Gyne or fat?

[ksw870]

Sorry the pictures are sideways, but I didn't want to go take em over. So just lean your head or something please 







I'm 20, going on 21. Surgery is out of my price range. I was trying to do 30 minutes a day on a elliptical, but i get depressed thinking if I lose weight I'll look even worse. I'm 5'7" 160lbs. According to the BMI, i'm not overweight or underweight, but I've always had a fat belly.

I was about 135-140 2 years ago and my stomach was smaller and maybe my chest, but I can't really remember. After HS I drank more beer than I used to, but in the last 6 months I hardly ever drink beer, maybe on the weekend. I've smoked cigarettes since I was 16 and I've smoked marijuana off and on since around 14-15.

[headheldhigh01]

gyne, too conical overall to be anything but.  the beer and pot don't guarantee gyne, but they improve your odds of getting it.  so since you know weight loss isn't going to fix it, either accept it or start saving now to have a shot at fixing it later. 

[ksw870]

i've heard that putting on muscle actually makes it worse?

here lately i've been doing alot of push ups and bicep curls trying to improve my arm strength, and push ups put a workout on the chest, so whats the verdict on that?

also, i read somewhere that you can feel and gland or something behind it. Mines just all soft and squishy.

[**Gynefor**]

Gyne for sure. Sport wouldn't help that much and as you heard, it can make it more protuberant indeed. Try to lose some weight and see what happens. It might be able to reduce it a little bit.

[headheldhigh01]

since gyne comes in a lot of sizes and shapes, some people might have a more solid gland/disk where others just get the squishy mass instead.  areolas are larger for some but not others, nips get pokier or not, etc. 

[DrBermant]

Sorry the pictures are sideways, but I didn't want to go take em over. So just lean your head or something please 

I'm 20, going on 21. Surgery is out of my price range. I was trying to do 30 minutes a day on a elliptical, but i get depressed thinking if I lose weight I'll look even worse. I'm 5'7" 160lbs. According to the BMI, i'm not overweight or underweight, but I've always had a fat belly.

I was about 135-140 2 years ago and my stomach was smaller and maybe my chest, but I can't really remember. After HS I drank more beer than I used to, but in the last 6 months I hardly ever drink beer, maybe on the weekend. I've smoked cigarettes since I was 16 and I've smoked marijuana off and on since around 14-15.

Fat tends to be soft, gland tends to be firm.  Fingers of gland often dissect between fingers of fat.  Look at this drawing and move your mouse over the arrows.  However, gland can be soft and fat firm confusing the picture.  Gland tends to be located under the nipple and pinching pressure can sometimes tether to the nipple pulling it in.

Unfortunately, it can be difficult to distinguish just what is causing the problem.  Gynecomastia male breasts can be fat, gland, or most commonly a combination of both.  Sometimes skin and sagging tissues can be a factor.  Pseudo Gynecomastia is supposed to be fat only gynecomastia.  The problem with that "classification" is that in almost every case of gynecomastia I have seen there is some component of gland.  This gland can be very small, but it is present almost all the time.  So do you have Pseudo gynecomastia when there is a 1%, 10%, 50%, or 90% deformity from fat?  Reality just does not work that way.  I prefer the original meaning of the word by Galen who first used the phrase: female like breasts.  If the contour looks female, then you have gynecomastia wether it is fat and or gland.  Female breasts come in many different forms from the small puffy nipple of a developing breast to a large hanging structure.

I prefer to treat the contour, how it looks.  If there is a concern about a female like contour, I try to sculpt a male like chest.  Picking your surgeon is like picking an artist.  Not all surgeons have the same skills.

Wearing extra fat is not healthy.  Check out risks with a BMI Calculator (Body Mass Index)

Plastic surgery is better after weight loss, losing weight is a coarse tool. Plastic surgery is better used for refinement.

Weight Loss, Dealing With Excess Skin of the Chest and Body is also a major emotional issue.

Check out this section on the emotion of body lift surgery for those after massive weight loss:

Personal experiences and emotions of dealing with weight, loose skin, and body lift surgery.

Hope this helps,

Michael Bermant, MD
Learn More About Gynecomastia and Chest Sculpture