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Dr Margaret answers e-mailers' embarrassing problems in this biweekly problem page. Puberty in males In the previous Problem Shared, I dealt with ‘what’s normal’ at puberty in girls. Now I will discuss boys.
Dear Dr Margaret Boys start to develop sexually (puberty) about 1 year after girls. The first sign is that the testicles (balls) start to enlarge. At the same time, the skin of the scrotum (the sack that contains the testicles) becomes thinner than previously and sometimes slightly reddish in colour; this is all perfectly normal. This can start to happen at any time between age 9 and age 14. The average age is about 11, but many boys do not notice any change until they are almost 14. Over the next year or two, the testicles continue to enlarge, and your penis will become longer and thicker. It is difficult to say at what age the testicles and penis stop growing. In some boys, they reach their adult size by about 12 ½, but they may continue to develop until you are almost 17. The average age is roughly 14 ½. Pubic hair usually starts to develop between ages 10 ½and 14 ½. At first it is fairly straight. Later it becomes coarser and more curly. If you notice that your breasts seem to be enlarging, don’t worry. This is quite common and normal any time after the age of 10, and especially around age 13-14. Look at our section on Breasts in men. About 2 years after you first notice the enlargement of your testicles, you will start to shoot up in height. At the same time, you will become more muscular – before puberty about 80% of your body weight is muscle, but after puberty about 90% will be muscle. To make this height and muscle, your body needs plenty of good protein-containing foods such as meat, fish, eggs, cheese, milk, and beans. Try to cut down on junk food which won’t help your body to shape up. Any
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