What does tuberous breast correction address?
If one or both of your breasts have a narrow, cylindrical shape, high creases under the breasts, wide cleavage spacing and/or oversized, “puffy” areolas, you may have tuberous breasts.
This is a condition that Dr. Robert Cohen can address with tuberous breast correction in Beverly Hills.
Many female patients who have experienced a great amount of embarrassment and self-consciousness due to the appearance of their breasts come to seek help from Dr. Cohen. He performs this challenging procedure in order to help women achieve an aesthetically pleasing breast shape and position, which can dramatically improve their body image and confidence.
If you have tuberous breasts and want to improve their appearance, Dr. Cohen will be very happy to meet with you at his office and answer all of your questions. Request a consultation or call (310) 288-0641 to schedule an appointment.
Tuberous Breast Surgery Patient Photos
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About this patient
This patient is in her early 20's who presented to my office with complaints of unnatural appearing breasts, which were too small. The left breast had a higher inframammary crease consistent with mild tuberous breasts. I felt the patient would benefit from bilateral breast augmentation...
About this patient
This 32-year-old patient came to my practice because she felt that her breasts were disproportionately small and did not like their pointy shape. On examination, I determined that she had tuberous breast deformity. This condition causes excess tightness of the lower breast...
What are tuberous breasts?
Tuberous breasts, also called tubular breasts, result from a congenital condition that develops in some women during puberty.
It ranges in severity from very mild unevenness to extreme breast deformity. Either one or both breasts may be affected, and the condition can take different forms in different patients. These can include:
- Small breasts due to insufficient glandular tissue (hypoplasia)
- Breasts that sit high on the chest
- Breasts that are widely spaced apart
- An abnormally high breast crease (inframammary fold) or no breast crease at all
- Puffy, oversized areolas caused by breast tissue that has herniated into the looser skin of the nipple and areola
- A significant difference in size and/or shape of the breasts (asymmetry)
- Overhanging or droopy breast skin
- Downturned nipples
With this condition, the breast does not grow into the typical round shape because it’s constrained by the tight skin and the fold. Instead, the breasts end up narrow and elongated, resembling (in more severe cases) tubers such as sweet potatoes, hence the name “tuberous breasts”.
A complex yet life-changing surgery
Many people incorrectly believe that tuberous breasts can be corrected by simply placing a breast implant during breast augmentation surgery. Generally, correction includes implant placement, internal tissue release, glandular tissue resection and usually a circumareolar mastopexy (around the areola skin tightening). Tuberous breast correction can sometimes take more than one surgery to achieve optimal results, with the secondary surgery including fat grafting or further skin resection. Tuberous breast surgery can be one of the most challenging breast procedures a plastic surgeon performs, however, when performed properly it can create dramatic improvements in a patient’s appearance and self confidence.
This procedure requires a significant amount of training and experience, and few cosmetic plastic surgeons in Beverly Hills or the country truly specialize in this corrective surgery.
A specialist in tuberous breast correction
Dr. Cohen has helped many women with varying degrees of this disorder to have fuller, rounder, more natural-looking breasts. The surgery to correct this issue is sometimes done in a single stage, but also may require multiple stages depending on the severity of the condition.
As with all of Dr. Cohen’s surgical procedures, he will look at each tuberous breast case as a unique challenge, and the techniques that he uses will be customized to meet the individual's specific needs.
Am I a candidate for Tuberous Breast Surgery?
When you have your consultation with Dr. Cohen, he will spend a significant amount of time getting to know you personally and reviewing your medical history. He will also perform a physical examination and will explore your reasons for seeking cosmetic surgery.
Good candidates for tuberous breast correction share a few common qualities.
These are:
- The patient is unhappy with the shape and size of her tuberous breasts
- The patient has realistic expectations for the outcome
- The patient understands that the correction may require more than one procedure to achieve optimal results
Once Dr. Cohen has determined that you are an appropriate candidate for tuberous breast correction, he will explain your options in detail.
Surgical Details for Tuberous Breast Surgery
Dr. Cohen typically performs his tuberous breast correction surgery as an outpatient procedure.
General anesthetic is administered under the care of a board-certified M.D. anesthesiologist. Every procedure is adjusted to the patient's unique needs; however, every procedure does have a few areas in common. These include:
- Lowering the inframammary fold to a more normal position
- Scoring the breast tissue internally and expanding the constricted breast skin and tissue to create a rounder, more natural breast shape
- Placing breast implants—often of different sizes to correct asymmetry—with consideration of textured anatomical implants due to their tendency for preferential lower pole tissue expansion
- Possibly removing excess or abnormal breast tissue from behind the areolas
- Performing a breast lift with incisions around the areolas (i.e., circumareolar mastopexy) to improve breast shape, reduce enlarged areolas, and elevate the nipples to a higher position
In most cases, Dr. Cohen can perform all of these corrections in a single procedure. However, in cases where the skin is exceptionally tight, these steps may need to be performed in different stages.
Dr. Cohen is also able to combine tuberous breast surgery with other procedures, such as liposuction or fat grafting, for a more comprehensive and dramatic enhancement.
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ExploreFrequently Asked Questions
What is recovery like after tuberous breast surgery?
Recovery after tuberous breast correction surgery will vary with the severity of the patient’s condition.
You will receive specific instructions for aftercare and recuperation when you meet with Dr. Cohen for your final preoperative appointment.
You may need to wear a surgical support bra for the first week. Generally, patients are ready to return to work or school in about a week. If your job is physically demanding, you may need additional recovery time.
This procedure involves opening up the breast tissue and skin, which typically results in more swelling than a typical breast augmentation or breast lift. Compared to those procedures, it may take more time for the swelling to dissipate and for your final results to become apparent.
How much does tuberous breast surgery cost?
Women have varying degrees of tuberous breast deformity. This means that the cost of the procedure will depend on each patient’s unique anatomy, needs, and goals.
Besides the severity of the patient’s condition, the cost will also vary with the price of the implants (if used), operating room fees, and anesthesiologist fees, as well as other factors.
At the end of your consultation, we will provide you with a written quote that reflects the total cost of your procedure.
If you live out of the Los Angeles area, you may email photos to our office. Dr. Cohen will look at these photos and estimate a surgical plan for you, which we can then use to give you a ballpark price.
Dr. Cohen offers flexible financing options for patients as well. This may help you achieve your aesthetic goals on terms that work for you.
I had breast augmentation by a surgeon who didn’t know how to correct my tuberous breasts. Can you fix my results?
Breast revision procedures are often complex and quite challenging, but Dr. Cohen believes that every patient deserves to feel beautiful and confident about her body. Helping patients with tuberous breasts get the attractive results they wanted in the first place is one of his specialties.
Experience is especially important in revision tuberous breast surgery because the combination of these procedures is often more complex than breast augmentation revision surgery or tuberous breast surgery alone. Dr. Cohen is an excellent choice because he is highly-skilled in this area.
Will I be able to breastfeed after tuberous breast surgery?
Surgery typically does not affect a patient’s ability to breastfeed.
That said, every case is unique, and many women with this condition may already be unable to breastfeed due to hypoplasia of the mammary glands. In such a case, the mammary tissue (i.e., milk glands) does not develop completely during puberty.
How long will I need to wait to go back to my regular exercise routine?
Dr. Cohen encourages most patients to resume walking and continue light activity the day after their surgery, but you will need to hold off on strenuous activity for approximately a month to six weeks.