The Anatomy of the Breast.

Scottsdale – As part of the education provided to all our plastic surgery patients, we are going to discuss the anatomy of the breast, and in particular, as it pertains to the female breast.

The breast is actually a modified sweat gland. The breast is collection of glandular, fatty, and fibrous connective tissues. The breasts are positioned over the pectoral muscles of the chest wall and attached by fibrous strands called Cooper’s ligaments.

A layer of fatty tissue surrounds the breast glands and extends throughout the breast. The fatty tissue gives the breast a soft consistency.

The glandular tissue of the breast houses the lobules, which is where the milk is produced.

The ducts are the milk passages which transport the milk to the nipple. Toward the nipple, each duct widens to form a sac. During lactation, the bulbs on the ends of the lobules produce milk. Once milk is produced, it is transferred through the ducts to the nipple.

Here’s the other important structures found in the breast:

  1. Cooper’s ligaments: Are strong ligaments that extend upward and backward and attach the breast to the chest wall. When these stretch and the breast becomes saggy, these are often referred to as Cooper’s droopers. Patients who have saggy breasts require breast lift surgery.
  2. Pectoralis major muscle: Is the second largest muscle in the body. It arises from the clavicle, the sternum, the cartilages of most or all of the ribs, and inserts by a strong flat tendon into the humerus. Breast implants can be placed either above or below the pectoralis major muscle.
  3. Pectoralis minor muscle: Is a smaller chest muscle that lies beneath the larger, and arises from the third, fourth, and fifth ribs. It inserts by a flat tendon into the coracoid process of the scapula.
  4. Blood vessels: There are major blood vessels in your breasts through which blood circulates to deliver oxygen and nutrients. These include the thoracoacromial, the internal mammary perforators, and the lateral thoracic artery. Control of these blood vessels is an important part of breast augmentation surgery.
  5. Ribs:  Humans normally have 12 pairs of ribs, which all are articulated with the spinal column at the dorsal end and the first 10 are connected also at the ventral end with the sternum by the rib cartilages. The rib cartilage under the breasts, support your breast implant volume and may contribute to asymmetry of the breasts.
  6. Infra-mammary crease: The crease below the breast or mammary crease is an important structure in the anatomy of the breasts. The crease is a very important location for the placement of breast implants, especially when placing larger silicone breast implants.
  7. Ducts: These tubes are especially designed to carry breast milk.