Ideal Breast Size - Study Reveals the Answer

The size of the breasts of a woman has often been an issue of debate among the public as everyone seems to have their own opinion about what is considered to be the ideal size. While it seems like the answer should actually be decided by a woman who is either happy with her breasts or considering undergoing breast augmentation or breast reduction surgery, there has been a recent study that determined the characteristics of an “ideal” pair of breasts.

Ideal Breast Size – What Does the Study Say?

The study, which was published in the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery – Global Open, shared the results of the determination of the ideal appearance of a pair of breasts.

A research team from New York University found that breasts that were moderate in size and had a greater amount of volume in the top half were the breasts that earned top scores as compared to the look of other breasts. It was also noted by the research team that the size and symmetry of the breasts were not crucial factors in the decision.

The scientific team gathered breast images of twenty-five women who wanted to undergo either reconstructive breast surgery or aesthetic breast surgery between the years 2009 and 2019. In addition, the average age of the twenty-five women was forty-seven.

The actual survey group consisted of 1021 participants of which 52% of the participants were females. This survey group was shown two-dimensional photos along with three-dimensional imaging of breast samples. Once they were shown the samples, they were also asked to assess what they considered to be overall “breast attractiveness.”

According to the research team, “In surveying a large and diverse population, moderately sized, projected breasts with upper pole fullness were found to be associated with increased ‘attractiveness’ scores.” (FYI: Upper pole fullness refers to the total volume of the breasts located above the nipples.)

During the survey, five pairs of breasts were rated as being the most attractive. In general, most of the breasts had a score of 2.5 out of five. On the other hand, the top five pairs of breasts from the survey showed 3.1 as their average score.

The researchers noticed that the top sets of breasts had a greater amount of contour and upper pole fullness along with a more perky appearance. In addition, the distance between the nipples was narrower than the other breasts in the survey and the breasts had a closer position to each other. Plus, the distance from the nipple to the fold located under the breast was shorter in distance.

It is also worth nothing that the top two images of breasts that were deemed to be most attractive were not images of breasts that were symmetrical in appearance.

Even though the research team decided to use photographs during the survey, they did say that the use of the photographs might have created some difficulties for the participants when it came to the ability to “fully appreciate” some of the aspects of the breasts. The size of the limited patient group also means that they did not fully represent the diverse range of sizes and shapes that are seen with breasts.

Ideal Breast Size – How to Increase the Breasts

There are a few options available to patients when it comes to augmenting the size or shape of the breasts. Breast augmentation, which is also known as a boob job, is a surgical procedure performed to enhance or increase the size and the shape of the breasts of a female patient. The breasts can be augmented by placing silicone or saline breast implants below the pectoral muscles of the person or behind the individual breasts. The breasts can also be augmented by transferring fat from another part of the body into the breasts. The fat is often taken from an area of the body such as the abdomen or butt via liposuction. Then, the removed fat is purified so it can be injected into the breasts to add volume to smaller breasts or to give the breasts a fuller or symmetrical look.

Ideal Breast Size – How to Reduce the Breasts

Breast reduction surgery is performed to remove excess skin, fat, and tissue from the breasts of a patient. The final results give the breasts a more youthful and smaller look. The decision to reduce the size of the breasts can be made because the patient does not like having larger breasts, there might be some pain and discomfort caused by larger breasts, or the person might want to have breasts that are more proportionate in appearance to the rest of the body. The type of breast reduction performed by the surgeon (Lollipop breast reduction, Anchor breast reduction, or Donut breast reduction) depends on the amount of excess fat, skin, and tissue that needs to be removed to achieve the desired size and look to the breasts.

- MA