I got it when I was 11, and I wasn't taking anything for it so it's definitely pubertal. But I'm now 19 and beginning to think that the whole "it'll go away on its own" thing was just a lie. I only realized it was real gyno last year, because I was incredibly overweight for most of my teenage years, and in fact the #1 reason I finally decided to lose the weight was because I was tired of people making fun of my "manboobs". I was so obsessed with getting rid of them that I dieted down to 140lbs, and looked dangerously skinny, but I still had these horrible pointy pecs so I finally decided that it had to be more than just a fat thing - that was when I found out about real gyno.
I absolutely 100% do not want to get surgery. I've heard too many horror stories about depressions above the pecs and saggy nipples afterwards that it's just not worth the risk.
It's the type of gyno which looks perfectly normal if I splash a bit of water over my nipples or stand in the cold for a few minutes without a shirt on. From what I've heard this is actually more likely to be a prolactin issue than an estrogen. On the other hand, I have an insanely high sex drive, I started growing a beard at 13 (I was suspended in first year of high school because I wouldn't shave, no joke - about 2 years earlier than anyone else I know) and I put on muscle very easily. So I'm guessing it could be as a result of being overweight and having too much aromatase in my body.
Either way, I'm not taking any action whatsoever until I find out what type it is. Is there any way to check it and know for sure? I'm awaiting the results of a blood test for prolactin but since it developed so long ago, they're probably normal now so it might not tell me anything at all