• Knowledgebase: Questions about Sex, Puberty, and Periods

    Questions about Sex, Puberty, and Periods, for adolescents and their parents.

    1. My 14 year old son has raised nipples and is very sensitive about their appearance. Is there any way this can be treated as he is very embarrased by it. - Top

    It is common in the teen years for boys to have pronounced nipples, or even breast development temporarily on one or both sides. This usually settles down over time and is not a cause for alarm. As testosterone is being produced, some estrogen is also being made, which leads to the breast hypertrophy.

    As for dealing with the embarassment, I suppose the best one can do is to stress that this is normal, that his friends may be having the same trouble, and to help him have good self esteem for other reasons so he will not dwell on what he sees as his shortcomings. - Updated: March 23, 2001

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    • James L Horwitz, MD

    David C. Thomas, MD

    Barbara Lindberg, PNP