Tuberous breasts are more common than you would think- a large part of my Santa Barbara plastic surgery practice involves reshaping breasts to a more aesthetic shape, and I see patients with tuberous breasts with great frequency. Tuberous breasts are often referred to as constricted breasts, because it seems that part of the breasts (most often the medial or central breast) is narrower than it needs to be.
Correction of the tuberous breast requires rounding out the area of the breast that is narrowed, and this can be done in a few different ways. Most recently, “gummy bear” or shaped implants have been used to provide a structured form underneath the narrowed part of the breast. These implants are excellent at “stenting” or supporting this portion of the breast to allow a more rounded, tear drop shape. Even prior to the introduction of these implants, however, I have had excellent success in improving the breast shape in constricted breasts using releasing techniques that release the tight tissue underneath the skin of the constricted part of the breasts. This release can be used in conjunction with smooth round breast implants, or with the new textured shaped breast implants to achieve a much more aesthetic, natural appearance to your breast form.
Tuberous breasts often require a bit of lifting as well, and the new shaped implants can sometimes provide that on their own. The areola in tuberous breasts, however, is often larger than the patient would like, and so a peri-areolar or Binelli breast lift mastopexy is often used in conjunction with the breast release and breast implant. Using these tools, a breast that has a narrow or constricted form can be made to have a beautiful outcome.
