Personal Development for Smart People Forums - View Single Post - A physical problem that severely gets in the way of relationships

Sivodna · 10-18-2008, 07:15 PM

I made a post about this in another section, but it's a problem that applies to all of my life and I hope someone here can help it.
The problem is gynocomastia: the development of breast tissue in men.

You might automatically think of a fat couch potato with flabby boobs. Not so.

Gynecomastia (gyno) is glandular fatty tissue under the nipple, creating "puffy nipples". So, you could have 5% bodyfat and still have gyno - some bodybuilders do have this, mainly because steroids can cause it.

This problem holds me back in relationships. I feel extremely self-conscious about taking off my shirt.

In my case, I have a mild enough case (not caused by steroids or anything like that - it's something I've had since puberty), but I desperately want to get rid of it. The only real way to get rid of it is surgery - expensive surgery.

I am willing to depart with the 5 or 6 thousand euro it costs, but I don't know where to go. I don't want a poor job done on it, leaving scars. I live in Ireland, and I went to a private plastic surgery in Dublin but was NOT impressed. They did not have much experience with it, and everything smacked of amatuerism there (including their misspelling of gynocomastia).

I don't want to bore or nauseate people here by pouring my heart out; all I need to say is this: I need to get this sorted (amongst other things that I will post about, I have some physical flaws that kill me inside, but I am emphatically not some super-narcissist or psychologically-abberrant perfectionist).

I think plastic surgeons in England would be better than those in Ireland, so it might be the best place to travel for it. But there's the problem then of booking a consultation: do I travel all the way over just for a consultation?

Also, I cannot bring myself to tell anyone in my family. My father is out of the question, and my mother, God love her, would be unable to keep something like this between us. And I don't want anyone else knowing.

Any advice or suggestions or comments are very welcome, thank you.

10-18-2008, 07:15 PM	#1 (permalink)
Sivodna Banned Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Wales Posts: 163	A physical problem that severely gets in the way of relationships I made a post about this in another section, but it's a problem that applies to all of my life and I hope someone here can help it. The problem is gynocomastia: the development of breast tissue in men. You might automatically think of a fat couch potato with flabby boobs. Not so. Gynecomastia (gyno) is glandular fatty tissue under the nipple, creating "puffy nipples". So, you could have 5% bodyfat and still have gyno - some bodybuilders do have this, mainly because steroids can cause it. This problem holds me back in relationships. I feel extremely self-conscious about taking off my shirt. In my case, I have a mild enough case (not caused by steroids or anything like that - it's something I've had since puberty), but I desperately want to get rid of it. The only real way to get rid of it is surgery - expensive surgery. I am willing to depart with the 5 or 6 thousand euro it costs, but I don't know where to go. I don't want a poor job done on it, leaving scars. I live in Ireland, and I went to a private plastic surgery in Dublin but was NOT impressed. They did not have much experience with it, and everything smacked of amatuerism there (including their misspelling of gynocomastia). I don't want to bore or nauseate people here by pouring my heart out; all I need to say is this: I need to get this sorted (amongst other things that I will post about, I have some physical flaws that kill me inside, but I am emphatically not some super-narcissist or psychologically-abberrant perfectionist). I think plastic surgeons in England would be better than those in Ireland, so it might be the best place to travel for it. But there's the problem then of booking a consultation: do I travel all the way over just for a consultation? Also, I cannot bring myself to tell anyone in my family. My father is out of the question, and my mother, God love her, would be unable to keep something like this between us. And I don't want anyone else knowing. Any advice or suggestions or comments are very welcome, thank you.