Do I have a low beast footprint and/or pseudoptosis? (photos)

Question

I'm a 21-year-old, 5' 5.5" and about 110 lbs. I was shadowing a plastic surgeon this summer and I'm worried my breasts are located too low on my chest. Some women's breasts are located very high on their chest, and mine appear saggy. Am I a candidate for a mastopexy and do you think my breasts are located low on my chest, or if they are, will a mastopexy not fix this problem? Push-up bras don't seem to help either. Thank you.

Mark A. Deuber, MD · Answer

Thanks for your question.  Everyone's breast look different, and most patients have asymmetries between their breasts.  Some breasts are smaller, some are larger, some have higher nipples, some lower, some droop, some have short lower poles, some sit higher on the chest, some lower, some are more wide spaced and some point more to the outside.   Based on your photos, your breasts are perfectly normal and youthful appearing.  If you were ever to consider any type of enhancement procedure, you would be an excellent candidate for an augmentation; a properly selected and sized implant would offer a degree of upper pole fill that I think you would be very happy with.

Richard Baxter, MD · Answer

Your photos show a normal breast position. One way to judge is that the position of the nipple is above the midpoint of your upper arm, which is actually slightly higher than average. It is true that some women's breasts are located very high but that does not mean that it is the norm or that it is ideal, just a variation. Breast lifts are not designed to elevate the breast footprint. It can be done with an internal bra but I would not recommend it for you and the scars would not be a good trade-off.

Vishnu Rumalla, MD · Answer

Thanks for your inquiry, I do not think you need a mastopexy would change much and is not warranted.   In addition I do not think you have significant pseudoptosis.

Christopher V. Pelletiere, MD · Answer

Based on your pictures, your breasts sit normally on your chest wall.  By lift criteria, you do not need a lift at all and you really don't have pseudoptosis either.  You simply have breasts that anatomically sit a little lower on your chest then you would like.  An augmentation could help fill out the space and give you more volume in the upper pole, providing the appearance that they sit higher, but a lift would not play a role in your case.  I hope this helps.

Amy Simon, MD, FACS · Answer

Thank you for your question regarding
whether you might benefit from a breast lift.  Judging from the photos, I do not see
pseudoptosis and therefore, someone with
this appearance would not benefit from a
mastopexy.  Although the breast tissue may be sitting a little bit lower
on the chest wall than you may prefer, overall the anatomy appears to be within
what I would expect to be normal for your age and build.  Hope this
information is helpful.  Best of luck!

John Silverton, MD, FRCS · Answer

Your breasts look entirely normal. You do not need a lift. If you want an increase in size an implant could help, and you would need a consultation from a board certified plastic surgeon.

Brian A. Pinsky, MD, FACS · Answer

As plastic surgeons, we view the position of the breasts relative to the nipple position and the inframammary breast fold.  You have completely normal breasts with a normal, youthful nipple position and no pseudoptosis at all.  Your breasts may sit lower on your chest than some others, but they fit your frame and figure nicely.   I would not recommend any kind of breast lift or any procedure that places unnecessary scars on your breasts.  If you are unhappy with your breast shape or size, you could consider a breast augmentation.  This would give you a rounder breast shape and more fullness of the upper pole of your breasts and give the appearance of riding higher on your chest.  I recommend a consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon to discuss your options.  God luck!

Karen Leong, MD · Answer

Hello. Your breasts are not too low on your chest! Breast shape and size vary, A LOT. Some of the things that influence how breasts appear are: the shape of your chest (the way your ribs sit), how much breast tissue you have, how large your chest muscles are (if you work out your chest a lot), where your nipples are positioned, and where your inframammary crease is. You probably noticed all these differences during your time shadowing.
Currently, the trend in breast shape is a 45:55 ratio meaning that you have slightly more breast tissue below the nipple than above and the nipples point 20 degrees up. This is what our society considers "ideal". That changes the same way our preference for higher versus lower waistlines change with the times!
If anything, you are very slender and you do not have as much breast tissue above the nipple which I think is what is making you believe your breasts are too low. A breast augmentation could give you more volume up top. But only if that's what you want!
Make sure you find a qualified plastic surgeon who understands your concerns and can work with you towards your goals. I hope this helps. - Dr. Leong

Robert Caridi, MD · Answer

Your breasts are perfectly normal. Your nipples are a little higher than average compared to the fold at the bottom of the breast. You do not want a mastopexy. That would be a big mistake and not needed anyway. If you wanted to change things up all you have to do is add a small to moderate size breast implant that will add fullness to the top of your breast and give it a totally different look.You are as normal as the sun coming up every day!

Steven Wallach, MD · Answer

No, your breasts are not too low on your chest and you are not a candidate for a lift. .............

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