Breast Asymmetry: Causes and How to Improve It!

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Hello.

I am Director Shin Seung-han of Mams Plastic Surgery.

Today, I’d like to talk about breast asymmetry, which can be called one of the most difficult challenges.

It is not as easy as it seems to achieve perfect symmetry between body parts on both sides.

This is because our bodies, although they may seem symmetrical at first glance, actually have asymmetrical properties.

In our body, the heart is only on one side.

Because the heart is only on the left side, the shape of the rib cage on both sides is asymmetrical.

The left ribs contain the heart, so they have no choice but to protrude outward, while the right side has a relatively flatter shape.

Because the base on both sides is different, the shape of the breasts usually also differs, with the left side being a little fuller and the right side being flatter.

On top of that,

• differences in shoulder height on both sides
• differences in leg length
• scoliosis, etc.

Many factors affect breast symmetry, so some degree of breast asymmetry is natural for everyone.

When you want to achieve a high level of satisfaction through surgery, you naturally want both sides to be exactly the same.

For that reason, this is a matter that medical staff must pay close attention to.

So today, I’ll talk about an analysis of breast asymmetry and ways to improve it.

Factors of breast asymmetry

Size Shape Nipple position

These three factors can be said to cause asymmetry.

Everyone has some difference in breast size between the two sides, but the issue is the degree of that difference.

How do we check the size difference?

These days, 3D virtual surgery is well developed, so even with just a few photos, it is possible to check the size difference between both breasts.

Usually, a difference within 30 cc is often not even noticed by the person themselves, but when the difference exceeds that, they begin to feel that the two sides are different in size.

In general, a difference of 100 cc or more is considered moderate to severe asymmetry.

When this kind of size difference is present, if both breasts are large, reduction surgery is performed with different amounts removed from each side.

If both breasts are small, enlargement surgery is performed using implants of different sizes.

In rare cases, one side may be so small that an implant is used, while the other side is so large that reduction surgery is performed, so different surgeries are done on each side.

'Asymmetry based on size difference seems simple?'

If you only think about size, asymmetry may seem simple, but the real issue is the next step: 'shape.'

A difference in breast shape means that there is a difference in the ratio between the base diameter and the height.

For example, one breast may have a larger diameter but a lower height, while the other has a smaller diameter but a greater height.

In that case, even if the two sides are the same size, they can appear completely different in shape.

The reason I’m mentioning this is that

when the two sides differ in size and different-sized implants are inserted, it may seem like the difference would disappear if implants of different sizes are chosen to match the size difference.

In reality, it does not work that way.

Because the following happens:

'A new difference in shape occurs'

What does it mean when a breast implant is larger?

It means that the implant’s height and diameter also become larger.

Implants are not custom-made individually; instead, they are manufactured in standard shapes, with differences of about 20 to 30 cc.

Because you choose the most suitable one from these ready-made products, if you place implants of different sizes on both sides,

large implant - larger diameter, looks flatter small implant - smaller diameter, looks fuller

This can happen.

How is breast asymmetry corrected?

Therefore, when correcting asymmetry on both sides, instead of focusing too much on the size difference and trying to make the measurements match exactly,

it is better to compromise at an appropriate point and aim for them to look similar, which would be a suitable way to avoid creating differences in shape.

The last factor of breast asymmetry is

the position of the nipples.

In particular, breast augmentation surgery does not directly change the nipple position.

When the breasts are small, differences in nipple height on both sides may not be easily noticed, but after augmentation, when the skin is stretched by the implant, those differences may become more noticeable.

In the end, this kind of difference must be corrected through repositioning of the nipples.

Reduction surgery involves accepting scars, so it is possible to correct the nipple position by removing skin.

However, if only augmentation surgery is performed, you would not want scars around the nipples, so there is no suitable way to correct it.

Therefore, before surgery, it is necessary to recognize the difference in nipple position on both sides and decide whether correction is needed and how to do it.

Today, we covered asymmetry, the eternal challenge of breast surgery.

Due to the nature of the human body, it is difficult for both breasts to achieve exact symmetry without error.

Also, because asymmetry is based on a highly subjective perception, the degree to which people can accept differences varies greatly from person to person.

That is why, through careful preoperative analysis, it is important to recognize the differences between both breasts in advance and to understand the limitations of the results as well.

Thank you.