my journey

[+jack]

Hi All,

I've been considering gynecomastia reduction surgery for many years.  In recent months I've decided to take the plunge, and I've been rigorously researching my options and trying to decide on a surgeon.  After careful consideration I think I've made my choice and I'm going to schedule a consultation soon.  My choice of doctor was influenced by several different factors such as online recommendations, the description of his technique, experience level, and his confidence.

I'm 28 years old and I've suffered from gynecomastia since puberty.  Both my father and brother have the same condition which leads me to believe that it may be genetic.   At 25 I had blood work done in effort to discover if there was an underlying medical condition resulting in the gynecomastia but all my blood work came back normal.  I've tried to pinpoint a medication I may have taken as a possible cause, but I've never taken any medication that may possibly contribute to enlarged breasts.  Besides the gynecomastia I've always been a very healthy and normal adult male.

At 25 I tried to avoid the surgery route by changing my lifestyle and taking better care of myself; however, I've found that no amount of exercise or weight loss helps with the gynecomastia.  I was slightly overweight at the time and I figured the gynecomastia would disappear if I lost weight.  From 25 - 28 I worked out religiously in the gym and ran several 5K races.  I've lost weight and gained a lot of muscle mass.  I now have very low body fat percentage but the gynecomastia is still there.

I blame gynecomastia for several of my character flaws and unattractive traits.  I was always very outgoing and confident when I was younger.  When the gynecomastia started developing I began to withdraw from social situations to avoid ridicule, and this led to me becoming very shy and aloof.  It's also affected my posture since I tend to hunch my shoulders in public in order to redirect attention away from the chest area.  This has resulted in very unpleasant back pain at times.

Living with gynecomastia has taken its toll on me.  I'm tired of living with this condition and the psychological torture that comes with it.  I don't want to be embarrassed when taking my shirt off in front of my girlfriend anymore.  I want to be able to swim in public and not worry that people are looking at my chest.  I want to be able to wear normal fitting shirts instead of oversized ones.  I just want to be normal like everyone else. 

For all of these reasons listed above I've decided to have gynecomastia reduction surgery.  I've done my research and I've done everything I can to avoid surgery; unfortunately surgery seems to be the only viable option I have left.  I hope to schedule the surgery as soon as possible Once my initial consultation is completed and if the doctor thinks I'm a good candidate.

I plan on keeping a detailed public journal of the experience from pre to post-op in this thread for the benefit of all.  Hopefully it will be valuable resource for my fellow gynecomastia sufferers who may be considering surgery as well.

+jack

[jimmygyne]

I have been in the exact same boat - contemplating surgery for several years now. The biggest hindrance in my way is the fact that I am a smoker, which means that quitting smoking is a pre-requisite for surgery. However, I can't seem to get rid of this habit.

I used to be a champion swimmer at adolescence, but since the age of 17 after I developed gynecomastia and got ridiculed a couple of times, I just have not had the courage to face anyone shirtless. I exercised rigorously, used supplements and everything else, but everything has just made the gynecomastia worse since the muscle mass now make my chest protrude even more.

I am 29 now, and yes I blame gynecomastia for a lot of my charter flaws too. It destroyed my confidence, made me develop a stammer, transformed my outgoing personality to a shy one which is unable to face ridicule. Holding on to a meaningful relation, or the sheer thought of being with someone now seems daunting as I cannot face them with my clothes off. When being intimate with past girlfriends, I have always kept my under armour on or dimmed the lights and found solace inside a blanket!

Yes, I developed an awkward slouching posture too with frequent shoulder and neck pains now.

This year, I hope I have the kahoonas to take the plunge.