ADVICE: Been on Finasteride for 10+ Years, Have Gyno Issue, Wondering About Next Steps
Hiya, I'll try to keep my story short.
I had a bit of Gyno during puberty that never went away. I'm a tall and slim guy and on the most part it didn't bother me, and it didn't feel too noticeable. I started taking Finasteride in my mid to late 20's after an ex of mine (who was a hairdresser) suggested it when I was concerned about a receding hairline. I started taking it daily and have done ever since. After the first few years there were no side effects, however I did start noticing a small increase in the gyno size, I had put it down to a little bit of weight gain at the time.
Fast-forward to now, I'm 38 years old, UK. I'm still slim and regularly workout, but I still have the breast tissue, which hasn't gone down, but does feel a bit bigger. On one had I try to embrace my body, it's the body I was born with and I should be proud of it, however, I do feel a great sense of embarrassment. I hate taking my top off around people that I know or on holiday, and I have to think carefully about what I wear because I "don't want my boobs to show", a phrase that my partner hears on a daily basis. It really affects how I view myself and I feel very ashamed of them. I know it's because of the puberty gyno and finasteride, and I would consider stopping finasteride if I also didn't want to keep the amount of hair I currently am retaining. Finasteride has really worked with my hair. I have a brother 2 years older than me and I use him as a comparison, he has been rapidly losing his hair and I don't want to look like him, I don't mean that in a harsh way, but I'm very happy with my hair, it feels like a huge part of my identity.
I have considered gyno surgery, I am still considering it, but I really want that to be the last resort. I haven't spoken to my GP about this due to embarrassment, but I wonder if I should talk to them and see if I can get some other medication to maybe balance out the hormones. Will it even do anything if I've been taking Finasteride for 10+ years? At what point do I give up and just accept hair loss? Do I just continue embracing my gyno, I've had it since a teenager, even before finasteride.
Any comments, suggestion or advice will help. My 'boobs' affect my mental health and cause me to put restrictions on how I live my life.