Tubular Breast

Tuberous breast, recognising and correcting it with the most suitable surgery

Tuberous breast, also called tubular breast or Snoopy Breast, is a congenital breast malformation, often associated with Poland Syndrome or an asymmetry of shape and volume, that manifests itself from adolescence onwards with varying degrees of severity.

This complex defect undermines the girl’s self-esteem, causing a sense of embarrassment and discomfort that will consequently lead her, not without family resistance, to seek the most suitable corrective surgical treatment. There are, in fact, no cures or natural remedies that can favour the anatomical development of the breasts.

How to recognise the tuberous breast

The tuberous breast has a rather narrow base which then widens to end in a very large areola. This aspect makes the breast ptosic (drooping) with an unusual and unattractive ‘tuberous’ shape.

Other distinctive features are a higher than normal breast furrow and a flat, flattened lower breast pole.

Sometimes this defect is associated with Poland syndrome, i.e. the absence of the pectoralis major muscle.

Today, tuberous breasts can be remedied by surgical correction and possibly the placement of breast implants.

The first consultation

Dr. Tommaso Savoia at the time of the examination has to assess the objectivity and severity of the defect, compare with the patient’s expectations, and present the patient with photos and pictures of other operations of the same type in order to better understand the results that can be achieved.

Surgical indications

The specialist will indicate the correct surgical technique to achieve the best aesthetic result.

There are cases in which it is sufficient to use the lipofilling technique to correct a slightly tuberous breast or mild defects.

For cases of moderate or severe severity it will be necessary to resort to aesthetic plastic surgery. It will be possible to:

• Reshape the mammary gland by means of round block  mastopexy with classic periareolar scars to reduce the areola and vertical scars to conize the lower pole
• Combine the insertion of an implant to fill in and project the breast if the breast volume is to be increased at the same time
• Reduce breasts that are too large using techniques similar to reduction mammaplasty and make them more similar to each other

Surgery

Surgery may involve multiple techniques because each individual case has its own unique peculiarities.

The duration of surgery varies from 1 to 3 hours depending on the techniques chosen, and is performed under general anaesthesia with 1 night’s hospital stay.

Tuberous breast: post-operative period

For the first week it is absolutely necessary to limit the movement of the arms and wear an elastic bra.

The dressing will be removed a few days after the operation, but the elastic bra will have to be worn day and night for a few more weeks, until swelling and bruising disappear completely.

The superficial stitches will be removed after 7 days, while the sutures will reabsorb after 2-4 weeks.

Physical activity can only be resumed after 2 weeks, but should be limited to very slow bending and stretching and always wearing the appropriate sports bra.

Finally, it will be necessary to avoid excessive exertion and heavy lifting for 3-4 weeks after surgery and to avoid exposing the affected area to the sun for 2 to 3 months.

It is therefore advisable to plan the surgery considering family and personal commitments and during the cold months.

Risks and complications

There may be some loss of sensitivity in the nipples and breast skin after the operation, which will gradually normalise over a period of two months.

In some patients this may persist for up to a year, and in some cases it may be permanent.

Often it will not be possible to breastfeed, but neither would it be possible with an untreated tuberous breast.

Although the results are immediately evident, the breast will seem unnatural and rigid because at first it will be stretched upwards, then slowly, when the swelling has also disappeared, it will take on a more natural and softer shape.

The new breast shape will then be permanently appreciable about 6 months after the operation.