Whether you’re considering breast augmentation, breast lift, or breast reduction, your plastic surgeon will examine your breasts and explain to you how the surgery works. Knowing more details about the anatomy of the breast, as well as, some common glossary terms will definitely help you understand your plastic surgeon better.
So, we’ve put together this article to get you more familiar with the anatomy of the breasts and everything related to breast surgery.
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Up until puberty, both boys and girls have similar breast shapes. After reaching puberty, hormonal changes stimulate breast budding and the breast parenchyma (tissue) starts to grow and change in both size and shape. Throughout puberty, the breasts will become larger, the nipples will become bigger and more erect, and the areolas (pigmented skin around the nipples) will become more round and darker. Breasts usually stop growing and reach their mature size and contour by the age of 18. Throughout life, many factors can affect the shape and size of your breasts. These include ageing, loss of skin elasticity, pregnancy, breastfeeding, the menstrual cycle, weight gain or loss, and many others.
The anatomy of breasts is a little complex. Boobs consist of three main tissue types; glandular, fat, and connective.
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Now that you know what breasts are made up of, let’s talk about the anatomy. Breasts overlay the chest wall muscles, known as the pectoral muscles. There are two layers of muscle here, the inner one is the “pectoralis minor,” and the outer one is the “pectoralis major,”. They sit right on your ribs. These muscles are covered by a thin layer of fibrous tissue called the “fascia”. Surgeons often place breast implants under the pectoral muscles, using the “submuscular placement” technique.
The glandular tissue is organized into around 15-20 lobes in each breast, each of these lobes is made of many smaller tissue collections called lobules. These are the glands that produce breast milk. They feel harder than the fat tissue surrounding them, and that’s how surgeons tell fat tissue from glandular tissue in the breast when operating. A network of very small ducts run between the breast glands to transport milk to the nipples. Breast cancer usually arises in glandular tissue.
Fat tissue surrounds glandular tissue and gives the breast the bulk of its size. Within this tissue run many nerves, veins, arteries, lymph vessels, and lymph nodes. Connective tissue runs through the whole breast to support its structural integrity. “Cooper’s ligaments” are the main component of the connective tissue. Think of these ligaments as being an intricate web of very thin (but tense) cords running in your breasts. Furthermore, cooper’s ligaments are crucial when it comes to keeping your breasts perky and firm, and their stretching can lead to breast ptosis (saggy boobs).
The anatomy of the breast is extremely important in understanding how your doctor is going to perform surgery. It will also help you understand the different surgical incision and implant placement options.
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Implant placement refers to the exact location where your surgeon will insert the implants in your breasts. Your surgeon might choose one of the following options:
Your plastic surgeon will choose one of these approaches for breast augmentation, Depending on your anatomy. Subglandular placement is usually only possible in women who naturally have a good amount of breast tissue to cover up the implant. The advantages include an easier procedure and less recovery time, however, the upper edge of the implants might show if you don’t have enough breast fat. This is why most plastic surgeons prefer submuscular placement.
Submuscular placement is preferred by experienced plastic surgeons even though it’s a slightly longer and more technically demanding surgery. This location provides better implant coverage and more natural-looking breasts in the long term. The upper pole of your implant will be covered and hidden by your pectoral muscles, which gives your breast a smooth and natural slope. Moreover, submuscular placement is associated with fewer capsular contractures, less risk of breastfeeding and nipple sensitivity problems, and does not interfere with mammograms. The disadvantages of submuscular implants include a slightly longer recovery time and, sometimes, obvious wrinkling when the chest muscles contract.
There are several surgical incision techniques that your doctor might choose from depending on the surgical approach;
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Whether you’re just researching breast augmentation surgery or you’re preparing to get a boob job soon, these are some terms that you will probably come across during your research with a simple explanation of each:
Cosmetic breast surgery is, of course, not only for women who have specific medical conditions. If you are unsatisfied with the shape, size, or symmetry of your breasts, breast augmentation is definitely for you.
