The Different 'Types' of Breasts
Breast shapes among women vary with factors such as genetics, body weight, age and hormone changes at moments such as puberty, pregnancy and menopause.
Breast shapes can also change over time, particularly during pregnancy and breastfeeding, as well as with the onset of gravity with age.
Lifestyle factors such as diet, exercise and smoking can also have an influence.
There is no such thing as ‘normal’ breast shape and there is no single categorisation for different breast shapes.
What Are the Different Breast Shapes?
Although there is no single standardised classification for breast shapes, there are general categories available based on their appearance.
Here are some common breast shapes:
- Round or Archetype: perhaps the most common breast shape, full and equally rounded, with a circular shape. The upper and lower portions of the breast have similar volume.
- Teardrop or Pear-shaped: Fuller at the bottom and tapered towards the top, resembling a teardrop or pear. This shape is often requested during breast surgery
- Asymmetric: a common breast shape in which the breast size or shape is uneven between breasts, perhaps by as much as a cup size. Asymmetry is common and often considered normal, with the majority of women (over 50%) having some variation between their breasts
- Tubular or Conical: breasts shaped more like cones or tubes, with a narrow base and a tubular appearance. The lower pole may be less filled out
- East-West or Outward Facing: Breasts point outward towards the sides, creating a wider set appearance
- Bell Shape: Fuller at the bottom and tapers towards the top, similar to the shape of a bell. The nipple may point downward.
- Close-set: breasts that are have a small gap between them, positioned at the centre of the chest. In more extreme cases, these breast shapes might be more akin to symmastia, where breasts are not separated and touch each other in the middle.
- Side-Set or Wide-Gap: the opposite breast shape in which there is a a wide space between the breasts, often with nipples pointing outward.
- Slender or Athletic: Breasts are more streamlined with less fullness, and more muscle. Often seen in women with an athletic build, as evidenced in most extreme cases by bodybuilders
- Swooping or Ski Slope: A gradual, gentle slope from the chest to the nipple without a prominent curve.
- Relaxed or Sagging: Breasts may have a sagging or drooping appearance, especially with age or after pregnancy and breastfeeding, or after weight loss.
Is There a Normal Breast Shape?
No, there is no such thing as a normal breast shape, given the wide variety of shapes and the inherent uniqueness of each individual, as well as the tendency of breast shapes to change over time.
The different breast shapes and their diversity mean a universally accepted ‘normal’ is not possible to establish.
Is There a Perfect Breast Shape?
No, there is no such thing as the perfect breast shape as there is a huge degree of subjectivity when it comes to assessing beauty standards and aesthetic preferences between individuals and societies at large. What might appear attractive to one individual group, might not to the next.
It is also true that perceptions of beauty are subject to change over time, and they have varied widely as historic cultural ideals have evolved. What might have been considered attractive in one era, might not be in the next.
In contemporary society there has also been a very positive development away from strict beauty standards and concepts such as the idea of the ‘ideal’ breast shape toward a growing acceptance of variety, and the idea that beauty can come in many different shapes and forms.
This has led to wider acceptance that there is no such thing as the perfect breast shape, and that the focus instead should be on body positivity and embracing and appreciating individual characteristics of beauty. Self acceptance and wellbeing are regarded as the more important goal, over and against subscribing to any external ides of beauty.
Is There a Perfect Breast Size?
Likewise, there is no such thing as a perfect breast size. Every woman’s body is different and there is no one size fits all definition of the perfect breast size.
Why Do People Have Breast Surgery?
Although there is no such thing as the perfect breast size or shape, many thousands of women choose to undertake breast surgery each year. It is the most common type of cosmetic surgery in the UK.
The motivation for breast surgery can be cosmetic, medical and reconstructive, and typically involves a psychological element as well aimed at improving a sense of personal wellbeing.
Cosmetic Motivations
- Breast Augmentation: surgery for those who desire larger or more proportionate breasts for aesthetic reasons. Breast augmentation involves the use of implants to enhance breast size and shape or natural autologous fat reserves.
- Breast Reduction: surgery for women with larger breasts who may experience physical discomfort or pain, but in the main wish to achieve a more aesthetic proportionate figure.
- Breast Lift (Mastopexy): surgery for women whose breasts have begun to sag, either due to age, pregnancy, or weight loss.
Medical Reasons
- Breast Augmentation: surgery for those suffering congenital conditions such as severe asymmetry or tuberous breasts, with emphasis on reshaping as opposed to resizing
- Breast Reduction: surgery to alleviate symptom of physical discomfort, back pain, and other health issues for those with extremely large breasts
- Gynecomastia: surgery to reduce enlarged breast tissue, a condition known as gynecomastia, among men designed for a flatter chest
Reconstructive Purposes
Breast Reconstruction: surgery for women post mastectomy due to breast cancer seeking to restore the appearance and overall balance and aesthetic of their breasts. Again, this can involve implants or fat transfer.
Post-Pregnancy
Mommy Makeover: a catch all term to describe a number of different surgeries designed to restore body shape after pregnancy and breastfeeding, particularly in the shape of the breast. These include breast augmentation, reduction, or lift, perhaps combined with Abdominoplasty and Vaginal Rejuvenation and Liposuction.
Psychological Motivation and Improved Enhanced Self-Confidence
Underlying all of these motivations is often a desire to restore a positive sense of well being. Feeling satisfied with one’s appearance is a major psychological factor.
Practical Motivations
To ensure clothes fit and to enable certain fashion preferences e.g. swimsuits, tops etc., as well as comfort in sports clothes.
Cosmetic breast surgery can assist in a number of ways where women are unhappy with the size or shape of their breasts. The best way to find out exactly how any surgery could assist you to achieve the look that you desire is by arranging a consultation with one of our experts.
What Different Breast Shapes Do People Tend to Choose in Breast Surgery?
The most common desired breast shapes in cosmetic surgery is either the formation or restoration of the standard Full and Round breast shape, whether this is achieved via an augmentation, lift or reduction.
That said, several key characteristics are typically sought, whatever the breast shape chosen
- Natural and proportionate outcomes are commonly sought, with balanced sizes and shapes that correspond harmoniously with the patients' overall existing figure.
- Symmetry is also typically a goal, particularly given the fact that so many women start with slight asymmetries, that can be exacerbated with the passage of time
- Personalised outcomes that take the body shape and patient motivations and preferences specifically in mind, and not a one size fits all approach
- Youthful and Lifted: a youthful and rejuvenated look is also typically commonly desired
- It is also true that as techniques and technology have improved in breast augmentation Natural Slope and Teardrop breast shapes have become more popular, perhaps with the adjunct of fat transfer in order to achieve the most natural, subtle of all outcomes
Why Are There Different Types of Breast Shape?
The biggest factor that determines your breast shape is genetics. Your genes play an important role in breast size and shape, as well as every other physical human characteristic.
Aside from genetics, there are also factors that cause changes, so you may end up with a different type of breast shape:
Weight
The fat in your body plays an important role when it comes to breast tissue volume and breast shape. Significant weight loss or gain may alter the volume and appearance of breast shape
Exercise
The more exercise you do, the more athletic your build and the less fat deposits you will have in the breast area, impacting breast shape and firmness
Ageing
The older you are, the more likely ageing and gravity will have to lead to breasts sagging and drooping downwards. This is because we naturally lose fat tissue and collagen as we age, so the skin and connective tissues of our breasts will gradually have less support and be pulled downwards.
Pregnancy & Breastfeeding
The hormones released during pregnancy and breastfeeding can lead to breast swelling. This can then alter how fat and breast tissue are distributed and lead to a change in their shape. Some women find that after breastfeeding their breasts do not return to their original shape and size, which is completely normal, though some new mums do choose cosmetic surgery to regain their previous figure
How Can Breast Surgery Restore a More Balanced Breast Shape?
For women who are unhappy with the shape of their breasts, a consultation with a specialist can explore the surgical options available to alter these.
Knowing that asymmetrical breasts affect over half of the population, for some women breast enlargement and augmentation may be a solution. Where breasts only vary slightly in size then there is unlikely to be a need, or even a desire, for surgery. However, for some women, the variation can be as much as a cup size. Not only does this make finding suitable bras difficult, but it can also make women feel extremely self-conscious. The use of implants can help to balance the breasts so that they are equal in size.
Women who have breasts that are sagging and pointing downwards may also opt for surgery to try and correct this. In these cases, a breast lift or mastopexy, may be a suitable solution. This procedure, as the name suggests, lifts the breasts and can give them a more youthful shape and appearance.
Cosmetic breast surgery can assist in a number of ways where women are unhappy with the size or shape of their breasts. The best way to find out exactly how any surgery could assist you to achieve the look that you desire is by arranging a consultation with one of our experts.
Treatments mentioned in this article
Aesthetics Awards
