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Accessory breasts, also known as polymastia, supernumerary breasts, or ''mammae erraticae'', is the condition of having an additional
There is some evidence that the condition may be more common in Native American populations.
breast
The breast is one of two prominences located on the upper ventral region of a primate's torso. Both females and males develop breasts from the same embryological tissues.
In females, it serves as the mammary gland, which produces and secret ...
. Extra breasts may appear with or without nipple
The nipple is a raised region of tissue on the surface of the breast from which, in females, milk leaves the breast through the lactiferous ducts to feed an infant. The milk can flow through the nipple passively or it can be ejected by smooth mu ...
s or areola
The human areola (''areola mammae'', or ) is the pigmented area on the breast around the nipple. Areola, more generally, is a small circular area on the body with a different histology from the surrounding tissue, or other small circular ar ...
e. It is a condition and a form of atavism
In biology, an atavism is a modification of a biological structure whereby an ancestral genetic trait reappears after having been lost through evolutionary change in previous generations. Atavisms can occur in several ways; one of which is when ...
which is most prevalent in male humans, and often goes untreated as it is mostly harmless. In recent years, many affected women have had a plastic surgery
Plastic surgery is a surgical specialty involving the restoration, reconstruction or alteration of the human body. It can be divided into two main categories: reconstructive surgery and cosmetic surgery. Reconstructive surgery includes craniofa ...
operation to remove the additional breasts, for purely aesthetic
Aesthetics, or esthetics, is a branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of beauty and taste, as well as the philosophy of art (its own area of philosophy that comes out of aesthetics). It examines aesthetic values, often expressed th ...
reasons.
A related condition, in which extra nipples form, is called " supernumerary nipple" or "polythelia".
Presentation
In some cases, the accessory breast may not be visible at the surface. In these cases, it may be possible to distinguish their appearance from normal breast tissue withMRI
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to form pictures of the anatomy and the physiological processes of the body. MRI scanners use strong magnetic fields, magnetic field gradients, and radio waves ...
. In other cases, accessory breasts have been known to lactate, as illustrated in a drawing showing a child nursing at ectopic breast tissue on the lateral thigh.
There is some evidence that the condition may be more common in Native American populations.
Cause
Polymastia typically occurs in the womb during the development. During normal development, breast tissue will develop along themilk line
The mammary ridge or mammary crest is a primordium specific for the development of mammary glands.
Development
The mammary ridge is primordial for the mammary glands on the chest in humans, and is associated with mammary gland and breast develop ...
, and additional tissue will disintegrate and be absorbed into the body. Polymastia occurs when the additional tissue does not disintegrate before birth. This condition can be inherited.
See also
* (fertility goddess with many breasts) *Fleischer's syndrome
Fleischer's syndrome is an extremely rare congenital anomaly characterized by displacement of the nipples, occasional Accessory breast, polymastia, and hypoplasia of both kidneys.
References
Congenital disorders
Rare syndromes
Syndromes aff ...
References
* ''A Paper on the Appearance of Multiple Mammaries in Humans'', R. Eghardt, Oxford University Press (1923) * ''Weird Diseases'', B. Hargreaves and M. Wallette, Emu Publishing (2007)External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Accessory Breast Congenital disorders of breasts Accessory body parts