Tuberous breasts or east west orientation? (Photos)

Dear Phenomenal672698,

tuberous breasts are not simply small or underdeveloped breasts. The appearance of the breast can range from mild to severe, and typical traits include: enlarged, puffy areola, rather wide spacing between the breasts, very little breast tissue, sagging, higher than normal inferior breast fold, and narrow base at the chest wall.
The type of surgery best for you will depend on the severity of your condition.
My preferred technique for tuberous breast correction involves a multistep procedure where the breast tissue is released in a radial pattern to prevent herniation into the areola and placement of a custom implant size is in the breast to allow appropriate expansion of the breast in the restricted dimensions. This can often be done in a single procedure but sometimes may require two surgeries.
That said, it is best that you visit a board-certified plastic surgeon for an in person examination. Only after a thorough examination you will get more information and recommendations.


Daniel Barrett, MD
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

Thank you for your question. You likely have wide-set breasts but not tuberous breast deformity. You’re a candidate for breast implants that will enhance size and projection and give a more centralized appearance, but some natural lateral positioning may remain. You do not need a breast lift since your nipples are not low or pointing downward.

Thanks for your question! It does not appear as though you have tuberous breast deformity. I do think you would be a good candidate for a breast augmentation. Please seek out a board-certified plastic surgeon in your area. Good luck!

Upon reviewing your photos, I can confirm that you do not have a tuberous breast deformity. Unfortunately, it is not possible to change the position of your areolas using implants alone. While we can reposition the nipples with a breast lift surgery, you currently do not need such a procedure. You may, however, be a good candidate for breast augmentation. My suggestion is to try to make peace with the current position of your nipples. If you require a breast lift in the future, we can then reposition the nipples accordingly.

Your breasts are not tuberous, they are simply widely separated. I recommend a circumareola approach to remove more skin medially to pull in the nipple-areola complexes more centrally.

Best Wishes,

Gary Horndeski, M.D.

Unfortunately, surgeons have created the term tuberous breasts, a fact which causes unnecessary concerns for women. Many women just have different sizes and shapes and in my opinion shouldn't be labeled. I recommend an in person consultation with a plastic surgeon to discuss your goals and be measured. After I measure and discuss goals with my patients, we then look at pictures of women (my patients) with similar measurements with different size and style breast implants. They also get to see what they would look like when the breasts have fully dropped and fluffed and in clothes. You get to see actual results and the surgeon's experience and not a virtual idea of what can be achieved. Women tell me that this process is very helpful in determining what size and style breast implant is right for them. Dr. Ted Eisenberg, Board Certified Plastic Surgeon and Author. RealSelf Distinguished Hall of Fame Inductee. Philadelphia, Pa., USA

You do not appear to have tuberous breast deformity. However, you are correct that you have a wider natural breast footprint. With breast augmentation surgery, I tell my patients that post-operative results are largely dictated by starting anatomy- and, if anything, can further accentuate this. It is not possible to "move" your native breast footprint to a more central position. However, with proper implant selection, and deciding on a surgical technique that fits your goals/anatomy (Dual plane vs subfascial implant placement), you can improve the medial fullness/cleavage. Meet with a well-qualified plastic surgeon who can review your anatomy and discuss your goals to come up with a plan that fits what you are looking for.
Sean M Fisher, MD Aesthetic Plastic Surgeon Seattle, WA

Thank you for your question. From the photographs, you do not appear to have tuberous breasts. The nipple-areolar complexes are somewhat wide-set and augmentation may accentuate those differences. A consultation with a board-certified plastic surgeon will guide you on sizing and results. Best of luck on your journey!

From the submitted photos you do not have tuberous breasts. Your nipples are somewhat wideset which will not be corrected with breast augmentation alone. If you would like to change the nipple position it would need to be addressed separately. See a board certified plastic surgeon near you to learn more.

You do not have tubular breast and should get great results with breast implants. The other option is fat grafting alone or in combination with implants for better cleavage.