I need advice

[yellowlab]

Hello,
I'm new on the forum.  I have a 15 year old son who is slightly overweight.  For the past two years, he has developed "man boobs" (as he calls it).  We have discussed it with him and he feels that he has this gyno.I went on the internet and researched it, and told my son that he is not alone and lots of teens get it.  That seemed to help him in eradicating his feeling that he is a freak. He goes to the fitness club every day, but it doesn't seem  to help.  His nipples definitely protrude and are puffy.  The reason why I'm here is that I need to know whether I should let him continue with this terrible problem, or whether I should push for surgery.  I'm frustrated with the nonchalant attitude of our GP.  He says that our boy is in puberty and "it will eventually go away", and we should just "ride it out".  Is that really true?  He is a late developer, and his voice hasn't changed yet.  My husband just writes it off as "extra fat" that he needs to get rid of, but I put him straight, because our son needs the support of his family, and not his father blaming him for eating too much. But then I read about these 15, 16, 17 year olds getting reduction.  Should we just "wait and see"?  What would you advise?

[Grandpa Bambu]

yellowlab...

Welcome to the Site!

Being a teen with Gynecomastia is tough. Doctors tell you to 'wait' it out. In the meantime though, the sufferer's life can be a living hell. Personally, I would advise your son to wait until he is 18, yes it may be tough, but you have to wait until he is out of puberty. Many teens develop enlarged breasts and shortly after, it goes away. For some, it will develop and never go away (on its own).

Sorry to cut this short... Got to go...  Chat later...

GB

 

[Mr_Nip]

What Bambu said...

And...  It seems from reading countless posts here on these boards that if the gyne has been present for a couple of years or more, then it's probably not going away on its own.   I would go so far as to say you may want to explore the idea of surgery even as young as 17.   Make sure you see a gyne specializing PS, though... One who's done plenty of the surgeries on men and teens.  In teen years, I also believe it's a good idea to first check with a good endocrynologist to make sure the hormones are back to normal from the crazy puberty years.   

Also...  Tell your husband to read through these threads and look at some of the pictures.  There are plenty of skinny guys and body builders who have some pretty impressive sized gyne.  It's not from being fat.  Believe me, your son probably gets those "fat" comments from his friends at school and he doesn't need more of it at home.   You're right in coming here.  Your son is fortunate to have you as a mom and I join Bambu in saying "WELCOME".     

[Hux]

I actually went through high school with gyne and trust me.. It's no fun..
Kids will make fun of your son every chance they get.
I was actually on the wrestling team and had to have my shirt off a lot of the time and it was harsh.

If I were you then I would get your son the surgery.
High School is one of the most important stages in life and it shouldn't have to be ruined by gyne..

Now I haven't gotten the surgery yet but I plan too.
I'm 19 years old.

[xmeout]

I wont say my age but I'm young. Where did you read about 15, 16 year olds getting reduction? was it here? Was in the US?

[Time_to_fix_it]

Hello,
I'm new on the forum.  I have a 15 year old son who is slightly overweight.  For the past two years, he has developed "man boobs" (as he calls it).  We have discussed it with him and he feels that he has this gyno.I went on the internet and researched it, and told my son that he is not alone and lots of teens get it.  That seemed to help him in eradicating his feeling that he is a freak. He goes to the fitness club every day, but it doesn't seem  to help.  His nipples definitely protrude and are puffy.  The reason why I'm here is that I need to know whether I should let him continue with this terrible problem, or whether I should push for surgery.  I'm frustrated with the nonchalant attitude of our GP.  He says that our boy is in puberty and "it will eventually go away", and we should just "ride it out".  Is that really true?  He is a late developer, and his voice hasn't changed yet.  My husband just writes it off as "extra fat" that he needs to get rid of, but I put him straight, because our son needs the support of his family, and not his father blaming him for eating too much. But then I read about these 15, 16, 17 year olds getting reduction.  Should we just "wait and see"?  What would you advise?

Yelllowlab,

I appreciate your awful dilemma.  To see your son suffering must be dreadful for you and naturally you want it to stop NOW.  I guess you see the option for surgery at this point in his life as a way of making this nightmare end.  I can only imagine how you must feel.

However a couple of things spring to my mind and I wonder if they have to you too.

1.   You will have read that gynecomastia is caused by a hormonal imbalance.  For most people that happens at puberty and for most of them it resolves itself as the imbalance naturally corrects itself.  For a few people the gyne remains when the imbalance corrects itself and for them surgery is usually the only option.  To have surgery when the imbalance still exists could easily mean that the gyne will re-grow, so a sufferer has to be sure that his hormones are “normal”.
2.   You say your son is 15 and “He is a late developer, and his voice hasn't changed yet”.  Now I’m no doctor but it would be a reasonable guess that he is still going through puberty and his hormones are still bouncing all over the place (out of balance).  It would seem to me that it would be foolish to have surgery when there is a chance that the gyne could re-grow.  I can only imagine that is the thinking of your GP who has no vested interest whatsoever in anything other than the best thing for your son.

It must be hard for you as a parent and hard for your son, but in your shoes I really would take the advice of your GP (and I am no fan of GPs believe me).  I would sit it out and wait until your son has finished going through puberty.  By doing that you wouldn’t risk having to put him through 2 surgeries (if it re-grows because his hormones haven’t settled), and you might well find that his gyne resolves itself when he comes out of puberty just as it does for 95% of boys of his age.

I don’t think what I am saying is what you want to hear, but you asked for opinions and that is mine based on the information you have told us.

Whatever you decide to do ...  I wish you all the luck in the world.  Take care.

[Time_to_fix_it]

I definately agree with you that it is a young age; however it is heredity in our family.  The doctors that you would question are the 2 renowned in the world that are on gynecomastia.org.  I am not disagreeing with you, however, I know what it's doing to my child (inside and out) and I want to help him in any way that I can.  I am grateful for this organization.  There are no guarantees but it is a chance he is willing to take.

Bklyngrl,

The points I made in the post above to Yellowlabs I would also suggest you consider in the similar dilemma you have with your son, especially as your son is 3 years younger.  I accept that you say that the condition is hereditary in your family but if he hasn’t finished puberty why take the risk of the gyne re-growing?

[skyhawk]

Yellowlab, I can understand. I know this gyne thing isn't fun, but I would reccommend waiting this one out as painful as it must be for your son.

Right now I am witnessing teenage man boobs going away on a 14 year old.

After your son has passed thru puberty, and IF the manboobs are still present,
then surgery will always be an option. The hard part is the wait.

Surgery now  could easily end up as a revision later after a re-occurance since your son's voice has not changed yet. The testosterone will kick in and things will most likely get better.

[MRD]

I agree with the guys that are saying 12 or 15 is too young to have the operation done. Simply because the problem may be because of puberty and will go away by the time the child is 18. If the operation is done so early in puberty, it can come back again in a year or so while the child is still having hormonal changes due to puberty. Why risk having an operation when the hormones are all over the place? My advice, wait for puberty and the hormones to settle down, then look into surgery. 18 would be a good age. I waited until i was 19.