Q.
How big will my breasts get and what is normal?
A. There
is no 'real' answer to this question, since we all come
in different sizes. Some of us are tall and some short.
Similarly, some girls have large, medium, or small breasts.
However, many girls are unhappy because they think their
breasts are too small or too large.
Attitudes about breast size are often influenced by fashion.
From a health perspective, there is no ideal breast size.
Breast size bears no relationship to breast cancer or
ability to nurse a baby. There are surgical procedures
available to increase or decrease the size of breasts.
These are major operations and they should not be entered
into without considerable thought and extensive information,
as they have possible serious drawbacks and complications.
Padded bras are safer alternatives for those who want
their breasts to appear larger. There are also 'breast
enhancers' that a lot of people on TV or in movies use
now instead of surgery. They are available at bra stores
and on the net. They look very real, BTW.
Also, remember that you have time on your side as breasts
continue to grow, especially during puberty and pregnancy.
Improving nutrition may also contribute to increased too.
Q.
If your mother and sisters have small breasts will you have
small ones too?
A. There is
some genetic component to breast size. However, there are
some health professionals that argue about this. It is not
uncommon within one family to see sisters or mother and
daughters with very different breast sizes.
Q.
Are breasts just fat tissue? What I can do to make my breasts
bigger?
A. Breasts
are made up of fat and fibrous tissue with glands that enlarge
during pregnancy to allow for breast feeding (see diagram
below). When a women gains weight, her breasts usually get
bigger. Exercise can enlarge the 'look' of the breasts,
not by adding fat to breast tissue, but by enlarging the
muscles beneath the breasts. This sometimes can cause breast
tissue loss in some women because when they workout they
lose fatty tissue. You know your body and how it responds
to weight gain and loss after a while.
(Courtesy of Harper and Row Publishers)
There are no other effective non-surgical alternatives
for breast enlargement, there are no known 'herbs' or
supplements that health care providers will endorse for
breast size increase. Surgical breast enlargement involves
placing an artificial liquid (saltwater or silicone) containing
device into the space between the breast tissue and the
underlying muscle through a small incision under the nipple
or in the armpit. If that is something you are interested
in, talk to your parents and give it a lot of thought.
FYI: More than 150,000 women had breast augmentation surgery
last year; an all-time high. At the same time, the number
of teenagers who choose breast implants has more than
doubled in the last two years. Do guys really care? It
depends on the guy, but if he's really into you he shouldn't
care about your breast size.
Q.
One of my breasts is a bit larger than the other, is this
normal? What are these bumps around my nipples?
A. A
woman’s breasts are rarely symmetrical. One breast
is usually slightly larger or smaller, higher or lower,
or even shaped differently than the other. The size and
characteristics of the nipple also vary greater from woman
to woman. In some women, the nipples are constantly erect.
In others, they will only become erect when stimulated by
cold or touch. Some women also have inverted (turned in)
nipples. Inverted nipples are not a cause for concern unless
the condition is a new change.
There are hair follicles around the nipple, so hair on the
breast is not uncommon. A nipple can be flat, round, or
cylindrical in shape. The color of the nipple is determined
by the thinness and pigmentation of its skin. The nipple
and areola (the pigmented area surrounding the nipple) contain
specialized muscle fibers that respond to stimulation to
make the nipple erect. Within the areola the Montgomery’s
gland is contained. These glands may appear as tiny, raised
bumps on the surface of the areola. These bumps are normal.
The Montgomery’s gland helps lubricate the areola.
When the nipple is stimulated, the muscle fibers will contract,
the areola will pucker, and the nipples become hard. (See
the above image for reference)
Breast shape and appearance undergo a number of changes
as a woman ages. In young women, the breast skin stretches
and expands as the breasts grow, creating a rounded appearance.
Young women tend to have denser breasts (more glandular
tissue) than older women.
The
size and shape of women’s breasts varies considerably.
Some women have a large amount of breast tissue, and so
they have large breasts. Other women have less tissue
with little breast fat.
Factors that may influence your breast size include:
Family
history
Age
Weight
loss or gain
History
of pregnancies and breast feeding
Thickness
and elasticity of the breast skin -- if
you have fair skin, you most likely have "thin skin".
Degree
of hormonal influences on the breast (particularly estrogen
and progesterone). Like when your breasts become larger
when you have your period or if you take the birth control pill
or hormone replacement therapy.
Menopause
It is important for women to become familiar with the
normal anatomy and physiology (function) of their breasts
so that they can recognize early signs of possible abnormalities.
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