What is symmastia?
Symmastia is a condition where the breasts join together at the centre of the chest and are merged together. Symmastia can occur from birth but can be caused by breast augmentation or other chest type surgeries. The appearance of symmastia is often described as a “uniboob” because of it being joined together as one rather than two disconnected breasts. It can be corrected but requires a surgical procedure which carries risks and the condition is sometimes prone to recurrence.
Solutions to provide symmastia repair
The use of surgical symmastia repair is often used to rectify symmastia caused by breast augmentation, this is often a 2-3 hour procedure depending on the patient and the work required. The use of Symmastia repair can require the additional surgery to move the implant into the originally intended place. The procedure begins by the tissue which encloses the implant is cut and then placed back into the pocket, with the tissue then being sutured together to ensure the implant is in place. The muscle is sutured internally into the correct position to connect to the sternum. The incisions are then sutured closed to ensure the incisions are closed and able to recover. A recently developed procedure named the internal bra technique has been used as an additional useful procedure to rectify symmastia as well as sagging breasts. The internal bra technique involves a well shaped hard silicone cup being placed under the breast tissue as well as fine silk straps being screwed into the patient’s ribs which then leads to the breasts being lifted. These are then invisible under the skin and then enable women to go bra-less as the breasts would be supported and prevented from sagging. This is a very useful procedure and is the first choice option for those that wish to correct symmastia on the breasts.
