Lump or Bump Under the Armpit: How to Remove Accessory Breast Tissue in Women and Men

Armpit fat is one of the uncomfortable areas when wearing clothes. It can feel especially troublesome when wearing sleeveless tops. Many people diet in order to improve this issue. However, even after losing weight, there are cases where armpit fat does not go away easily. In such cases, you may want to consider the possibility of an 'accessory breast.'

Accessory breast refers to a condition in which breast tissue and mammary glands develop in a location other than the breast. It usually occurs because the mammary tissue, called the 'milk line,' does not regress. Even if you have a body type that tends to accumulate a lot of fat or glandular tissue, accessory breast tissue can develop in the armpit or below the breast.

The causes can be divided into congenital and acquired factors. A congenital cause includes cases in which extra mammary tissue develops in the armpit due to excessive secretion of female hormones. Acquired causes include various factors that can occur during periods of active bodily change, such as puberty or pregnancy.

Accessory breast can be largely divided into three types.

• Glandular accessory breast, which contains only mammary tissue

• Fatty accessory breast, which contains only fat

• Mixed accessory breast, which contains both mammary tissue and fat

Medically speaking, accessory breast refers to glandular accessory breast and mixed accessory breast, while what we commonly know as armpit fat is fatty accessory breast.

The most common symptom of accessory breast is a bulge that makes the armpit look raised. Accessory breast may also be accompanied by pain, and the pain can become more severe depending on the menstrual cycle. When touched by hand, a hard lump may be felt, and nipple-like protrusions may be found around the armpit.

Although the amount of fat may decrease slightly through exercise or dieting, it does not disappear completely because breast tissue remains.

Accessory breast can adversely affect the breasts and, due to changes in the mammary glands, can cause breast-related conditions such as breast pain, breast lumps, and mastalgia. For these reasons, surgical removal of accessory breast tissue may be necessary.

Who may need accessory breast removal surgery

• People with a lump under the armpit

• People with a bump in the armpit area

• People who feel something unusual in the armpit before or after menstruation

• People with discharge from the armpit

The accessory breast removal procedure at Bongbong Plastic Surgery is carried out as follows.

• Complete removal of glandular tissue

• Liposuction of the fat around the glandular tissue

• Minimally invasive surgery with a micro-incision of 2 cm or less

If the glandular tissue is not completely removed during accessory breast treatment, it may recur. Therefore, we completely remove the additional glandular tissue and also remove the fat above the glandular tissue to help correct the shape. For reference, this fat is separate from the subcutaneous fat beneath the skin. In addition, accessory breast removal surgery is performed to minimize scarring so that the incision is not visible.

After the procedure, you can return to daily life immediately and also shower. There are no serious aftereffects, but temporary swelling and bruising may occur, or the skin at the treatment area may feel hard.

In some cases, you may feel a pulling sensation in the armpit area when raising your arm high. Therefore, after accessory breast removal surgery, it is recommended to receive radiofrequency or ultrasound care to help improve swelling, bruising, and skin hardness more quickly.

Through this kind of care, the skin will become softer and arm movement will feel more natural.