What is the best approach to my bilateral axillary breast tissue? (photos)

Armpit/axillary fullness is fairly common. Your radiologist has determined from your mammogram that your problem is not fat which lipo could remove, but excess tissue for which a direct excision is needed.

Hello,
Thank you for your enquiry. The method of armpit reduction depends on the tissue. If there is more breast tissue, an open excision with a cut in the armpit is the best option. If this is just fat tissue, then liposuction is feasible. In your case, an open excision might be a better choice.

Your breasts are low on the chest wall and widely separated. The technique I recommend is a lift using The Bellesoma Method. This will reshape your breast tissue creating upper pole fullness without implants, elevate them higher on the chest wall and more medial to increase your cleavage. Vertical scars are avoided, nipple sensation (in 95%) and the ability to breast feed are maintained. The skin from the axillary area is pulled in with the breast lift.

Best Wishes,

Gary Horndeski, M.D.

you can do liposuction with internal heating to see how much improvement you get, otherwise a mini arm pinch or lift with liposution can really help this. breast surgery as well. see an expert. Best, Dr. Emer.

Axillary aft excess is different than axillary breast tissue and is treated differently. There is a small but defined risk of developing breast cancer in the axillary tissue over the course of your life.

For this reason, I recommend a hidden incision in the armpit to completely excise the axillary tissue and the tighten the loose skin.

Axillary fat alone may be treated with lipo alone if it is not too large.

Thank you for your question and photos. Based on your history of engorgement during pregnancy, you will need liposuction and breast glandular tissue excision. This can be done through s small armpit incision under intravenous sedation only.
See a board certified plastic surgeon for an in person consultation/evaluation. Good luck.

I appreciate your frustrations and concerns, and axillary breast tissue such as yours, is a fairly common occurrence.
It is usually caused by a combination of breast tissue from the tail of your breast extending into your armpit regions, combined with fatty tissue. When the tissue is primarily fatty and not breast tissue, liposuction is the best option as scarring is minimal. However in cases such as yours, where mammogram documents breast tissue in the area causing the fullness, direct excision is required as liposuction will not be able to suck out breast tissue. This requires a scar that is usually well hidden in your armpit. Consult with a board-certified plastic surgeon in your area to explore your options. Good luck.

Dear Greenpixie,
it is hard to tell for sure without an examination. Based on your photos, it looks like you would get the best results after surgical excision. If you are considering a surgery, I would suggest you to consult a board-certified plastic surgeon. 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

Even though there is breast issue in the area of concern and I did respond to hormonal changes during pregnancy most of it is still fat.

Because of that it does respond well to liposuction but liposuction one not address the significant skin laxity component also present.

Your skin is also going to be removed then I makes much more sense to do direct excision of the fat and breast tissue in the area since it can be perfectly sculpted without any secondary guessing and has a faster recovery.

When I’ve done these in the past I typically do my skin excision above the area and end up taking out actual armpit skin. The edge of the skin excision typically comes out right at the fold of your armpit. With someone with their arm in the down position the very edge of the scar may be visible for a quarter to a half inch at the fold on top of the front of armpit. Armpit skin is thin and tends to be forgiving in regards to score information. For those who are very apprehensive about scars you can try removing the breast tissue and fat without any significant skin removal through a small incision using liposuction and then come back six months later and deal with the skin if it bothers you.

Must people realize that without removing some skin it’s not going to look normal if just the fat in breast tissue is removed.

Despite having slightly different approaches to how to do this a talented plastic surgeon will have it looking much improved and there are probably equivalent different approaches.

The biggest difference is going to be dealing with the skin access or not.

Like I said for those who are apprehensive they can always come back for a skin excision procedure later.

Best,

Mats Hagstrom MD

Thank you for the question and photos and what you are describing is the axillary tail of Spence that can be best removed via a small incision in your armpit

Dr Corbin