Breast Asymmetry in Women Requesting Plastic Surgery of the Breast

Breast asymmetries have a high prevalence among women requesting breast augmentation. However, the prevalence of breast asymmetries in women undergoing other types of breast surgeries is not known.

The breast measurements of consecutively women evaluated for plastic surgery of the breast, but without prior breast surgery, were prospectively recorded in a plastic surgery database. They were classified into three groups according to the presenting breast problem: hypoplastic breasts, macromastia, and ptotic breasts. Comparisons were made between the right and left side of each patient regarding the symmetry of the nipple-areola complex (size and position), breast mound, and chest wall.

The breast measurements of 304 women were analyzed. The mean age was 35 ± 12 years. The study population was distributed in the following manner: 126 hypoplastic breast cases, 100 macromastia cases, and 78 ptotic breast cases. Asymmetry of the position of the nipple-areola complex was found in 54%, 59%, and 56% of the groups, respectively. Asymmetry of the breast mound volume was found in 41%, 47%, and 44% of the groups. Asymmetry of the chest wall was present in 12%, 11%, and 10% of the groups, respectively. Overall, we found that 91% of the cases had at least one type of breast asymmetry. Prevalence of asymmetry was not different (p>0.05) among the groups, but the magnitude was larger in macromastia.

Breast asymmetries were detected in the majority of women and the prevalence was similar across the different groups, however the magnitude was greater in hypertrophic breasts.