Gotten worse? Do I need a bra?

[datamonger]

Now I know someone is going to say that I need to lose weight and then look into surgery.  Well, I'm not bothered by my breasts, but my nipples are rather sensitive and my areolas kind of hurt when my nipples get hard.

[Paa_Paw]

I don't know that anyone actually "needs" a bra. But if it is thought of as a comfort garment, it may be of benefit for a few reasons.

A bra would support the breasts and eliminate the friction between the breasts and your other clothing. If made of a fabric that would wick away perspiration it would go along way toward preventing the sweat rash in the crease under the breasts in warm weather. Pulling and bouncing would be reduced or eliminated.

Some guys swear that they'll never be caught dead in a bra, others claim that they are a great comfort and wonder that they didn't try one sooner. The answer is entirely up to you.

[gotgyne]

With breasts of your size I'd definitely wear a bra. Mine are smaller but I wear a bra or a crop top everyday nevertheless for comfort and reduced bouncing.

[hammer]

I agree with both of the other posters. Wearing a bra is personal choice. I am much bigger then you and didn't wear one for years even though my wife and daughters said that I should and wound find much comfort, but I had the "men don't wear bras" idea in my head!

I do wear one every day now and for me it makes a world of difference in the reduction in neck, shoulder and upper back pain. The other thing is it makes them stop jumping and swinging actually making them less noticeable. I am a double "D" so no matter what I do it is not easy to hide them.

[improving]

If it improves your quality of life then yeah go for it. But make sure you wear clothing that doesn't show any indication you're wearing one.

But if i were you i'd lose weight, look into surgery. That's just me.

I'm not an expert but if you're nipples are senstive or hurt it might be a sign of them changing, might be worth having a blood test to make sure you're fine in terms of hormone levels. Just my 2p, gl dude.

[Samopoulos]

I think you need a gym.

[Paa_Paw]

While the comments relating to weight loss may seem insensitive, they should not be taken as such.

Obesity is a double whammy. First of course is the obvious fact that the breast, even in men, is a normal place for fat buildup. Second is the issue of aromatase. It is an enzyme produced in the fat cells that converts Testosterone into Estrogen causing stimulation and growth of the breast glands. An obese man will commonly have a lower Testosterone level and higher Estrogen level than a lean man. More developed breasts is the inevitable outcome.

[Gynosaur]

I agree with Samopoulos and Paa_Paw.  Of course you have man boobs - you're extremely overweight.  Estrogen gets along great with fat tissue.

[TigerPaws]

Loosing weight is never any fun, the simple fact is the huge health benefits when you shed the excess pounds far exceed the discomfort of loosing the excess weight. Your breasts will remain depending on how much fat you actually loose.

As was said before fat loves estrogen, it actually stores it so as you loose weight you will release more of it, and your breasts will likely become larger. To the best of my knowledge there is no way to purge that estrogen before or during weight loss.

You may be able to reduce the amount of estrogen you consume or adsorb into your system by eliminating those foods and products which contain estrogen compounds. Just be aware you are going to do a great deal of research in order to find out which foods, soaps and other related product contain those compounds.

All success in your endeavors, breasts on men are far more common than most people think, I believe I have read that 40% of men will as sometime in their live develop at least some breast tissue. Take heart you are not alone in living with your breasts. From what you wrote it sounds like you have found an intelligent and understanding lady, good for you, her acceptance can go a long way towards your understanding that male breasts are perfectly normal as you are.
   

[fsugrad]

Wow. That may explain what happened to me.  I was 40 lbs. overweight for 8 years. My chest was fat but my nipples were never puffy or hurt.  I then went on a low carb high protein diet and lost 45 lbs in 6 months.Soon after my nipples and chest began to throb. The doctor said I was developing gyno.  Its has slowly gotten worse over the past two years despite my weight being stable.

How would liposuction affect the scenerio you described earlier. I would assume it would be positive as you would remove the entire fat cell and the estrogen contained therein.  Is that correct.

[TigerPaws]

A difficult question to answer. "If" you have developed actual breast tissue (some or all of the breast gland) then lypo will not do a lot for you. If you can feel a breast gland then you will have your answer, otherwise you will need an ultrasound to see if what you have is fat or actual breast tissue.

If you have developed your breast gland then your choices are limited, live with them or have what amounts to a Mastectomy.