Types of Breast Shapes: A Guide With Pictures

Breasts come in far more shapes than bra sizes suggest. The types of boobs people search for, from teardrop and bell to side-set and east west, describe how full the breast is above and below the nipple, how far apart the breasts sit and which way the nipples point. None of them is better or more normal than another, although some are more likely to prompt questions about breast lift or breast augmentation surgery.

This guide explains the 13 most common breast shapes with pictures, how to tell which you have, the best bra for each, what determines breast shape, and how it can be changed. If one breast is noticeably different from the other, see our guide to uneven breasts; if your breasts have dropped, our guide to saggy boobs explains why.

What Are the Different Breast Shapes?

Breast shapes are usually described in two ways. The first is the side profile: how much fullness sits above the nipple compared with below it, and which way the nipple points. The second is the front view: how far apart the breasts are, which way they face, and whether they match.

These categories come mostly from bra fitters and plastic surgeons rather than from medical science, and the names vary between sources. What matters more than the label is the features behind it, because those decide which bra fits and which operation, if any, would change the shape.

Types of Breast Shapes

There are around a dozen commonly described types of boobs. Most women recognise themselves in two or three of them, for example teardrop and side-set, or round and asymmetric.

Round Breasts

Round breasts are equally full above and below the nipple, giving a curved outline from the top of the breast to the bottom. They’re sometimes called archetype breasts. Round breasts often fill a moulded or T-shirt bra well. A very round upper breast is also one of the signs people use to tell natural and fake boobs apart, because implants tend to fill the top of the breast more than natural tissue does.

Teardrop Breasts

Teardrop breasts, also called pear-shaped breasts, are slightly fuller below the nipple than above it, with a gentle straight or slightly curved slope at the top. It’s the shape many people think of as the natural ideal. In a study of 100 breasts chosen as attractive, the upper-to-lower proportion was consistently about 45:55, with the nipple angled slightly upwards: essentially a teardrop. “Teardrop” is also the name of an implant shape; our guide to round vs teardrop implants explains the difference.

Bell-Shaped Breasts

Bell-shaped breasts are narrow at the top and much fuller and heavier at the bottom, like a bell. The shape is more common in larger breasts, because the weight of the tissue settles towards the lower half. A full-cup or underwired bra with a firm band usually gives the best support. If large, heavy breasts cause neck, shoulder or back pain, a reduction can help.

Ski Slope Breasts

Ski slope breasts, also called swooping breasts, have a flat or slightly hollow slope above the nipple, with the fullness concentrated at the bottom and the nipple pointing upwards. From the side, the top of the breast looks like a ski jump. Plunge and balconette bras suit this shape. Women who want more fullness at the top often ask about augmentation or fat transfer to the breasts.

Conical Breasts

Conical breasts are cone-shaped, projecting forwards more than they spread across the chest, and are often smaller. Soft, seamless or triangle bras usually suit them better than moulded cups, which can leave gaps at the tip. Our guide to pointy boobs covers this shape in more detail. Conical breasts are a normal variation and shouldn’t be confused with tuberous breasts, described below.

Relaxed Breasts

Relaxed breasts have softer tissue, sit lower on the chest and have nipples that point downwards. It’s the shape most often described as saggy, and surgeons call it breast ptosis. In a study of 132 women, age, the number of pregnancies, smoking, a higher BMI, a larger bra cup size and losing a large amount of weight all independently predicted how far the breasts had dropped. Our guides to breasts after breastfeeding and after weight loss explain the two commonest triggers.

Side-Set Breasts

Side-set breasts have a wide gap between them, with each breast sitting towards the side of the chest. It’s one of the most common shapes and often has more to do with the shape of the chest wall than the breast itself. Bras with a centre gore that sits flat, or plunge styles, help bring side-set breasts together. Our guide to why your boobs are far apart explains the causes and options.

East West Breasts

East west breasts have nipples that point outwards, away from the centre of the chest, rather than straight ahead. They often go with side-set breasts and a rounded chest wall. A T-shirt or push-up bra with some side support directs the breasts forwards.

Close-Set Breasts

Close-set breasts sit near the middle of the chest with little or no gap between them. They often suit bras with a narrow or low centre. In rare cases the breasts or implants meet across the breastbone, a condition called symmastia, which is more often a complication of implants than a natural shape.

Asymmetric Breasts

Asymmetric breasts differ in size, shape or position. That’s normal: in a study of 100 women assessed before breast augmentation, 88% had some asymmetry, 53% had nipples at different heights and 44% had a difference in breast volume. In another study of mammograms from 174 healthy women, 55% had a larger left breast, so the left side is slightly more often the larger. Our guide to one boob bigger than the other explains when a difference is worth treating, and breast asymmetry correction covers the surgical options.

Athletic Breasts

Athletic breasts sit on a broad, muscular chest wall and have less breast tissue, so they tend to be wider-set and less projecting. The breast itself contains no muscle; the athletic look comes from the pectoral muscle behind it and a lower body fat level. Push-up and plunge bras add shape at the centre.

Slender Breasts

Slender breasts are narrow and small, often with nipples pointing slightly downwards and more length than width. Balconette and lightly padded bras suit them. Women with slender breasts who want more volume often prefer a subtle change; our guide to ballerina breast augmentation covers that approach.

Tuberous Breasts

Tuberous breasts, also called tubular breasts, are a developmental condition rather than a shape type. The base of the breast is narrow and constricted, the fold beneath it sits high, the lower breast is underdeveloped and the areola is often large and puffy. They’re usually noticed during puberty. A classification of 37 women having surgery described three types by how many quarters of the breast base are deficient, and found mild forms were the most common. See our guides to puffy nipples and tuberous breast correction.

What Is the Most Common Breast Shape?

There’s no reliable answer. No large study has counted how many women have each shape, and the categories overlap so much that most women fit two or three. Asymmetry is the one feature that’s close to universal: in the study of 100 women, only 12% had none at all.

Among the named shapes, bra fitters most often describe round, teardrop and side-set breasts as common, and teardrop-like proportions, with slightly more fullness below the nipple than above, are typical of natural breasts.

How to Tell What Breast Shape You Have

Stand in front of a mirror without a bra, with your arms relaxed by your sides, and check three things.

• Fullness. Turn to the side. If the breast is equally full above and below the nipple, it’s round; fuller below, teardrop or bell; flat above with fullness at the bottom, ski slope.
• Spacing. Face the mirror. A gap of more than about two or three fingers’ width between the breasts suggests side-set; little or no gap suggests close-set.
• Nipple direction. Nipples pointing outwards suggest east west; pointing down suggests relaxed or slender; pointing up suggests ski slope.

Then compare the two sides. If one is clearly larger, lower or a different shape, you have asymmetric breasts as well, which is completely normal. A narrow breast base, a high fold underneath and a large, puffy areola may suggest tuberous breasts, which a surgeon can confirm.

Best Bra for Your Breast Shape

The right bra depends more on fit than on style. In a study of 104 women, 85% were wearing an ill-fitting bra, and neither trying on several bras nor using a sizing chart reliably helped them find the right one. In a UK study of 102 women referred for breast reduction, every one was in the wrong size, typically with a band about four inches too small and a cup around three sizes too big.

Once the size is right, shape decides the style:

• Round: T-shirt and moulded cups.
• Teardrop: most styles, particularly balconette and plunge.
• Bell: full cups, underwire and a firm, wide band.
• Ski slope: plunge or balconette, to fill the upper part of the cup.
• Conical and slender: soft, seamless or lightly padded cups.
• Relaxed: full-coverage or balcony bras with a firm band and supportive straps.
• Side-set and east west: plunge or side-support bras that bring the breasts forwards and together.
• Close-set: bras with a narrow or low centre.
• Asymmetric: fit the larger breast, and use a removable pad on the smaller side.

Get measured again whenever your weight changes, after pregnancy and around menopause, as your shape as well as your size will change. If you’ve had surgery, our guide to choosing a bra after breast implants covers what to wear while you heal.

What Determines Breast Shape?

Several things decide your breast shape, and most of them are outside your control.

• Genetics. Breast size is moderately heritable. A genetic study of 16,175 women identified seven gene variants associated with breast size, several near genes involved in oestrogen signalling and breast development.
• Glandular tissue versus fat. Breasts with more dense glandular tissue tend to be firmer and hold their shape; breasts with more fat are softer and change more with weight. Our guide to the causes of large breasts explains why some women’s breasts are bigger.
• The chest wall. The shape of your ribcage affects where your breasts sit and which way they face, which is why side-set and east west breasts often go together. In the study of 100 women, 9% had a visibly asymmetric chest wall.
• Skin and ligaments. The skin and the fibrous Cooper’s ligaments support the breast, and as they stretch, the breast becomes more relaxed.
• Weight changes. Gaining weight adds fat to the breasts and losing it takes it away, which can leave them emptier and lower.
• Pregnancy and breastfeeding. The breasts enlarge and then shrink back, often ending up smaller or lower.
• Age and menopause. Glandular tissue is gradually replaced by fat, so breasts become softer and sit lower. Our guide to breast changes with age explains what happens.

Exercise doesn’t change the breast itself, because it contains no muscle, but building the pectoral muscle beneath it can improve the shape of the upper chest.

Can You Change Your Breast Shape?

Without surgery, the most effective way to change how your breasts look is a well-fitted bra in the right style. Keeping your weight stable avoids further stretching, and chest exercises help posture and the upper chest. Creams and supplements don’t change breast shape.

With surgery, the options depend on what you’d like to change:

• Lower or relaxed breasts: a breast lift raises the breast and nipple and reshapes the tissue. Our guide to the types of breast lift compares the techniques.
• Empty upper breasts, as with ski slope or slender shapes: breast augmentation or fat transfer adds fullness. Our guide to increasing breast size covers the options.
• Relaxed and emptier breasts: a breast lift with implants restores position and volume together.
• Large or heavy bell-shaped breasts: a breast reduction makes the breasts smaller and lifts them, including for macromastia and gigantomastia.
• Uneven breasts: asymmetry correction uses different-sized implants, a lift or reduction on one side, or fat transfer.
• Tuberous breasts: tuberous breast correction releases the constricted base, lowers the fold and usually adds volume.
• Large areolas: an areola reduction can be done alone or with other surgery; see our guide to large areolas.

Surgery changes shape within the limits of your own anatomy. Asymmetry that was there before is usually still slightly visible afterwards, so a good surgeon will point out any differences at consultation rather than after the operation.

Is There a Perfect Breast Shape?

No single shape is perfect, and preferences vary between people and cultures. Surgeons do use a few proportions when planning breast surgery: in the study of 100 breasts chosen as attractive, the upper-to-lower ratio was about 45:55, the nipple pointed slightly upwards, the upper slope was straight or slightly hollow and the lower breast was convex. These are useful as a planning guide, not as a standard every breast should meet. Our guide to what perfect breasts look like discusses this in more depth, and our guide to C cup boobs covers size.

Breast Surgery at Centre for Surgery

At Centre for Surgery, breast lifts, augmentations, reductions, asymmetry correction and tuberous breast correction are performed by GMC-registered plastic surgeons, at our CQC-regulated hospital at 95–97 Baker Street, rated Good overall, as day cases under TIVA (total intravenous anaesthesia). The surgeon who assesses you at consultation is the surgeon who performs your operation. Our medical content is reviewed by Dr Spyridon Vlachos (GMC 7522950).
Your initial consultation is £100, redeemable against the cost of surgery if you go ahead. Finance is available through Chrysalis Finance, subject to status. You can see more results in our breast lift and breast reduction before and after galleries.

Frequently Asked Questions About Breast Shapes

How do I know if I have tuberous breasts?

Typical signs are a narrow breast base, a high fold beneath the breast, an underdeveloped lower half, and a large, puffy areola, often with one breast more affected than the other. A plastic surgeon can confirm it at consultation.

If you’d like to change the shape of your breasts, or simply want a surgeon’s view of what’s possible, a consultation at Centre for Surgery will tell you which option suits your shape and what result is realistic. Call 020 7993 4849 or complete the form below.

References

1. Rohrich RJ, Hartley W, Brown S. Incidence of breast and chest wall asymmetry in breast augmentation: a retrospective analysis of 100 patients. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2003;111(4):1513-9. doi:10.1097/01.PRS.0000049636.17522.1B
2. Senie RT, Rosen PP, Lesser ML, et al. Epidemiology of breast carcinoma II: factors related to the predominance of left-sided disease. Cancer. 1980;46(7):1705-13. doi:10.1002/1097-0142(19801001)46:7<1705::aid-cncr2820460734>3.0.co;2-q
3. Mallucci P, Branford OA. Concepts in aesthetic breast dimensions: analysis of the ideal breast. J Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg. 2012;65(1):8-16. doi:10.1016/j.bjps.2011.08.006
4. Grolleau JL, Lanfrey E, Lavigne B, Chavoin JP, Costagliola M. Breast base anomalies: treatment strategy for tuberous breasts, minor deformities, and asymmetry. Plast Reconstr Surg. 1999;104(7):2040-8. doi:10.1097/00006534-199912000-00014
5. Eriksson N, Benton GM, Do CB, et al. Genetic variants associated with breast size also influence breast cancer risk. BMC Med Genet. 2012;13:53. doi:10.1186/1471-2350-13-53
6. McGhee DE, Steele JR. Optimising breast support in female patients through correct bra fit. A cross-sectional study. J Sci Med Sport. 2010;13(6):568-72. doi:10.1016/j.jsams.2010.03.003
7. Greenbaum AR, Heslop T, Morris J, Dunn KW. An investigation of the suitability of bra fit in women referred for reduction mammaplasty. Br J Plast Surg. 2003;56(3):230-6. doi:10.1016/s0007-1226(03)00122-x
8. Rinker B, Veneracion M, Walsh CP. Breast ptosis: causes and cure. Ann Plast Surg. 2010;64(5):579-84. doi:10.1097/SAP.0b013e3181c39377