Some Small Breasts Are a Deformity

By Charles Downey © 2008
PlasticSurgery.com Staff Writer.

When C. C. of Lancaster, California, was in her early 20s, she started thinking about undergoing breast augmentation.

"They were smallish-- about an A cup -- but what really bothered me was that one was a full cup size smaller," says C.C., now a married 39-year-old special education teacher with five children of her own. "It was impossible to find bras that fit and hard to find clothing that fit correctly. For beach or poolside wear, I always went with tank top bathing suits to take the emphasis off my small, unbalanced breasts."

Essentially, she felt self-conscious about her appearance, especially when she was among other women in bathing suits.

Plastic Surgeon

In 2005, she started looking for an experienced, well-trained plastic surgeon with an office near her home and job in Lancaster, which is about 20 miles north of Los Angeles.

"I knew there would be follow-up visits and didn't want to miss work," she says.

One day, she heard board certified Los Angeles plastic surgeon Ivan Thomas, M.D. giving a talk about plastic surgery on the radio. So C.C. found Dr. Thomas' Web site, and was delighted to find he also had an office in Lancaster.

"I looked up his credentials and before and after pictures of breast enlargement patients and liked what I saw," she says. "I also found nobody had filed any complaints about his work."

Tubular Breast Deformity

At the initial consultation, C.C. learned that her breasts were so small and asymmetrical because she had a medically-recognized deformity known as hypoplastic tubular breasts.

Pictured on the left is C.C. in 2005, just before her tubular breast correction surgery. The right picture shows her fully healed after breast augmentation. (Photos, courtesy of Ivan Thomas, M.D.)

Of course, every patient is different, but those with tubular breasts share some common characteristics. The breasts are usually very narrow at the chest wall and have a long, tubular shape with large fleshy areolas. Moreover, the beasts usually sit very far apart, leaving the patent with an unnaturally-wide cleavage.

Breast Augmentation, Lift, and Reduction

Correcting the condition requires an exceptionally skilled plastic surgeon because he or she must essentially perform a breast reduction, breast lift and breast enlargement--with an implant -- all during the same surgical session.

"I had no idea until then I had tubular breasts," C.C. says. "But I was basically relieved to find out and even more relieved that Dr. Thomas could repair and enlarge them."

She didn't want to go too large and, in early 2005, asked for her breasts to be augmented to a full C cup. Nonetheless, she found herself closer to a D cup after healing.

"I didn't want to be too large nor did I want my breasts to resemble two grapefruit halves just stuck onto my chest," she says. "I wanted natural-looking breasts with normal cleavage."

Breast Enlargement Surgery With Implants

In Dr. Thomas' hands, the breast implants were placed beneath the chest muscles, which are to create smoother, softer, and more natural-looking breasts. C.C.'s surgery was performed in his surgery center, which is accredited by the American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgical Facilities (AAAASF.) Patients are put under general anesthesia by a board certified anesthesiologist.

The procedure required a little over six hours to perform. Usually, that procedure takes between two and three hours but C.C.'s tubular condition was extensive and took more time. Recovery took about another two weeks; she wore a compression band around her breasts for almost two months.

"But it was worth it," C.C. says. "I've had my current look for three years and am now considering having slightly larger implants. Dr. Thomas says I have the height -- at 5 feet 7 inches -- to go with breasts one size larger and still have them fit and flatter the rest of my body. I would probably end up a DD cup."

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