A man has shared the ordeal of having his “man boobs” removed – with him developing the breasts after taking steroids to bulk up.
Danny Smith, 27, a drywall fixer from Manchester, started bodybuilding as a teenager and although he regularly trained to maintain a muscular physique, he also took anabolic-androgenic steroids to aid his training.
However, as lockdown called for gyms to close, he found himself unable to train and soon developed “man boobs”, which he believes were as a result of taking the drug.
Danny recalls feeling insecure within his body as he was “out of shape” and as his breasts grew, his mental health started taking a toll.
In 2021, he underwent gynecomastia surgery, which aims to remove excess breast tissue, fat and sagging skin – costing him £5,000 in total.
In a bid to achieve his fitness goals and “impress” his now ex-girlfriend, Danny also began working out again.
“Before, I hated my body and I would put tape over my nipples to feel confident and would be scared to take off my t-shirt on holidays,” Danny told Jam Press.
“Because I had surgery, I couldn’t lift anything over 10lbs for four weeks.
“My best friend is an online coach, so I spoke to him for some guidance and we got a calorie deficit diet plan together.
“After gyms opened, I started lifting weights again and I trained six times a week.
“Now, I’m confident and get a lot of attention from females.
“Mentally, I am strong and physically, I’m in the best shape of my life.”
Eleven months later, Danny has achieved his ultimate body goal but he says there were many sacrifices made along the way.
He stopped having a social life and drinking on weekends, and his cravings for junk food were difficult to ignore – but he didn’t give in.
Before, he would eat McDonald’s breakfast and takeaways for lunch, along with carbohydrate-heavy meals such lasagna, pie and chips for dinner.
Now, he’ll have mixed berries and a fat-free Greek yoghurt for breakfast, with a chicken wrap and peppers for lunch and eggs, bacon medallions and chopped tomatoes for dinner.
Danny shared his fitness and surgery journey on TikTok and Instagram, where he has since received 437,000 views and 27,000 likes on one post.
In the clip, he begins by showing himself before as he pinches his ‘man boobs.’
Shortly after, the clip cuts to show him wearing a vest-like bandage on his torso, which he removes to show scars and bruising.
Finally, he shows himself working out at the gym, before revealing his toned, muscular physique.
“Great job,” one viewer commented.
Another person added: “This is f***ing good.”
“One hell of a surgeon. No scar at all,” someone else wrote.
One person said: “Huge respect, dude. Amazing work.”
“This is insane!” another viewer added.
He added: “I’ve had people tell me I’m their inspiration, which means the world to me and it motivates me to be better each day.
“I want to learn more about nutrition, as well as help people who want to transform their bodies.
“Life in general is a whole lot better – I’m a big believer in feel good, look good.”
FACT BOX: WHAT THE EXPERT SAYS
“Gynecomastia means enlarged breasts in males or female like breasts in men,” Dr Hassan Nurein, specialist in gynecomastia surgery at Harley Street told Jam Press.
“Men who use anabolic steroids can end up with enlarged breasts due to imbalance of sex hormones leading to enlarged breast tissue.
“This usually affects confidence choice of clothing, limitations in social activities eg swimming holidays and even going to the gym.
“Male chest reduction is quite common partly because of social media and due to increased awareness of this condition and available advances in surgical treatments.
“It is crucial that this condition is initially assessed by your doctor and any concurrent medical conditions or sinister causes are ruled out first.
“Surgery is a last resort if other means fail.”
