New York—The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) has issued a statement noting that teenagers with asymmetrical or unevenly shaped breasts should be aware that the condition can be corrected using common surgical procedures.
The ASAPS statement said that breast asymmetry may occur because of problems with breast growth and development or through acquired conditions, such as trauma from tumors, infection or burns. Asymmetry can take several forms including the absence of breast structures, excess structures, variations in size and/or shape on one or both sides of the body. These disturbances may involve the nipple areolar complex, the breast mound or both. In the majority of patients, the exact cause is unknown.
A review of some of the key considerations for successfully treating unevenly shaped breasts appears in the September/October issue of the Aesthetic Surgery Journal, the peer-reviewed journal of the ASAPS. In that review, author Ann F. Reilley, M.D., a board- certified plastic surgeon in Baton Rouge, La., writes, “A teen or young woman with severely asymmetric breasts is likely to be profoundly self-conscious. For such a young woman, surgical intervention can be life-changing. This not about getting ‘Baywatch’ breasts—it is about buying a bra or a prom dress without it being an issue.”