Do I have a breast deformity as in tubular or conical breasts, how can I fix this? (photos)

Question

Hello, I have been struggling with the appearance of my breast pretty much since they started developing as they just never seemed to fill out and only grew outwards in triangle shapes with a fair bit of areola and side boob but nothing underneath or in the in the cleavage area. I was wondering if you can tell me if I do in fact have "tubular" or "conical" breasts and what can I do to get a full/normal shape as this takes a fairly heavy toll on my self esteem. Please help.

Ellis Choy, FRACS(Plast) · Answer

Hi there,
Based on the photos you supplied, you only have a mild degree of tuberous breast features with a moderate degree of breast ptosis.
Tuberous breast deformity is a constricted breast base condition characterised by deficiency of breast tissue in the lower pole, high inframammary folds and enlarged nipple areolar complex. From the photos you supplied, you don't seem to have any of these features in an excessive degree. Depending on your desires and expectations, your situation can potentially be surgically enhanced or improved in a conventional breast augmentation procedure, preferably with anatomical shaped implants in achieving a preferential lower pole expansion. This will avoid visible scarring on the breast mounds but lack the ability in lifting your breasts to a higher position or reshaping your nipple areolar complex to more favourable dimension. Depending on your preferences and surgeon's experience, there are a variety of techniques involved in customising the surgery in optimising your breast enhancement surgical outcome.
However, a combined breast implant lift procedure will be a more versatile approach in achieving the most optimal surgical result with best control in size, shape & symmetry of your new breasts. Your breasts appear to be saggy with loose skin and breast implants will get to fill the upper pole volume void while the lift will tighten the breast skin envelope as well as elevating both the "footprints" of your breasts and your nipple positions to more favourable positions. This will enhance a better upper pole fullness in achieving a natural, proportional and full looking result. 
It'd be best for you to seek a formal consultation with a specialist plastic surgeon for further assessment of your situation. 
Hope this helps.
Best wishes
Ellis Choy

Michael B. Tantillo, MD · Answer

You do not have tuberous breast deformity, although the lower polle of your breast is foreshortened and you have enlarged areola. As such, surgical treatment will employ some of the principles and techniques used to correct tuberous breast deformity. Make sure you are seeing a plastic surgeon with extensive experience in aesthetic breast surgery.

Marc J. Salzman, MD, FACS (retired) · Answer

Your photos demonstrate some of the characteristics of a tubular breast.The tuberous breast usually consists of a very constricted or narrow base with a large areola with some amount of extra breast tissue behind the areola. The correction of this breast anomaly usually requires some type of circular mastopexy to change the pointed configuration of the breast to one that is more rounded. Also, because the infra-mammary crease is higher than one would like, this crease likewise needs to be lowered. If lowered too much, the risk is one of a double bubble, where 2 contours are seen at the bottom. One from the old crease and the lower one where the implant is. If one can raise the nipple a little bit, then less lowering of this crease will need to be done. Therefore, in my hands, the appropriate operation is a circular breast lift or mastopexy with a silicone gel breast implant under the muscle. You need to be careful in the selection of the size of the implant as this is critical to the outcome of this procedure. Since some skin, of necessity, will need to be removed to move the nipple upward, and there is usually a paucity of skin in the transverse direction anyway, a large implant may necessitate coverage by skin that is no longer there. I would tell our patients that there are some limitations in size if this operation is to be successful. Years later, after the skin is more stretched, a larger implant may be able to be placed. I would recommend you find a board certified plastic surgeon with demonstrated experience in cosmetic breast surgery. Best of luck.

Do I have a breast deformity as in tubular or conical breasts, how can I fix this? (photos)

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Do I have a breast deformity as in tubular or conical breasts, how can I fix this? (photos)

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Everything you need to know about Breast Implants

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.