The best kept secret when it comes to a woman’s breasts is that just about every shape is normal.
Breasts are as individual to a woman as the choice of the bra she carries them around in. Thank goodness for variety – since not every woman wants to be Barbie.
But if you’d like to size up your breasts against some kind of standard of normal, let this breast blog guide you to some good, some better, and some breasts that seem to be best.
The “Ideal” Breast
For lack of a better word, the “ideal” breast shape is more uncommon than not. There is a gentle slope from the breast bone to the nipple, with the nipple pointing outward and parallel to the ground. The ideal breast does not sag and appears firm and rounded. From a frontal view, both nipples fall evenly on a horizontal line that runs midway between the shoulder and elbow.
Small Breasts
Breasts are made of fatty, or adipose tissue. Small breasts have very little fatty tissue and therefore not much “padding” between the skin and the chest muscle. There is usually no sagging in small breasts.
Large Breasts
Large breasts have an abundance of fatty tissue and frequently have large nipples. Because of the weight of this excess fatty tissue, large breasts have nowhere to go but downward. The weight of the breast is concentrated much lower with nipples pointing downward and falling well below the midline of the upper arm. Woman with extremely large breasts may experience back problems, bra strap grooves and skin irritation or rashes underneath the breasts.
Sagging Breasts
Sagging, or ptotic, breasts have an increased amount of skin and breast tissue falling below the natural fold of the breast. Sagging breasts are commonly associated with aging – gravity and a loss of fatty tissue leading to the migration of the breast downward. Sagging breasts have lost fullness in the upper pole and display heaviness or a “bottoming out” of the breast shape.
Tubular or Tuberous Breasts
The tubular breast is cylindrical in shape with a narrow base and a tendency to drop downward. Because of the narrow base, tubular breasts often appear spaced far apart on the chest.
Rib Cage Deformity
A normal rib cage is slightly rounded outward with breasts following the natural curve. If the rib cage is bowed forward (pectus carinatum) the breasts will fall to the side with nipples pointing outward. If the rib cage is sunken inward, the breasts then fall toward the center of the body with nipples facing inward. Breast augmentation with implants cannot correct the orientation of the breasts in rib cage deformities.
Breast Augmentation, Breast Reduction, and Mastopexy (Breast Lift) are common surgical procedures that can make your good breast shape better. Breast augmentation with silicone or saline implants is a popular way to enhance small breasts. Breast reduction is often combined with a breast lift in very large breasted women. Sagging breasts can benefit from a lift and may or may not require augmentation.
Good, better, best. Consider your own breast attributes as normal no matter what their shape. Most breasts are asymmetrical, and few, if any, are Barbie-perfect. However, if you’d like to better your breast shape, consider a consultation with Dr. Lee at Changes Plastic Surgery & Spa. Your “normal” breasts will be assessed and your “better” breasts shown you through 3-Dimensional Computer Imaging.
