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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 s ...
. 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 ...
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 ...
e. It is a condition and a form of atavism 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 cranio ...
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 t ...
reasons.
A related condition, in which extra nipples form, is called "supernumerary nipple
A supernumerary nipple is an additional instance of nipple occurring in mammals, including humans. They are often mistaken for moles. Studies variously report the prevalence of supernumerary nipples as approximately 1 in 18 and 1 in 40. https:// ...
" 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 with MRI. 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 the milk line, 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 syndromeReferences
* ''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