lean 38yo guy with puffy nipples. advice from experienced folks?

[casual]

why are you asking for advice from people on the forum if youve already gone thru the experience once?

the experience i haven't been through is, getting rid of it. others may have done it successfully, as is the case with Juggertha (through surgery).

[casual]

Just to contrast that - about 15 years ago I had both sides done in Canada. Took about 2 months in total, from consultation to surgery. Cost me nothing. Was back in the gym within the week.

holy s^&t! that's a much better story!

[casual]

LOL, you made me look.. it's Turin-Shroud like in it's details, isn't it.

Good work OP, Awesome pics. Great underwear. Look thick. Solid. Tight. Keep us all posted on your continued progress with any new progress pics or vid clips. Show us what you got man. Wanna see how freakin' huge, solid, thick and tight you can get. Thanks for the motivation.

(SRS answer.. maybe low DHT, high estro or that cycle of 'prohormones' you got from 'gnc' a few years back that 'didn't work' and you only 'used for a week' might be to blame)

hahaha. speaking of digression... i could have cropped the photo above the waste, no? LOL

thanks for your comments buddy. this site/forum is an awesome source of inspiration so yes, i hope to come back with results...

and you know what? who knows, you might be right about that 'prohormone' from 'gnc' back in the day. there was so much crap in the market X years ago... i was never too adventurous outside of creatine and protein but who knows... if that is the case i just wonder if a bad product could throw off my hormonal balance so many years later...

[casual]

If it is, in fact, gyno (I'm not convinced that it is) there are prescription meds that can help minimize the appearance, if not totally get rid of it. Surgery IS NOT the only option. First thing you need to identify is if it's estrogen or prolactin induced gyno. This can be determined by the type of cell-tech that you used that caused you to get the gyno in the first place. I'm not going to spoon feed you anymore information because you should have been researching this to begin with. Also, if you are currently taking cell-tech, chances are this puffiness will subside once your hormones stabilize. Research these drugs:

Letrozole
Tamoxifen Citrate
Cabergoline

These drugs have all been proven to lessen, and in many cases, totally eradicate gyno symptoms in bodybuilders. Treatment time can vary from just a few weeks up to several months.

thanks buddy. this is awesome info and yes, it confirms some of the research i've done. i'll learn about whether it is estrogen or prolactin induced once i get my blood work back. good stuff, thanks again.

by the way, without wanting to digress, how do you feel about cell-tech?

[casual]

That looks like gyno to me. I have 2 buddies that had it and both got it taken care of fairly easy. They got it from outside sources.

encouraging. thank you

[anonymous]

If its Gyno caused by prolactin then you are going to have to get it cut out, a prolactinoma ( tumor on the pituitary ) or trenning especially hard can cause the milk producing glands to grow and produce milk or at least blood and puss when squeezed. Yummy.

If its soft fatty estrogen swelling it might go away with diet and correcting your hormone balance but be aware that for some insane reason you can no longer buy dht drugs in the us, despite a host of medical conditions requiring their use. Yay for baseball "fans" and soccer moms I guess.

[casual]

If its Gyno caused by prolactin then you are going to have to get it cut out, a prolactinoma ( tumor on the pituitary ) or trenning especially hard can cause the milk producing glands to grow and produce milk or at least blood and puss when squeezed. Yummy.

If its soft fatty estrogen swelling it might go away with diet and correcting your hormone balance but be aware that for some insane reason you can no longer buy dht drugs in the us, despite a host of medical conditions requiring their use. Yay for baseball "fans" and soccer moms I guess.

ugh... disgusting.
looks like it's the estrogen kind. or maybe that's just wishful thinking.
re: DHT drugs, we'll see what the doc says, but worst case scenario i can get them in brazil where eeeeeverything is obtainable (i live in the US but i'm brazilian)

will continue to keep everyone posted.

[yrot21]

OP, honestly, it doesn't look too bad if it is gynecomastia. I've seen WAY worse. Perhaps lower the bodyfat a little more via diet, and see if you're content. Surgery would be the last option. However, it's your body and money. Whatever makes you happy. I'm curious to see the lab results, so keep us updated!

[casual]

OP, honestly, it doesn't look too bad if it is gynecomastia. I've seen WAY worse. Perhaps lower the bodyfat a little more via diet, and see if you're content. Surgery would be the last option. However, it's your body and money. Whatever makes you happy. I'm curious to see the lab results, so keep us updated!

thanks man, i'm starting to do more cardio, hopefully i'll get my BF lower. diet is good. still waiting for lab results... also, i'll see the endocrinologist at the end of the month. will circle back with findings... thanks for the note.

[Old-Time-Lifter]

So are you still claiming to be natural.... cause that doesn't jive with the gyno issue.

[Taichichuan]

So are you still claiming to be natural.... cause that doesn't jive with the gyno issue.

So you are inferring that "Casual" is taking a bit of steroids on the side while claiming to be a natural builder since this what BB.com is all about.

But don't you don't think a "natty" guy can get "b-tits"?

[Old-Time-Lifter]

So you are inferring that "Casual" is taking a bit of steroids on the side while claiming to be a natural builder since this what BB.com is all about.

But don't you don't think a "natty" guy can get "b-tits"?

Say what???

Translation please?

[TouaregV8]

A.A.S. users aren't the only males that can end up with gyno. When it occurs outside of A.A.S. use it is typically when a young man goes through puberty.

[Old-Time-Lifter]

A.A.S. users aren't the only males that can end up with gyno. When it occurs outside of A.A.S. use it is typically when a young man goes through puberty.

True and generally they are overweight as well. Our neighbor boy had this problem, but he was seriously overweight and going through puberty.

The op is a number of years past that tender age however....

[Juggertha]

So are you still claiming to be natural.... cause that doesn't jive with the gyno issue.

Did I miss the natty claim?

[HDStretchman]

If it is, in fact, gyno (I'm not convinced that it is) there are prescription meds that can help minimize the appearance, if not totally get rid of it. Surgery IS NOT the only option. First thing you need to identify is if it's estrogen or prolactin induced gyno. This can be determined by the type of cell-tech that you used that caused you to get the gyno in the first place. I'm not going to spoon feed you anymore information because you should have been researching this to begin with. Also, if you are currently taking cell-tech, chances are this puffiness will subside once your hormones stabilize. Research these drugs:

Letrozole
Tamoxifen Citrate
Cabergoline

These drugs have all been proven to lessen, and in many cases, totally eradicate gyno symptoms in bodybuilders. Treatment time can vary from just a few weeks up to several months.

Thanks for the heads up on prolactin. The meds I am on seem to up those levels somewhat. I'll have to ask my Dr about it.

My nips still get hard. I don't know why. It's not like, when it's cold or anything. I noticed when I dropped weight the puffiness went away.

Other threads suggest, "Man up and squat." Don't know if that's a solution, but it sounds good.

[Old-Time-Lifter]

38yo
5'8"
156#
lean
natural

Attachment 6118233

as you can see from the pic, my nipples are a kinda puffy... just a little worse now, 1-2 months after i took that shot.

did blood tests. as it turns out, my free test is low: 7.4 (8.7-25.1)
total test is within range: 564 (348-1197)

going to see an endocrinologist. he's good, but i need to wait a full month since he's super booked.

meanwhile, i'm obsessing over this a bit. don't feel like taking the shirt off, not feeling super sexual etc.

any advice?

please don't guess and/or throw testosterone or a miraculous OTC cream or herb into the problem... prefer to hear from folks who went through something similar. thank you!

Did I miss the natty claim?

In his first post.

[billlybob]

It is constantly like that or does it vary? The reason I ask is because sometimes I get a similar problem but I think it is from water retention from either high salt and/or high carb days. Typically if I change my diet and limit carbs/salt it goes away within a day or two.

But I did notice it usually happens when I go to the beach, which I am not sure why.???

[PersonaNonGrata]

I think it's just fat. Anywhere north of 12% body fat I have the same thing. Lose the fat, lose the moobs!

[realistromeo]

I feel you OP I too have puffier/soft nips, I see all these other guys with little to no puff (aka ufc guys or the fitness models) and I wonder.
I notice it is not a constant though, sometimes ma nips go small othertimes large. It is obvious a hormonal thing. does not feel like gyno.

I have stopped drinking milk and am taking stinging nettle/fenugreek/.. I think the key IS free test and stopping the aromatization of test in the body.
I do have a little more BF than I should have but there is a difference.

I'm natty and have this problem, perhaps if I lost a bit more weight, maybe the fat in my body has collected unhealthy hormones/chemicals/ all thanks to our wonderful environment.

[FaintReality]

If the nips are just puffy, loose fat and they should go down. If there is a lump behind them, this is gyno which can be reversed depending on the severity using Raloxifene <--- google it.

[MoonAbove]

LOL, you made me look.. it's Turin-Shroud like in it's details, isn't it.

LMAO. OK, that was hilarious. And yes, it is indeed. If I was a cartoon, my eyes would have turned into the little black and white spirals. lol

OP - didn't mean to embarrass you, really. But, call me, maybe?

[casual]

So are you still claiming to be natural.... cause that doesn't jive with the gyno issue.

you seem to suggest that taking steroids is something to be embarrassed about... some people may think that way, but i don't.

if i took them, i'd acknowledge that because acknowledgement and real data is the first step towards the solution...

anyway, just got a message from my doc saying the 2nd test shows free testosterone within range (will get exact numbers) and the other numbers look normal. again, i'll get exact numbers/data tomorrow.

[casual]

True and generally they are overweight as well. Our neighbor boy had this problem, but he was seriously overweight and going through puberty.

The op is a number of years past that tender age however....

yep, no longer in that tender age...
i'm lean but as others have pointed out it looks like my bodyfat is kinda high, at least judging from the photos.
started to add some cardio. running on treadmill a few times a weak. used to play soccer but got annoyed with all sorts of injuries.

• endocrinologist appointment on SEP 23.
• will post blood tests data tomorrow

[casual]

It is constantly like that or does it vary? The reason I ask is because sometimes I get a similar problem but I think it is from water retention from either high salt and/or high carb days. Typically if I change my diet and limit carbs/salt it goes away within a day or two.

But I did notice it usually happens when I go to the beach, which I am not sure why.???

that's a great question.

as you can tell from the photo, they are puffy, but not super puffy... and they look more "normal" in these situations:

• after i work out
• after i shower

i guess because my problem is somewhat subtle i can more easily observe the change

[casual]

I think it's just fat. Anywhere north of 12% body fat I have the same thing. Lose the fat, lose the moobs!

i really hope so! working on it

[casual]

I feel you OP I too have puffier/soft nips, I see all these other guys with little to no puff (aka ufc guys or the fitness models) and I wonder.
I notice it is not a constant though, sometimes ma nips go small othertimes large. It is obvious a hormonal thing. does not feel like gyno.

I have stopped drinking milk and am taking stinging nettle/fenugreek/.. I think the key IS free test and stopping the aromatization of test in the body.
I do have a little more BF than I should have but there is a difference.

I'm natty and have this problem, perhaps if I lost a bit more weight, maybe the fat in my body has collected unhealthy hormones/chemicals/ all thanks to our wonderful environment.

hey man, thanks for your post.
i, too, totally think it's a hormonal thing, just wonder where the F&^% this fluctuation comes from!
hopefully it's just a phase?
nevertheless i want my endocrino to get this fixed!
i drink very little milk and btw definitely no soy milk or soy anything. (google: soy estrogen)

[casual]

If the nips are just puffy, loose fat and they should go down. If there is a lump behind them, this is gyno which can be reversed depending on the severity using Raloxifene <--- google it.

thanks man. yes, i may end up taking one of these drugs that are anti estrogenic on breast tissue, like raloxifene or tamoxifen (i'm saying this based on the research i've been doing). we'll see what my endocrino says later in the month.

[casual]

LMAO. OK, that was hilarious. And yes, it is indeed. If I was a cartoon, my eyes would have turned into the little black and white spirals. lol

OP - didn't mean to embarrass you, really. But, call me, maybe?

haha that is hilarious. glad i only have one problem not two

[casual]

alright, new data, to keep things more interesting.

a MONTH EARLIER, i got this:

• testosterone serum: 564 (normal range is 348 - 1197)
• free testosterone: 7.4 (normal range 8.7 - 25... BELOW RANGE!)
• prolactin: i did not test for it

got blood results TODAY:

• testosterone serum: 591 (normal range is 348 - 1197)
• free testosterone: 12.8 (normal range 8.7 - 25)
• prolactin: 7 (range is 4-15.2)

weird right? why is my free test fluctuating?

i did start doing more cardio... so maybe that helped with the testosterone part...

i'm a really mellow guy but i'm starting to think work/stress and some bad nights sleep affected my test production in that period.

anyway,

going to the endocrinologist 9/23. will see what he says.

meanwhile, being doing a bit more cardio, as i mentioned.

it's so weird: after i'm done with a workout my chest looks almost normal.
puffiness is more visible before i work out or many hours after working out.

will circle back...