Should I or shouldn't I?

[Inflikted]

For a while now, I've been pondering the idea of seeking corrective surgery for my gynecomastia. I'm really unhappy with the way my chest looks (always have been), and I don't believe my condition can be rectified with a simple diet/ exercise routine.

 

But, it's an expensive procedure. The nearest surgeon that does the procedure has given price estimates between $2500-8000 (not sure why the big difference). I can... probably swing that, but that's still a lot of money.

 

I mean, I really hate the way it looks, and I'd love to see myself with a normal looking chest, but I don't know how I quantify what that's worth to me, in terms of money. Yanno?

[Star Gazer]

Go for the more expensive surgeons, who are Board Certified in Plastic Surgery.

 

You will have large scars from this surgery. If your concern is what you look like shirtless, it might not be worth it.

[Inflikted]

Well, all of the local surgeons I've looked at say they're board certified on their websites. The one I mentioned before is the only one I've actually been able to find any kind of concrete pricing information from, and like I said, for whatever reason, I've seen a pretty varying cost, at that.

 

I contacted the other couple of doctors via their websites, and I made it very clear that I was interested in the pricing, but none of them would give me that detail in the e-mail. I assume they probably want to peg you down for an actual consultation before springing the price on you...

 

I've looked at their galleries of "before and after" pictures, and I didn't really notice any patients with large noticeable scars. For one of the surgeons, I did notice small scars on his patients, but they weren't THAT bad, and worst case scenario, I could opt for one of the other surgeons.

 

I dunno. I'm mostly skittish about the price. Even $8000 seems like a lot of money, not sure how I feel about paying more than that. Like I said, for as long as I can remember, every time I see my chest (which, as you can imagine, is fairly often) I just hate the way it looks. If it weren't for that, I think I could be able to look at myself and say "I don't look half bad...", and that would be nice to be able to say to myself for a change. But it's hard to quantify how much that's worth to me, in terms of dollars.

[pbjbear]

Can I ask whats wrong with your chest? In some cases if someone is realllly bad I understand why they would resort to surgery.

 

However, if your chest doesnt meet the ideal of the beauty standards in the media...the scars and pain wont be worth it.

 

I know 4 people who have gotten breast implants and 3 of them have regretted it.

[Star Gazer]

Well, all of the local surgeons I've looked at say they're board certified on their websites. The one I mentioned before is the only one I've actually been able to find any kind of concrete pricing information from, and like I said, for whatever reason, I've seen a pretty varying cost, at that.

 

I contacted the other couple of doctors via their websites, and I made it very clear that I was interested in the pricing, but none of them would give me that detail in the e-mail. I assume they probably want to peg you down for an actual consultation before springing the price on you...

 

Make sure they're Board Certified IN PLASTIC SURGERY. Many will claim to be a "Board Certified surgeon" and later you find out their Board Certified in podiatry or something.

 

Also, if they post their costs/prices on their website, DO NOT GO TO THEM. A surgeon worth his/her weight doesn't need to sell themselves or entice people to come to them with discounts and sales and low rates.

[Inflikted]

Can I ask whats wrong with your chest? In some cases if someone is realllly bad I understand why they would resort to surgery.

 

However, if your chest doesnt meet the ideal of the beauty standards in the media...the scars and pain wont be worth it.

 

I know 4 people who have gotten breast implants and 3 of them have regretted it.

 

Well, gynecomastia is basically the condition of having "man boobs", in which simply eating better and/ or working out doesn't change the condition. I have female-like breasts, and while I'm sure there are much worse examples of the condition than my own, it's still very displeasing to me. Heck, my dad is overweight and out of shape, yet he still has a flatter, more normal-looking chest than I do.

 

I just hate seeing my body the way it is. I don't really have friends to go out with, but if by some chance I ever got invited to a beach or a poolside area, or something like that, there's no way I'd ever take my shirt off. Heck, I've never had sex, but if I was ever with a girl, I'd most likely refuse removing my shirt. And I don't want to live that way, yanno? I want to be able to look at myself and be able to tell myself that I look normal, good, even.

 

Make sure they're Board Certified IN PLASTIC SURGERY. Many will claim to be a "Board Certified surgeon" and later you find out their Board Certified in podiatry or something.

 

Also, if they post their costs/prices on their website, DO NOT GO TO THEM. A surgeon worth his/her weight doesn't need to sell themselves or entice people to come to them with discounts and sales and low rates.

 

Yeah, they all say they're board certified in plastic surgery. None of them specifically have costs or prices mentioned on their site. I e-mailed each of them and specifically asked about the price, myself. Two of them completely ignored my inquiry about pricing, and the other one gave me a general price of about $8000. I tried to search on Google for pricing information, and I found an article about the surgeon that quoted me $8000, and the article mentioned a price of about $2500 for the surgery. Hence the range I came up with for that particular surgeon.

[Imported]

OP, are you overweight? Have you tried leaning out? Saw a kid yesterday at the pool @16 years old maybe. Hard to judge weight for someone not fully grown yet, but if he were fully grown I'd say he was probably 50lbs overweight. He had boobs, like he should be wearing a bra. I am sure most of it would go away if he wasn't overweight.

 

I have also heard of people that are lean that still have gyno, but for the most part everytime I see dudes with man-boobs, they are also overweight. The ones that are lean and have it......probably didn't know what they were doing when they did..uhm...cycles.

 

Before going under the knife and paying all that money (my guess is the $2.5k to $8k range is in case something goes wrong), lose weight. Try Letrozole. Although dudes use it as prevention while on cycle, some people have claimed it helped in getting rid of gyno as well. Tomoxifen is another one, but I think that is definitely on the prevention side only. Ask a doctor, get a proscription. Failing that, there are other ways to get it that is reliable.

[gullibleme]

I can empathize with you...however I am woman who had breast reduction 16 yrs ago and never regretted it..the scaring was very noticable at first but it has faded considerably. I hated large breasts couldn't find the right clothes ect.... I can hide the scars with a clothes. Men I have been with never noticed or cared for that matter...

 

I would say it may be a big self esteem boost for you and in time the scars fade. You may not want to go shirtless for a while but you may feel your appearance in clothes will be much more satifying. Good luck with your decision

[Inflikted]

OP, are you overweight?

 

Not really, no. I'm not in the most athletic shape, and I could probably stand to lose 10-15 pounds, but I've been 10-15 pounds lighter in the past, and I still looked exactly the same.

[Star Gazer]

Not really, no. I'm not in the most athletic shape, and I could probably stand to lose 10-15 pounds, but I've been 10-15 pounds lighter in the past, and I still looked exactly the same.

 

Do you know what your body fat percentage is?

 

A good plastic surgeon, if it's your weight/fat percentage that's really the problem, will tell you to workout and diet and hit the weights before resorting to surgical intervention.

[Inflikted]

Do you know what your body fat percentage is?

 

A good plastic surgeon, if it's your weight/fat percentage that's really the problem, will tell you to workout and diet and hit the weights before resorting to surgical intervention.

 

Nah, I don't know how to figure that out, and I wouldn't know the difference between what percentages mean, anyway.

[Inflikted]

I mean, here's two fairly recent pictures of me, do you really think I look overweight?

 

http://i.imgur.com/5Sn4PHi.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/hUR6ip9.jpg

[ltjg45]

I mean, here's two fairly recent pictures of me, do you really think I look overweight?

 

http://i.imgur.com/5Sn4PHi.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/hUR6ip9.jpg

 

Can't tell with the shirt on and from that angle but no.

[dichotomy]

https://www.gynecomastia.org/smf/

[Emilia]

I mean, here's two fairly recent pictures of me, do you really think I look overweight?

 

http://i.imgur.com/5Sn4PHi.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/hUR6ip9.jpg

 

you look like you have a high body fat %, I can't see evidence of gynecomastia just a big belly and lack of build

[Object_a]

I had the surgery myself a few years back so feel free to ask if you have any specific questions. For now I would just say that if losing weight doesn't seem to make any difference then that is the point at which I would recommend getting a consult and taking it from there. It's likely that you have excess glandular tissue, and no amount of weight loss or exercise will get rid of that. I weighed less than 140lbs at one point due to borderline obsessive exercise and dieting, but it still wouldn't shift, so it clearly wasn't just fat. Surgery was my only option.

 

My surgery cost around £5,000, which is roughly $8000 (private medicine is VERY expensive in my country). If you don't have excess tissue growth and just need to have some lipo then you can knock about a third to a half off that price. But I would try not to think about the price, because knowing now what a difference it has made to my life, I would pay almost anything. It was the best five grand I spent and I couldn't be happier with the results.

 

All I would say is get at least two or three consults to find a decent surgeon and do all your homework as far as proper certification and things like that go. Also don't bother going to any surgeon who offers free consults because they will just tell you to have lipo and then expect you to come back and pay all over again if you then need a second procedure to remove glandular tissue (that's how they pay for the 'free' consults obviously). A proper consult will involve a physical examination (to see if you have gland tissue or just fat) and some blood tests to make sure your gyno isn't caused by an underlying condition, so expect to pay for these things.

 

Like I said feel free to ask for any specific advice or if there's anything you'd like to know about the op.

Edited April 22, 2013 by Object_a

[FitChick]

I would recommend seeing an endocrinologist and having your hormones tested. It might be a simple hormone imbalance. Do you eat a lot of soy? Read the labels. That might be one cause as well.

 

If your hormones are fine, I'd suggest losing the weight and getting decent muscle tone and THEN seeing a surgeon. He would have a better idea of how successful the surgery would be minus the excess fat. You don't want to have surgery and then lose more weight because you might have an odd result or have more sagging.

'

Ask if the consultation fee would be applied to the surgery if you decide to have it. You could save some money. Then get a part time job and put all that money aside for the surgery.

[Object_a]

Any good surgeon would always test you for hormonal problems before agreeing to put you in for surgery, and would also add the fee in to your surgery if you have it. Getting close to your ideal weight first is sound advice though since it will look weird if you have a flabby stomach and completely flat chest with no fat.

[Star Gazer]

I mean, here's two fairly recent pictures of me, do you really think I look overweight?

 

http://i.imgur.com/5Sn4PHi.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/hUR6ip9.jpg

 

Respectfully... Yes, I think you do. You look like you have a high body fat percentage, and that your "man boobs" are likely the result of excess fat, not excess breast tissue.

 

I bet you dollars to donuts that if you went to a decent plastic surgeon, s/he would tell you to lose some weight and come back when you're 10% less in BF, if you still feel you need it.

[SmileFace]

This will be like an obese person getting a tummy tuck.

[tman666]

Save your money, OP.

 

Find a gym with a good training environment and join. Go there often, and go hard. Clean up your diet. Repeat forever.

 

I hate to sound like a dickhead here, but I don't see how you could justify spending that much money on surgery until you've at least attempted "the old fashioned way".

 

You might be surprised how much putting on muscle, losing fat, improved nutrition will change your hormonal profile for the better. Hard workouts lead to testosterone and growth hormone spikes, especially when they're coupled with proper nutrition, plenty of sleep, and stress reduction.

 

I am 100% sure that you can vastly improve your situation without resorting to surgery. Even if you DO have some gyno left over after you're muscular and lean, it will likely be hardly noticeable at that point anyway.

[Inflikted]

I mean, eating better and/ or doing some kind of exercise, to get in better shape, has been something I've always thought about doing, but I just keep putting it off, because I feel so out of the loop and confused about how to actually do any of that.

 

I see people talk about "carbs" and "calories", and all that stuff, and I don't understand how that works, what foods are good to eat, what to stay away from, etc. I don't even really eat regular meals. Typically I eat one or two meals a day, with some snacking here and there. I don't know what kind of food to buy and make myself for each meal that would be "healthier". I tend to just buy and eat whatever I have taste for. I know this may sound counterproductive, but I don't want to completely give up on "junk food" and sweets, and that kind of thing. I'd like to still be able to indulge in that kind of thing once or twice a week. If people invite me out on the weekend to a bar, or to a restaurant, I want to be able to have a drink or order a meal without thinking about what will be "healthiest".

 

As far as working out, I really don't want to go to a gym, or exercise/ work out in public at all. I'd rather do it all in my own privacy, but I don't really know what to actually do, and it's kinda difficult to do stuff within your home.

 

I dunno, I almost feel like I need someone to just completely plan out my food and workout routine. Like, Monday: eat this for lunch, this for dinner, do x amount of this exercise, etc. I just don't understand how to figure any of that stuff out myself. I'm very devoted to my habits (hence why I haven't made much effort thus far), but also to concrete, easy-to-read-and-understand plans. So, if I could draw up a very in-depth food/ exercise "schedule", I could *probably* adapt to it and keep at it. But given how over my head all of this is, I just can't ever stick to anything.

[tman666]

I mean, eating better and/ or doing some kind of exercise, to get in better shape, has been something I've always thought about doing, but I just keep putting it off, because I feel so out of the loop and confused about how to actually do any of that.

 

I see people talk about "carbs" and "calories", and all that stuff, and I don't understand how that works, what foods are good to eat, what to stay away from, etc. I don't even really eat regular meals. Typically I eat one or two meals a day, with some snacking here and there. I don't know what kind of food to buy and make myself for each meal that would be "healthier". I tend to just buy and eat whatever I have taste for. I know this may sound counterproductive, but I don't want to completely give up on "junk food" and sweets, and that kind of thing. I'd like to still be able to indulge in that kind of thing once or twice a week. If people invite me out on the weekend to a bar, or to a restaurant, I want to be able to have a drink or order a meal without thinking about what will be "healthiest".

 

As far as working out, I really don't want to go to a gym, or exercise/ work out in public at all. I'd rather do it all in my own privacy, but I don't really know what to actually do, and it's kinda difficult to do stuff within your home.

 

I dunno, I almost feel like I need someone to just completely plan out my food and workout routine. Like, Monday: eat this for lunch, this for dinner, do x amount of this exercise, etc. I just don't understand how to figure any of that stuff out myself. I'm very devoted to my habits (hence why I haven't made much effort thus far), but also to concrete, easy-to-read-and-understand plans. So, if I could draw up a very in-depth food/ exercise "schedule", I could *probably* adapt to it and keep at it. But given how over my head all of this is, I just can't ever stick to anything.

 

Look at it this way. You could hire a very well qualified personal trainer or coach for possible as little as $1500 per year that would not only plan your meals and training out, but would keep you accountable, instruct and guide you on your training, and help keep you motivated. Not only would you have a guide and motivator, but you would also be learning the skills and work ethic needed to allow you to maintain and self-guide for the rest of your life.

 

I'm not saying this is the way to go, but I just figured I'd throw that in there as perspective when it comes to the economics at play.

 

Most people do not hire personal trainers, simply because they tend to be too expensive. The plus side is that there are some great resources (unfortunately, amongst a sea of shytty "resources) out there for free on the internet. For example, bodybuilding.com has "workout finder" that will help prescribe to you a program or programs that are in line with your goals. Many of them also provide some semblance of nutritional guidance (I'd avoid the "supplement guidance" though-most likely a waste of money). I'd say that's a perfectly acceptable place to start out.

 

There are plenty of ways to get a kick ass workout at home, especially if your primary goal is fat loss. Push ups, pull ups, burpees, air squats, lunges, sprints, etc. are all good choices. Shadow boxing can make for good cardio.

 

Don't let yourself get in the habit of making excuses. Start getting rid of or minimizing the things in your life that detract from your goals. That doesn't mean that you can't self indulge once in a while-for example, you mentioned liking to go out on the weekend with your pals, which is a normal, socially healthy thing to do.

 

As daunting and vast as fitness can seem to be at first, just know that everyone starts out as a rank beginner. Don't worry about being judged or whether or not you get things down "perfectly" at first. The important thing is to establish consistency and some sort of self motivation. Immerse yourself in it, try different things, and find something you enjoy doing.

Edited April 23, 2013 by tman666