You have decided you just can't face it anymore and you have got to have surgery to fix your gynecomastia problem. Man boobs may sound funny but there is nothing at all funny about spending your years from puberty onwards scared to take off your t shirt in front of anyone.

Now you have decided you are ready to have surgery you contact your health insurance company and the chances are they say that they won't cover the operation. They seem to think that having gynecomastia and wanting to stop the humiliation of people looking at your man boobs whenever you go for a swim or visit the beach is the same as deciding you look to old and want your crows feet dealt with.

You may be lucky and find a health insurance company that will help you with this but I would definitely not bank on it.

So you are faced with paying for your own surgery, the real question is what can you do to reduce the costs of your gynecomastia operation?

Like any purchase you need to check what you need to buy and shop around for prices.

This may sound like a crazy attitude to take when discussing surgery but the bottom line is whether you are buying a car or having surgery to fix your man boobs you need to find out the best deal to suit your situation.

• Liposuction or Plastic Surgery

If your gynecomastia is due to a build up of fat in the breast area then you will be able to have liposuction to deal with it. If you have a gladular problem then you will need to have plastic surgery. The price for these two types of surgery varies greatly so you need to check with a Dr which you need before you start working out prices.

• Cash Or Plastic

If you can get the cash together then there is a chance that you may be able to obtain a discount on the operation, offer to have it on a quiet day or book it a long time in advance, anything to get a discount on your gynecomastia surgery costs.

• Ask

If you don't ask for a discount then they will not give it to you, as your mum may have said when you were a kid, don't ask don't get. Times are tough all round the world at the moment, discretionary spending is at its lowest point for a long time and surgeons who do plastic surgery and liposuction are feeling it the same as everyone else.

Stop trying to just live with the misery and start looking into a permanent solution.