Do I Have Symmastia And Can It Be Corrected?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I was inquiring on if you have any experience with congenital symmastia? It’s something that I’m quite certain I have and something that has always bothered me. I do not think I need breast implants and my breasts are a good size. But I do not like this web of skin that crosses between my two breasts. In bras it looks even worse. How can this be corrected?

A: Symmastia presents in one two ways, either from a congenital basis (like yours) or iatrogenically created by breast augmentation surgery. In congenital symmastia, there is usually a web of tissue between the two breasts. In this web there is fat and therein lies the way to treat it…liposuction. By removing the fat in the web and with postoperative compression, the tissue between the breasts can be made to stick down to the sternum thus eliminating the web. This can be done as s stand alone procedure or combined with breast augmentation. (although by your pictures this is not something that you need)

The success of symmastia correction by liposuction depends on how well the skin will adhere down to the sternum. After liposuction compression is applied but this is a difficult area in which to keep good compression on the skin for any sustained amount of time.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana