Do I Have Tubular Breasts?

Tubular or constricted breast is a spectrum of findings on the breast. It can vary from mild to severe, and treatment can be a challenge.

Looking at your picture: if you have it, it is mild and would respond well to augmentation, if certain steps are taken.

Your best option is to visit with a board certified plastic surgeon with extensive experience in breast surgery. They can examine you and give you your best options. (Dustin L. Reid, MD, Austin Plastic Surgeon)

Tubular breasts are the result of a constricted ring of tissue at the base of the breasts. While there is a wide spectrum of degrees of tubular breasts, the common theme is a tight lower pole of the breasts and tissue that protrudes through the areolar opening.

tubular breasts symptoms

In your case, when your nipples are erect, they contract and force the breast tissue back within the breasts, improving the shape of your breasts.

Tubular breasts can be improved through a variety of different means, depending on the look of the breasts. In many cases, this combines the use of an implant with reshaping of the breast. In your case, a conservative implant could be placed to provide more width and volume for your breasts. The constricted ring of tissue would be released, which allows your breast to unfurl and create a more rounded shape. The areola could then be reduced and tightened to correct the puffiness that you previously had and reduce the size of the areola. All of this could be done as a relatively brief outpatient procedure through an incision limited to the border of the areola where it is well hidden. In short, you are an excellent candidate to have your breasts enhanced and reshaped. (Jeffrey Rockmore, MD, Albany Plastic Surgeon)

tubular breast augmentation before and after

When the skin is tightened by areolar contraction the breast looks rounder. A surgical procedure can release some of this constriction after which localized fat grafting could be done to fill out the lower pole. Weight gain with more fat in the breast does not necessarily correct the constriction. This kind of shape persists and is unlikely to change. Overall, the breasts look good, and the best option may be to do nothing. (Robert M. Lowen, MD, Mountain View Plastic Surgeon)

You appear to have a mild degree of a tubular breast with a constricted base BUT I agree with the other posts that you probably don’t need correction of this minor problem. (George C. Peck, Jr, MD, West Orange Plastic Surgeon)

Mild case of breast tuberosity?

Do I Have Tubular Breasts question

You may have a very mild case of breast tuberosity, however I do not think this is something that needs correction. Should you ever decide to have breast augmentation, your plastic surgeon should examine your breasts to determine whether or not any release of tight/constricted tissue needs to be performed during the breast augmentation to give you the best results. (Martin Jugenburg, MD, Toronto Plastic Surgeon)

Tuberous Breasts

You have a mild form of “tuberous ” breasts. It just means that the breast is constricted and the nipple appears herniated outward. This can be corrected with breast augmentation if done correctly. The tissue will need to be cut on the inside to allow the base to expand and eliminate the flattened lower portion. They may improve as you get older even without implants especially if you breast feed. If surgery is done now, breast feeding may not be possible later. (Martin O’Toole, MD, Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon)

Tuberous breasts tend to have a constricted or narrow base and as a result the breast tissue tends to herniated into the nipple.

I would not say that your breast base diameter is particularly narrow. You do have herniation of breast tissue into your areole.

At the age of 18 however your breast shape is still evolving and with aging and pregnancy, these things may change. You didn’t ask about surgical correction, and my recommendation would be to avoid it.

There is a risk of it interfering with breast feeding and that is a trade off you would want to think about carefully. (Douglas Hargrave, MD, Albany Plastic Surgeon)

On evaluation of your photos, you certainly show some of the characteristics of tubular breasts. The inferior pole is constricted and does not show a nice, rounder form. It appears that you may have a small amount of herniation of the breast tissue into the areola. At some point if you decide to correct this, it can be achieved through an augmentation where the inferior pole and the infra-mammary crease is released.

At the same time, herniated tissue behind the areola can be removed and this is done through the peri-areolar incision. Pregnancy and breast feeding may change the appearance to some degree, but ultimately you may want to have your mild tubular situation corrected. (William F. DeLuca Jr, MD, Albany Plastic Surgeon)

it appears that you have more of a “constricted” breast rather than a classic “tuberous” breast. Although you do have some features of this, you do not fit all of the criteria.

However, you do have some herniation of tissue into the areola along with a tight/”constricted” lower pole of your breast. As you age, you may find some changes to your breasts, but your complaints may not completely be improved. If you desire in the future, a procedure to open the lower pole of your breast tissue from within along with a small implant may ameliorate your concerns. A consultation in the future with a plastic surgeon may help you determine which procedure(s), if any, may be right for you. (Lewis Albert Andres, MD, Scottsdale Plastic Surgeon)

Are my Breasts Tubular

Your breasts appear to mildly tuberous. There is some constriction in the lower pole on the photograph. I would perform a submuscular breast augmentation with implant and then do some scoring on the inside of the lower pole. I think in this case it would correct the problem. (Paul Vitenas, Jr., MD, Houston Plastic Surgeon)

You appear to have a mild form of tubular breasts. As you mature there is a chance of some improvement, however, it is unlikely that they will correct completely.

A small implant placed on top of the muscle via a peri-areolar incision, with concurent breast scorring, would likely correct the problem rather easily. (Remus Repta, MD, Scottsdale Plastic Surgeon)

Mild Tuberosity of Breasts

Based on your picture, you have a mild case of tuberous breasts. There appears to be some herniation of breast tissue/fat in the areola. In addition, an exam will likely reveal some mild constriction at the base of your breasts. Many of these things can be improved with surgery. (C. Bob Basu, MD, FACS, Houston Plastic Surgeon)