Teenage Boys - Puberty Physical Body Changes

"Not only are young people reaching sexual maturity earlier, but they are growing faster and taller and reaching full adult height earlier. The average boy at maturity is expected to be 3cm (1.2 inches) taller, 4.5 kg (10lb) heavier than his father and reach puberty about nine months earlier" (1)

Index

• Summary
• Definitions
• Other more common names
• The concerns
• The facts (development chart)
• Why the extra hair?
• Embarrassment
• Delayed maturity
• Two boys' stories
• Body image
• Growing pains

Summary

All teenage boys will go through a predictable series of body changes in the transition from a boy to a fully matured man. The changes will happen in the body's own time and own speed - ready or not!

Definitions

Ejaculation

literally means "suddenly" and refers to semen coming out of the erect penis. (slang - coming, shooting your wad, spooging)

Semen

the fluid in which sperm live. (slang - cum, jizz, spooge)

Orgasm

Intense feelings and muscle contractions associated with ejaculation.

Pubic Hair

Dark curly hair that grows on your body near your penis and testicles.

Other more common names

Puberty, Adolescence, Come of age

The Concerns

• Other boys are developing quicker than me
• Is everything happening to me 'normal' ?
• Can I speed up the process?
• Why is my adult body hair so slow to grow?

The Facts

A typical sequence of body changes: (1)(16)

AGE	CHARACTERISTIC
10.0	Male hormones are becoming active, but there are hardly, if any, outside signs of development. Testicles are maturing, and some boys start a period of rapid growth late in this stage.
11.5	Enlargement of the genitals, particular the scrotum, with reddening of the skin and change in skin texture. Penis hasn't grown much yet.
12.6	Appearance of breast lumps in about 30% of boys. (temporary and sometimes painful swelling of one or both breasts)
12.7	Widening of the shoulders and increase in height Fine, soft hair appears at the base of the penis (pubic hair) Lots of erections
13.5	Dark colored curled pubic hair appears around the base of the penis Penis gets longer but not much thicker. Penis skin becomes darker in color
13.6	Testicles and scrotum still growing. Early voice change - deepening ('cracking of the voice')
13.7	First ejaculation of semen from the penis
14.2	Penis width increases, as well as length. Testicles and scrotum still growing. Pubic hair begins to take adult texture, although covers a smaller area.
14.5	Period of rapid growth (growth spurt)  Body/face shape look more adult
14.9	Hair develops under the armpits Sweat glands develop with a new odor. Pimples sometimes appear on the face
15.0	Facial hair increases on chin and upper lip. Voice gets deeper and skin gets more oily. Testicles and scrotum still growing.
15.9	Maximum growth of pubic hair, spread in a tight diamond shaped pattern Hair grows on the legs
16.0	Nearing full adult height and physique. Pubic hair and genitals have adult appearance. Facial hair grows more completely and shaving may begin now or soon.
19.0	Mature body shape. Receding of the hair-line on the sides of the forehead to form wedge pattern
20.0	Some men grow a bit more and develop more body hair, especially chest hair.
22.0	Complete sexual maturity

The ages given are averages and shouldn't be relied on too much. For example, the average age of a boy's first ejaculation is given as 13.7 years, but this could range from 9 years old to 18 years old as two extremes!

The order of events is an average also and individuals may differ in some areas. For example, you may experience ejaculation before any pubic hair has grown although the chart says the opposite. Take comfort though, that all of the events will happen in their own timing and generally in the order shown in the table.

Why the extra hair?

The extra hair on your body as an adult male serves several functions. It signals sexual maturity - that your body is capable of sexual reproduction. It also adds to the physical sensations when you have sex with another person. Finally, the hair in the groin and armpits gives off an oily substance which contributes to personal body odor. That same mechanism contributes to the bonding that occurs when two people have sex - the scent of the other person becomes imprinted in the brain alongside the pleasurable feelings of the sex act in a strong mental association that is difficult to break.

Embarrassment

Many boys find they become easily embarrassed when others notice the physical changes taking place in their body. If someone, for example, notices and comments on the hair growing in the armpits, then a lot of boys become very self conscious and try to hide the obvious changes taking place.

You will get used to the changes fairly quickly.

Delayed Maturity

Nothing seems to attack a teenage boy's sense of well being and self esteem as much as being delayed in their physical development in relation to their friends. This is especially true if boys are required to shower together after sport (typical in the US education system). Those present, while the same age, can range from fully developed men to boys who have barely started the physical changes of puberty. It is little comfort to the late developer to know his maturity is going to happen in its own time and own pace. This boy is mostly in mental torment over his body.

What can be done?

Zinc is involved in hormone activities especially connected with (male) reproductive glands. (28)

Make sure you eat a balanced diet that includes the foods that give you the mineral zinc. A deficiency in the mineral zinc has been linked to delayed growth and delayed sexual development in teenage boys!

Foods that have zinc: Cheese; meat; wholemeal bread; fish/shellfish; mung beans; lentils; milk; pumpkin seeds; sunflower seeds.

You could take zinc tablets obtainable from a supermarket or health food store. Recommended zinc intake - 15mg/day. Don't go above this amount or you'll cause more problems than you solve. Check with your doctor! Relax - zinc is not a drug - it is a naturally occurring mineral that appears to be lacking in western diets.

Finally, have a physical checkup with your doctor to make sure all is well with your body if you are worried about delayed puberty.

Puberty progress - First boy's story

(I wish to acknowledge and thank the boys who have allowed the world into their personal space to contribute this information and photos. They understand it may help put other young minds at ease)

Puberty progress - Second boy's story - a snapshot in time

There is no right or wrong when it comes to the speed, order and extent of physical changes. Some boys will have hair growing on their legs at the same time as underarm hair is beginning to grow. Others will grow hair much quicker or slower than the table above. Each table represents one boy's story. How does your story compare?

Body Image

Body image is a huge issue for teenage boys. We are constantly bombarded by images of the perfect body and it is difficult for boys to feel good about themselves when they look in the mirror. Basically, you have got what you have got, mainly from your parent's genes.

It is possible to change your body shape a little. If you eat too much and don't exercise then you will get fat. If you do a lot of physical activity or go to the gym as well as watch what you eat, then you will improve your muscle to body fat ratio. That is about the extent of it.

The Bible talks about "the glory of young men is their strength". This implies that it is built into us guys to want to be strong. Puberty will bulk your muscles up naturally and physical activity will add even more to that. This area you can work on if you are motivated. Stay away from the steroids though - you don't want strength at that price!

It is important that you continue to eat good meals and not try and lose weight to copy the magazine and television images of guys who work out all day every day. Your body will generally change shape through adolescence without help from you anyway. I've seen many guys with a bit of weight around the stomach lose it all as their body went through a rapid growth stage.

The key here is to choose to accept yourself for who you are. Choose to love yourself! Some people get way through adult life before they come to this realization. You will find peace within yourself when you do this. I knew a guy and he was physically ugly with a very ordinary body. But he was a really friendly guy with a great outgoing personality and you quickly forgot about his physical characteristics. He was either blind or he chose to accept himself and that reflected in his personality. Everyone liked him - he was great to be around.

If you think you will be more accepted if you changed your body characteristics, you are probably wrong! Friends and family like you for who you are. If they liked you more if you were taller/skinnier/stronger then they might only be in it for what they can get out of it, so nothing would change for you! You can more easily see who your real friends are! Thinking you will be more liked if you had a different body can give rise to eating disorders which are really hard to overcome.

Make the tough choice and accept yourself!

Growing Pains

"Growing Pains" for teenagers refers to pain around the front of the knee. The experts can't agree on the cause of the pain. Some say it happens when the long bones of the leg grow, stretching the slower growing muscles and putting pressure on the part of the bone the muscles are attached to. Others argue that it is caused by excessive exercise in children who exercise beyond their physical ability. (22)

Experts agree though that the pain is real and rest and muscle stretches are recommended as treatment. (22)