantime, you should look after your body and health as best you can and carry on with life in a normal way.  Don't let this little condition ruin some of the best years of your life!

This site is a great place to come for support and find out options for dealing with this condition and how to cope.  You have already made the first step by checking this site out.  The more knowledge you get about it, the less scary it becomes.  The older you get, it gets easier to deal with and becomes less important.  I (and many here) have been there.

Take care

[Yoshi]

^^"Don't waste the best years of your life" isn't so practical with being a teen and having gyne. You feel too embarassed to go to the beach (I've been twice without touching the water), self-conscious when talking to girls (one even told me and a group of friends "Haha! I touched your boob" when she accidentally bumped into me) to go to the pool, run in public, and wear whatever you want.

Heh....I remember when my doctor said, "It should go away after 2-3 years."....I got surgery.

The fact is, if you come looking on this board then chances are you've had gynecomastia for quite awhile or a pretty severe case.

I hope yours resolves on its own.

[Hypo-is-here]

The fact that I do not know of a single case/person for whom their gynecomastia has resolved despite being here for over two years must say something about those that post here if the purported facts of most adolescent gynecomastia resolving are true.

Perhaps those that post tend to be those with either more significant gynecomastia or higher expectations when it comes to their bodies and how they should look-some of which will include men with BDD.  Perhaps those with more mild cases of gynecomastia that see the condition resolved by and large do not come here- apart from those who see something that isn't actually there.

I am of course speculating and do not pretend to have an answer as to why it is that gynecomastia supposedly has a high rate of spontaneous resolution during puberty something that isn't remotely mirrored on this website.  I can only think it does relate to what brings us here as individuals though- in my case very significant gynecomastia until I had surgery.

[Mr_Nip]

The fact that I do not know of a single case/person for whom their gynecomastia has resolved despite being here for over two years must say something about those that post here if the purported facts of most adolescent gynecomastia resolving are true.

Perhaps those that post tend to be those with either more significant gynecomastia or higher expectations when it comes to their bodies and how they should look-some of which will include men with BDD.  Perhaps those with more mild cases of gynecomastia that see the condition resolved by and large do not come here- apart from those who see something that isn't actually there.

I am of course speculating and do not pretend to have an answer as to why it is that gynecomastia supposedly has a high rate of spontaneous resolution during puberty something that isn't remotely mirrored on this website.  I can only think it does relate to what brings us here as individuals though- in my case very significant gynecomastia until I had surgery.

I have a hunch that gynecomastia that resolves itself mostly does it within a very short amount of time, like a few months to a year.  Most of the people who post here talk of it's having been present for longer periods of time.  In other words, by the time you're scared enough to start doing searches and find this forum, your gyne has probably been around for enough time to be considered permanent.  Also, maybe it's not such a significant social barrier until the teen years when people are much more aware of their bodies.  It may be there for a few years before it is considered a problem by the teen sufferer, thus more permanent by the time research is started.  

That could explain why so few (none) of the people here have seen it just "go away".  

Does that make any sense?

[Hypo-is-here]

I have a hunch that gynecomastia that resolves itself mostly does it within a very short amount of time, like a few months to a year.  Most of the people who post here talk of it's having been present for longer periods of time.  In other words, by the time you're scared enough to start doing searches and find this forum, your gyne has probably been around for enough time to be considered permanent.  Also, maybe it's not such a significant social barrier until the teen years when people are much more aware of their bodies.  It may be there for a few years before it is considered a problem by the teen sufferer, thus more permanent by the time research is started.  

That could explain why so few (none) of the people here have seen it just "go away".  

Does that make any sense?

It’s another theory and just as valid as mine or any other, certainly there is some sense in it.  

I suspect that there will be lots of contributing reasons for what appears to be the strange anomaly of never having seen someone on here whose case has resolved.

[supaaman]

You are probably both right to some degree.  It's probably fairly rare that it does resolve and when it does, it does so quite quickly and thus it's unlikely to see them here.  I think it is wrong though to give these young fellows false hope.  If they have had it for a year or so, we should just be straight with them.  Facing up to it is a part of the healing process, whether they elect for surgery or not.  As Hypo says, an endo is step one to see where the hormones are at and if there is an underling problem.  Usually surgery isn't really an option for them because of lack of money.  However, we should encourage them to deal with it the best they can, whether that involves discussing  with their parents , a doctor , or just with people here.

[TeenWithGyneOMG]

well maybe you are right and i should consider the fact that ill need surgery. however, from my sources ( which from your responses seems i should consider false info ) say that gyne can occur any time during puberty. and take up to 3 years to resolve. sure, the majority ( maybe all ) of people posting on this site believe thats bull, but keep in mind that the number of people using this site doesnt seem like much when compared to the supposed percentage, like 20-40 percent i believe ( again these are from online sites regarding gyne ) of  american males who succumb to gyne.

p.s. i said the % of americans. some posters are from other countries.

[supaaman]

Hey Teen,

I'm not suggesting you jump into surgery, but if you have the tell tale puffy nipples like many of us, it's not going to resolve (could improve though).  However, it's prudent to see an endocrinologist (ask your family doc for a referral).  The Endo will do a work up of your hormone levels to see if they are in the normal range (Most gyne is cause by a temporary imbalance of hormones - testosterone and estrogen).  I would highly recommend that you wait until you are finished puberty before you consider surgery because, although it's unlikely to resolve, it may look different, and you may be happy with how you look.  You still will get bigger and more muscular, and lose "babyfat"which may make the gyne less noticable.  If your not happy then, at least your body has fully developed before a ps changes your chest contour.

You are doing the right thing by researching now.  There is a lot of good resources here.  If you have questions about the role hormones can play, the fellow who posted above... Hypo-is-here, is an expert on the subject.

[Mr_Nip]

The fact that I do not know of a single case/person for whom their gynecomastia has resolved despite being here for over two years must say something about those that post here if the purported facts of most adolescent gynecomastia resolving are true.

It would be interesting to know what studies were actually done, where, and by whom, to arrive at those self-resolution percentages.  Do you happen to know, Hypo-is-here?  Maybe they're guessing to a degree.

[TeenWithGyneOMG]

supaa man,

how long have you had gyne? have you had surgery? how old are you xP?  sorry if i seem disbelieving, but i just want to  be sure you arent just speaking out of personal experience and opinion.

my main problem is puffy nipples. im 16 and i think ive had it since the 8th grade. i went to my doctor and, like many of you apparently, he said it should resolve by the time i reach 20. of course now ive lost all hope after visiting this site.

so... how exactly did you reach the conclusion that puffy nipples never go away. If its just from stories on this site and your own experience then hurray for me, i still have a chance.

[Paa_Paw]

Teen,

Genetics is often an issue here. You may need the help of your Mother to get the needed information, but you would want to know if your Father, uncles, or grandfathers had Gynecomastia and what their result was. Unless there is something else going on, you should have similar results as did your older male relatives.

If your Dad had the condition as a youth, and it went away later; you should reasonably expect the same result.

If your father or uncles have the condition, that may be bad news for you.

[supaaman]

Hey Teen,

Yeah, have had gyne since about 13 or so.  37 now and  just had surgery.  Results look good so far. Mine's not a bad case as I always kept in good shape otherwise and covered it up a bit with some body building - seems that a lot of gyne guys are into weights.

My comments about it not going away are from research.  I, too, once was your age and hoped and prayed it went away.  So, I don't want you to feel that I lack empathy for your situation... I feel for you brother.  Been there.  I think if someone had told me that it wouldn't go away at 16, i could have coped better, rather than hold false hope.

I can tell you, that there is a lot you can do wihout surgery.  You can keep yourself in great shape - a fit guy with puffies looks a whole lot better than a fat guy!  If you hit the gym, work yoru chest with bench press and particularly the upper chest with incline presses - this hide the puffy nips under your clothes because your upper chest extends further out than your nipples.  As well, choose clothes that are more flattering - looser and horizontal stripes or lettering works well.

I coped pretty well.  At about age 16, I adapted and did those things and never really let it get in the way of anything from girls to sports to going to the beach.  Mind you, I wasn't really keen on the beach, but at least I didn't miss out and I am glad I didn't looking back.  It gets easier to cope with as you get older.  It just becomes less of an issue.  It's also not an issue for girls really (unless it is an extreme case I suppose), so don't worry about that either.  They are waaay more worried about what their boobs look like!

If I were you, if you are thinking about surgery at all, wait until 18-20 so you develop closer to your full proportions to see how you look.  It may not stand out as much once you fill out.  If you are not happy then... then consider it.  I think  it's better to get the surgery at 20 than at 37 as your body is more resilient and the result will be better.

So, there is some hope that it will look better in the next few years, but I can pretty much guarantee it will be there to some degree.  You just have to make the best of with what you have (don't wait for them to magically disappear).  I know what you are hoping (from experience).  Good luck young fella.