I would say my gynecomastia story is a somewhat familiar story to many of you out there. I can remember when I was about 11 or 12 I noticed that as I matured physically I also started to develop larger than normal, puffy nipples. At the time I didn't really worry too much about it because my parents and the doctors I asked about it suggested that it would go away as I went through puberty. I had a friend who had the same thing and his did actually go away in just a few years. Well, mine didn't. Going through high school and eventually into college I was extremely athletic and managed to keep my gyne. pretty well hidden by being in above average shape.
My hesitations in public were just the same as everyone else I know, however. I have always wore a size of shirt that is one size too big for me so that my nipples didn't stick out. Playing shirts or skins in pick up basketball was always a dread. If I did have to play on the skins team I would take my shirt off in a corner, rub my nipples so that they would tighten up and then walk onto the court. Usually after playing for a few minutes they would tighten on their own and I'd be okay. Getting into the pool was the exact same thing. Beach trips were a dread. I would think about them for months before we would go just because I knew I was going to have to take my shirt off. Team locker rooms were the worst. I would usually walk to the shower with my uniform on to avoid anyone making fun of me. I can remember one time a friend of mine came up behind me and game me a titty twister. To this day I cringe thinking about the pain that caused me.
After college I got married and thankfully, taking my shirt off in front of my wife was never a big deal. We did talk on occasion about my puffy nipples but to her it wasn't an issue. As a few years after college passed by and I began to work more and exercise less, I noticed that not only did I still have the puffy nipples with the hard disk behind them but my chest was also starting to sag a bit. (I think it should be noted, I never really gained that much weight - maybe 10 or so pounds). The crazy thing was that my right side was much worse than my left and I could notice through my shirts and even in pictures.
After about 9 years of being a little out of shape and not really the weight I wanted to be I decided it was time to get back into shape thinking this would cure the sagging. After about a year of hard work I was back down to my high school weight and and once again defined my muscles like they were before. However, the sagging did not disappear and my nipples seemed to stick out further than before. I finally decided (at the age of 33) that is was time for me to do something about this.
My first visit to the doctor was in May of '10. I explained to the dr. the years of frustration with gyne. and told him what I would like to have done. When I first took my shirt off the dr. seemed to think that my case was really not that big of deal and that it would be no problem to fix the issues. After several tests we scheduled the surgery for Dec. of '10.
The Surgery - part 1
As with most people I was very anxious about having surgery. This was the first surgery I had ever had and did not know what to expect. They were going to do lypo to remove the excess fat from around my chest. The dr. decided not to cut into the nipples thinking the lipo would take care of the puffiness. When I woke up from the surgery I was in a lot of pain. That lasted for a few days and then I was starting to feel pretty good. The thing I hated the most was having to wear the garment for a whole month. After a couple of months I felt that all the swelling had gone down and I could now honestly assess my surgery. The good - my chest looked a whole lot better. There were shirts that I used to be uncomfortable wearing that I could now where. However, there were some issues. For one, my dr. thought that liposuction alone would alleviate the puffy nipples - it didn't. Two, my left side looked fantastic, but my right side still exhibited some sagging. Remember, my right side was much worse than my left.
The surgery - part 2
At my six month post op I expressed these concerns to my dr. and asked him what my options were. His reply was that my only option was another surgery. After about a month of contemplating I decided to go under the knife for a second time. This time my dr. was going to cut out from underneath the nipples and once again do lipo on the right side.
I am now in my final week of recovery from my second surgery. I can take my garment off now just for a few minutes to take a shower so I have seen my chest. It looks great. Of course I haven't worked out in over a month so there is some muscle that needs to be built up but overall I'm extremely satisfied. The best part about it is I have no more puffy nipples. I put an under armour shirt on the other day that I wear sometimes to play basketball and it looked great without rubbing my nipples.
I know that some people if they knew that I had two surgeries (and paid over $5000) just to remove some fat from my chest and take away the puffiness of my nipples would think I was crazy. But for me it was totally worth it. To me gyne. is almost a mental disorder for guys. I've observed guys on the beach or in the gym doing the exact same things that I've done to hide my gyne. and I sympathize greatly with them. For me I'm already looking forward to my new life without gyne. Beach trips are no longer going to be a dread for me. I can't wait to get to the pool this summer and I'm going to volunteer my team to play skins in basketball. My wife and I are taking a cruise in January. I'm thinking about not even packing shirts, just going shirtless the whole time. I feel like I have a new lease on life.
Topic: My gynecomastia story (Read 6808 times)
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