Breast development asymmetries
Most women’s breasts are different shapes and sizes. The breasts will usually grow in response to hormones and weight changes. The right and left breasts of a woman may not respond the same to the breast growth hormones. When this occurrs, the breasts will be different sizes and may be different shapes. This is an example of a breast asymmetry ‘without restriction’. This means that they are different sizes but not because of other factors restricting the breasts growth. Breasts can be asymmetric with or without restriction of the surrounding tissues.
Breast asymmetry with tissue restriction occurs when one or both breasts fail to grow correctly because of the restriction of the skin and surrounding tissues. These tissues do not expand and actually prevent the breast from growing normally. If or when, the breast does continue to grow with this surrounding restriction, the breast will grow and expand the areolar tissue. The breast tissue will actually protrude the areola. The effected breast will be a different shape and size. This irregularity is referred to as a tuberous breast deformity. There are varying degrees of tuberous breast deformity, from a mild to severe form. The more severe forms will have very tight constricted breasts in the bottom part of the breast. The more severe forms will also have wide distorted areolar tissues with breast gland actually pushing out through the areola. This breast tissue pushing out through the areola gives the tuberous breast deformity its distinctive look.
Regardless of the type of breast asymmetry, the nipples are usually located in different positions and the nipples may be different sizes with breast asymmetries. Another very important asymmetry that is often underappreciated is when the fold or crease that is made where the bottom of the breast rejoins the chest. This fold is usually where the ‘underwire’ of a bra sits. The name of this fold is the Infra-Mammary Fold (IMF). When breasts are different sizes, these folds may be at different levels. This is important because, the breast implant usually rests on this fold. So if the inframammary folds are at different levels, then the breast mounds will be in different positions.
