Some boys and girls develop stretch marks, purplish or white lines on their skin, during puberty. This is fairly rare, but it does occur. It happens because the skin is stretched too much during rapid growth and it loses its elasticity, or stretchiness. (Other things, such as taking certain
medications, being pregnant or gaining a lot of weight can also cause stretch marks.) Many times these marks will fade or get less noticeable as a person gets older, but they may never disappear completely.
Breast changes-We usually think of breast change as something that happens to girls because during puberty their breasts begin to grow and develop. Although boys’ breasts don’t change as dramatically as girls’ do, there are certain changes in your breasts that you may notice at this time in your life. For one thing, the areola, the ring of coloured flesh round your nipple, may get wider and darker. The nipple may also get a bit larger.
You may notice that your breasts feel tender or sore. Many boys notice a flat, button-like bump under one or both nipples. If this happens to you and you don’t know that it’s perfectly normal, it can be a bit alarming. As one man told us:
I had these bumps under my nipples. I thought I had cancer or something.
Harold, age 34
Even though these lumps can be uncomfortable or even painful, they aren’t anything to worry about. It’s just a reaction to the new hormones your body is making. Eventually, the lumps and soreness will go away. It’s perfectly normal and not a sign that you have cancer or any other disease. (Men, by the way, only rarely get cancer of the breast, and young boys almost never do.)
Out of every 100 boys between 50 and 85 will experience some swelling of the breasts as they go through puberty. This swelling is more noticeable in some boys than in others. The swelling may be accompanied by soreness. There may also be lumps, of the type described above, under one or both breasts. This swelling can last from a few months to a year or two.
Although this, too, is a normal and natural change – and even though it happens to more than half of the boys going through puberty – boys really worry about it. Over the years we’ve had a lot of questions about this in the question box in our classes. Boys worry because they think they’re going to start to grow breasts and turn into girls. One man who had quite a bit of breast swelling during puberty told us how he felt:
It was like I was growing breasts, and mine were even bigger than some of the girls’! I got teased about it all the time. I was really afraid that I was turning into a girl, that someone had made this big mistake and I really was a girl. I thought my penis was maybe going to fall off or something and I’d grow breasts and have to wear a bra. I’d heard all sorts of wild stories about boys who turned out to be women and had breasts and penises. But I didn’t know anyone I could ask about it.
By the time I was in secondary school my chest looked normal.
My breasts had gone away. I wish I’d known that it was going to be OK because I really worried about it for a while.
Tom, age 40
You may notice that your breasts are swelling, and you may have the same kind of worries Tom had. Relax – we promise, you won’t turn into a girl! Usually within about a year to a year and a half the swelling will go away.
*30\95\2*
RelatedPosts:
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.