How do you define beauty? There is more to beauty than just a symmetrical face with perfectly proportioned features. Beauty also pertains to other parts of your body, like a flat tummy, rounded buttocks, and full, perky breasts.
Just like how soft and smooth skin is considered an indication of youth and beauty, breasts must also have specific characteristics to be considered beautiful.
Ideally, your breasts must be symmetrical, with a 45% fullness above the nipple line, 55% fullness below the nipple line, and sporting a slight teardrop shape.
And have you ever wondered why push-up bras are so popular? It’s because they create a nice cleavage — another ideal characteristic of a beautiful bust line.
But not all women are lucky to have these symmetrical and rounded breasts.
Some people are born with a tubular pair instead of round ones, giving the appearance of droopy, elongated breasts. Others have an asymmetrical pair — one normal breast coupled with a tubular breast. Sometimes, one breast is larger than the other, and one might even be absent.
And because this is genetic, no amount of lifestyle changes can ever correct these deformities.
The good news is that you can always get a tuberous breast correction from Dr. Siamak Agha, one of the top board-certified plastic surgeons in Orange County and Los Angeles, and achieve the rounded breast shape you’ve always dreamed of.
Continue reading this article to learn more about tuberous breast correction.
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Tubular breasts — also known as tuberous breasts, constricted breasts, or oval breasts — are a developmental disorder of the breast shape that occurs during breast growth. It is characterized by a very narrow breast base and a long skin envelope.
Unlike normal breasts, tuberous breasts have a constricted mammary fold or breast crease tightly packed with connective tissues and fibers.
As the breasts grow, the constricted mammary fold prevents the lower breast pole from growing while the upper breast continues to grow. This keeps the breasts narrow while the breasts develop a shape akin to Snoopy’s nose.
The growing upper pole breast often pushes under the areola, making it larger in diameter than usual and often herniated or bulging. That means the areola is puffy or protruding above the breast skin.
The amount of breast tissue can be variable, as well as the nature of the deformity. Though the degree of tubular deformity can be the same on both sides, often there is significant breast asymmetry in terms of shape and size.
These can cause body image concerns, leading to self-conscious behavior whenever you need to wear tight clothing or swimsuits.
Tuberous breasts occur when your breasts fail to grow evenly during your growth phase.
You can think of the breast as being divided into two parts: the upper breast above the nipple-areola complex, and the lower breast below those landmarks. The breasts tend to start high on the chest and can be widely spaced.
When you have tuberous breasts, the tight fibrous band of connective tissues in your lower breast prevents your lower breast pole from growing as much as your upper breast. It results in uneven growth, as there’s little breast growth in the lower part.
The fibrous band also keeps the breasts narrow and separated from each other. So, instead of turning into a round breast with normal cleavage, the breasts end up having a narrow tube shape.
Plus, the developing breast tissue is often forced through the tight, tube-shaped skin into the looser skin of the nipple-areola complex, causing oversized, puffy-appearing areolae.
Women with tubular breasts may feel self-conscious and apprehensive about their condition and having their breasts seen by anyone.
Correcting tuberous breasts may be as simple as breast augmentation or as complicated as two-staged breast reconstruction.
As an expert breast aesthetics and reconstructive surgeon, Dr. Agha has dealt with both easy and complicated cases, which you can see by visiting our tuberous breast correction gallery.
In a nutshell, the surgery typically involves the following steps:
Depending on the deformity’s severity, many patients will also need a periareolar breast lift or other more comprehensive breast lifts.
Dr. Agha was very helpful during the consultation and listened to what I wanted, then the end result was exactly as described. I would definitely recommend to a friend or family. Dr. Agha is amazing in all aspects of his profession.
Giraldog
Proper correction of tuberous breasts is a challenging endeavor in breast surgery as it requires significant experience from your plastic surgeon.
Dr. Agha sees many women with varying degrees of breast asymmetries, breast implant complications, and tuberous breasts in his practice. Depending on the case severity, tuberous breast correction may be done in a single surgery or multiple stages.
Like any surgical procedure, Dr. Agha looks at each tuberous breast case as a unique challenge. He first studies the degree and form of breast development, then plans a customized approach for each breast.
He aims to create round and naturally appealing breasts with enhanced cleavage.
For mild tubular breast cases with minimal nipple and areola sagging, Dr. Agha will plan a standard breast augmentation or breast fat transfer with the internal release of the lower breast constriction.
Breast augmentation, either with implants or your own fat, can correct the lack of lower breast and lift the nipple and areola slightly. However, it will not change the size or herniation of the nipple-areola complex.
For those with a more pronounced tuberous breast shape with low nipple-areola complexes, the procedure usually involves the following:
Most of the time, Dr. Agha can do this in one procedure. He places the implant through the areola incision under the breast tissue or the chest muscle.
Through the same incision, he lowers the inframammary fold and internally releases the constricted lower pole breast tissue by cutting the tissue and allowing it to expand.
The procedure is completed by circumferential tightening and repositioning of the nipple-areola complex in a higher position.
When the breasts are hanging more profoundly and have more skin, then a more substantial breast lift may be needed.
In severe tuberous breast cases, the breast skin’s extreme tightness and constriction will demand a staged surgical approach.
During the first stage, a breast tissue expander may be used to expand the lower breast skin for 6 to 12 weeks. These devices are like breast implants but can be gradually expanded over time to stretch and induce breast skin growth.
Following expansion, the tissue expanders are exchanged for final breast implants, and a breast lift is often performed to correct for the nipple-areola position.
Often, in tuberous breast surgery, the two breasts are very different in size and shape, thus requiring different approaches. One may simply need a breast augmentation, while the other may need a breast lift with implants.
While many plastic surgeons are well versed at breast augmentations, not all have managed tuberous breasts and have as much experience with these challenging cases as does Dr. Agha.
Tuberous breast correction usually takes two to four hours to perform. Here are the steps that Dr. Agha performs for the average tuberous breast problems.
First, Dr. Agha marks specific landmarks on your chest in the preoperative holding area. It ensures proper planning for the surgery and implant placement.
He then reviews the entire operative plan with you, including the incision location, implant type and size, and potential complications. You will then be given a dose of intravenous antibiotics as a precautionary measure.
Finally, you will be taken to the operating room and asked to lie on a warm operating table. Sequential compression devices are placed on your legs to enhance blood flow and prevent blood clots.
Your anesthesiologist puts you under general anesthesia.
Dr. Agha also injects a solution of local anesthetics around the nipple-areola complex and other planned incision sites in most cases.
Dr. Agha will mark the new nipple-areola complex’s diameter, then make an incision over the marking where excess areola skin is excised.
The incision is extended from the breast tissue to under the breast’s surface, where a pocket under the chest muscle is created for your implant. The pocket is centered beneath your nipple-areola complex.
Dr. Agha lowers the inframammary fold and internally releases the constricted lower pole breast tissue by cutting it radially, allowing it to expand. The pocket is then washed with irrigation fluid containing three types of antibiotics to minimize potential infection.
Dr. Agha does the same for your breast implants, soaking them in a similar solution. He prepares the implants under sterile conditions for insertion into its corresponding pocket.
For saline implants, Dr. Agha first checks them for integrity. He completely removes the air within each implant and replaces it with a small volume of sterile saline.
The implant is rolled and inserted into the pocket, then inflated with a sterile saline solution using a closed-fill system.
Since silicone gel implants come pre-filled, they do not require filling in the operating room. Dr. Agha uses a “no-touch” technique or a Keller funnel when inserting the silicone implants into their pockets.
After the implants are in place, Dr. Agha temporarily closes your incision. He sits you up on the operating table to check your breasts’ symmetry, form, and volume.
Once the desired outcome is obtained, he permanently closes the incisions. Drains are rarely used.
The procedure is completed by circumferential tightening and repositioning of the nipple-areola complex in a higher position.
Dr. Agha applies a sterile dressing to the incisions, and a soft surgical bra is placed over your breasts.
Please read the general information on recovery after breast surgery.
Your actual recovery time depends on the specific procedures done to achieve your desired breast shape and profile, as well as your body’s natural healing time.
It is also possible for your breasts to heal at a different pace. One might look more swollen and feel uncomfortable or even have a different initial shape than the other. In that case, you should know that the final results will improve over time and these initial asymmetries will settle.
General Instructions
| Timeline | Activity |
|---|---|
| 24 hours | You may not drive because of having impaired reflexes and from
pain medication. You should start walking on the evening of your surgery to avoid blood clots in your legs. |
| Day 5 | Follow-up with Dr.
Agha. You may be able to return to work if your job does not involve hard labor. |
| 1 week | Avoid activities that
can raise your blood pressure. Stick to walking as a form of light exercise. You may start driving if your car has power steering. But stop if it causes you pain. Start massaging your breasts to reduce the odds of capsular contracture and help with sensory nerve regeneration. Showering is only allowed after getting permission from Dr. Agha. |
| 2 weeks | The burning sensation on your nipples and bruising start to
subside. You may stop sleeping on your back. |
| 3 weeks | The skin on your breasts stops looking
shiny. Edema and swelling start to subside. Your body absorbs any trapped air and natural fluids. You can introduce other cardiovascular activities, such as stationary biking or brisk walking. |
| 4 weeks | You can engage in light exercise. |
| 6 weeks | You can start heavy lifting, contact sports, and jogging. |
| 9 months | Scars lighten and flatten to match your
skin. Wear sunscreen with at least SPF 15 on your breasts to protect them from the sun. |
Immediately after undergoing tuberous breast correction, you will have:
You will see the results immediately after your surgery, but the final results will appear in about three to six months. By this time, you will attain the remarkably natural-looking and symmetrical breasts you’ve always dreamed of.
Your breasts may heal at a different pace, but you will have a sense of what your breasts will look like when the swelling subsides in three to five weeks.
The best thing about the procedure is that the results are permanent.
All surgical procedures, including tuberous breast correction, have associated potential risks.
The decision to have breast surgery is extremely personal. You have to decide if the benefits will achieve your goals, and if the risks and potential complications are acceptable.
Since many of the approaches related to tuberous breast correction involve breast implants, check out the general risks and complications of breast implants on this page.
The amount you’ll spend depends on many factors, such as location, surgeon’s expertise and reputation, your body type, the actual procedures to be performed, operating room fees, and anesthesia fees.
Tuberous breast correction is typically comprised of these two procedures: breast augmentation and nipple-areola surgery.
According to Real Self, these cost an average of $6,500 and $3,850, respectively. However, since they would be combined in one procedure, the average cost would be typically lower than two separate procedures.
Should you want additional procedures to achieve the breasts you want, Dr. Agha will adjust the fees accordingly.
It is rare for insurance providers to cover the cost of tuberous breast correction surgery as it is seen as purely cosmetic even when used to correct a severely underdeveloped breast.
However, you can ask Dr. Agha about financing options to make the tuberous breast correction procedure more affordable for you.
If you’re not yet sure if you’ll benefit from tuberous breast correction, try to answer these questions:
If you’ve answered YES to any of the questions, then you may be a good candidate for tuberous breast correction.
Depending on your circumstance, the following factors may affect the results you get from tuberous breast correction and prevent you from qualifying for the procedure:
Good Overall Health
As with any surgical cosmetic procedure, your body must be prepared physically and not suffer from severe comorbidities.
Realistic Expectations
Although Dr. Agha will do his best to ensure that you get the best results possible from the procedure, you must keep your expectations grounded on the potential results discussed before the surgery.
Pregnancy
If you’re pregnant or trying to get pregnant, you may have to hold off undergoing the procedure for a few years.
A tuberous breast correction can give you rounder and more symmetrical breasts, providing you the confidence to wear your favorite bikini or lingerie without feeling self-conscious.
To get the best possible results, you should only trust and get the procedure from highly experienced, top-notch, and board-certified plastic surgeons like Dr. Agha. With his expertise, he can help you decide which procedures will help you achieve your desired results.
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