Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhen One Breast Is BiggerHemihypertrophyAsymmetry and IUGR

Table of ContentsView All

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Table of Contents

When One Breast Is Bigger

Hemihypertrophy

Asymmetry and IUGR

Breast or handasymmetry(one is larger than the other) is not unusual in the human form. For example, an Australian study of 584 healthy females found a common right-sided bias in how long or strong bones were in the upper extremities (arms).

In most cases, asymmetry is no threat to health though some people may want to correct a visible concern, like havingplastic surgeryfor uneven breasts. A change can mean an underlying health issue, though, such asbreast canceror even a genetic condition.

This article explains some of the reasons why body asymmetry can occur, and why you may want to talk about your body shape with a healthcare provider to determine what care, if any, is needed.

Takao Shioguchi / Getty Images

Woman with no shirt on looking down at herself

Why Is One Breast Bigger Than the Other?

Breast asymmetry occurs in many people.It’s common for individual breasts to be of different volumes or different shapes.

Asymmetric breasts are most commonly a normal finding—especially among young females wheremalignancyis rare—but there are aesthetic treatment options. Surgery is generally considered best for adult females, since asymmetry may go away on its own as breast development is completed, although surgery to correct breast asymmetry in adolescents has been studied.

Surgical options to correct forbreast asymmetryinclude breast lift, breast reduction, andbreast augmentation. Withlipofillingprocedures, fat taken from a woman’s own body, orautologous fat, is harvested, processed, and grafted to the breast.

Is It Normal for a Breast to Be Bigger than the Other?Having a right breast bigger than the left (or the opposite) is common and occurs in about 25% of adult females. Usually, the smaller breast is opposite from your dominant hand. If there’s a big difference, special bras or plastic surgery can be options. But other causes, such as a breastabscess, are possible and require medical care.

Is It Normal for a Breast to Be Bigger than the Other?

Having a right breast bigger than the left (or the opposite) is common and occurs in about 25% of adult females. Usually, the smaller breast is opposite from your dominant hand. If there’s a big difference, special bras or plastic surgery can be options. But other causes, such as a breastabscess, are possible and require medical care.

The Parts of the Breast

Hemihypertrophy: Why Is One Hand Bigger Than the Other?

Hemihypertrophymeans that one side of the body has grown more than the other. For example, some people have different-sized hands, with one hand being larger than the other.

Can Muscle Use Cause Asymmetry?It’s possible that if you use one side of the body more than the other, it may appear different. That may be the reason for a right-side dominance in a study of Australian females. Muscle imbalances are a response to the environment and can occur in the limbs of young athletes, too.

Can Muscle Use Cause Asymmetry?

It’s possible that if you use one side of the body more than the other, it may appear different. That may be the reason for a right-side dominance in a study of Australian females. Muscle imbalances are a response to the environment and can occur in the limbs of young athletes, too.

Intrauterine Growth Retardation and Developmental Instability

IUGR can be defined as eithersymmetricorasymmetric. Asymmetric IUGR is usually due toplacental insufficiency, with impaired blood flow, which means a fetus isn’t receiving adequate oxygen and nutrition via the placenta. This impaired placental blood flow can be due to many things, including:

Blood flow to a fetus with asymmetric IUGR is directed to vital organs and head circumference is maintained. However, the abdominal circumference is decreased due to a smaller liver size, limbs are scrawny, and the skin is thin because there’s less fat. At birth, limbs with reduced muscle mass can appear asymmetric. In severe cases, even vital organ growth is stunted.

What Is Umbilical Cord Compression?

Summary

Many people find that the hands, feet, legs, or breasts on one side of the body are not the same size on the other side of the body. This is called asymmetry and is quite common; about 25% of adult females, for example, have asymmetrical breasts.

There are a number of possible causes for asymmetry, most of them benign. In rare cases, the difference in size and shape can be due to a health condition. Your healthcare provider can diagnose the reason for asymmetry and discuss any necessary treatment options with you.

10 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Koger R, Reisinger A, Syböck K, Zettl A, Huber J, Kirchengast S.Asymmetry in body composition parameters of the upper and lower extremity among healthy Austrian women. Anthropol Anz. 2023 Jun 19. doi: 10.1127/anthranz/2023/1690.Cruz NI.Abstract: Breast asymmetry in women requesting plastic surgery of the breast.Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open. 2016; 4(9 Suppl): 195-196.Bruant-rodier C, Dissaux C, Baratte A, Francois fiquet C, Bodin F.The breast of the adolescent girl.Ann Chir Plast Esthet. 2016;61(5):629-639.  doi:10.1016/j.anplas.2016.05.006Noisser V, Eigenberger A, Weiherer M, Seitz S, Prantl L, Brébant V.Surgery of congenital breast asymmetry-which objective parameter influences the subjective satisfaction with long-term results.Arch Gynecol Obstet. 2022 Jan;305(1):95-102. doi:10.1007/s00404-021-06218-0Kayar R, Çilengiroğlu ÖV.Breast Volume Asymmetry Value, Ratio, and Cancer Risk.Breast Cancer (Auckl). 2015;9:87-92.  doi:10.4137/BCBCR.S32789Mareti E, Vatopoulou A, Spyropoulou GA, Papanastasiou A, Pratilas GC, Liberis A,et al.Breast disorders in adolescence: A review of the literature.Breast Care (Basel). 2021 Apr;16(2):149-155. doi:10.1159/000511924. Epub 2020 Nov 30.Faizan M, Ahmed S, Khalid S, Zahid M.Localized gigantism.Saudi Med J. 2015;36(6):762-3. doi:10.15537/smj.2015.6.11344Śliwowski R, Jadczak Ł, Hejna R, Wieczorek A.The effects of individualized resistance strength programs on knee muscular imbalances in junior elite soccer players.PLoS ONE. 2015;10(12):e0144021.  doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0144021Kingdom J, Ashwal E, Lausman A, Liauw J, Soliman N, Figueiro-Filho E,et al.Guideline No. 442: Fetal growth restriction: Screening, diagnosis, and management in singleton pregnancies.J Obstet Gynaecol Can. 2023 Oct;45(10):102154. doi:10.1016/j.jogc.2023.05.022Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.Intrauterine growth restriction.Additional ReadingKasem A, Wazir U, Headon H, and Mokbel K. Breast Lipofilling: A Review of Current Practice. Archives of Plastic Surgery. 2015; 42: 126-130.LeBlond RF, Brown DD, Suneja M, Szot JF. The Spine, Pelvis, and Extremities. In: LeBlond RF, Brown DD, Suneja M, Szot JF. eds.DeGowin’s Diagnostic Examination, 10e.New York, NY: McGraw-Hill; 2015.

10 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Koger R, Reisinger A, Syböck K, Zettl A, Huber J, Kirchengast S.Asymmetry in body composition parameters of the upper and lower extremity among healthy Austrian women. Anthropol Anz. 2023 Jun 19. doi: 10.1127/anthranz/2023/1690.Cruz NI.Abstract: Breast asymmetry in women requesting plastic surgery of the breast.Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open. 2016; 4(9 Suppl): 195-196.Bruant-rodier C, Dissaux C, Baratte A, Francois fiquet C, Bodin F.The breast of the adolescent girl.Ann Chir Plast Esthet. 2016;61(5):629-639.  doi:10.1016/j.anplas.2016.05.006Noisser V, Eigenberger A, Weiherer M, Seitz S, Prantl L, Brébant V.Surgery of congenital breast asymmetry-which objective parameter influences the subjective satisfaction with long-term results.Arch Gynecol Obstet. 2022 Jan;305(1):95-102. doi:10.1007/s00404-021-06218-0Kayar R, Çilengiroğlu ÖV.Breast Volume Asymmetry Value, Ratio, and Cancer Risk.Breast Cancer (Auckl). 2015;9:87-92.  doi:10.4137/BCBCR.S32789Mareti E, Vatopoulou A, Spyropoulou GA, Papanastasiou A, Pratilas GC, Liberis A,et al.Breast disorders in adolescence: A review of the literature.Breast Care (Basel). 2021 Apr;16(2):149-155. doi:10.1159/000511924. Epub 2020 Nov 30.Faizan M, Ahmed S, Khalid S, Zahid M.Localized gigantism.Saudi Med J. 2015;36(6):762-3. doi:10.15537/smj.2015.6.11344Śliwowski R, Jadczak Ł, Hejna R, Wieczorek A.The effects of individualized resistance strength programs on knee muscular imbalances in junior elite soccer players.PLoS ONE. 2015;10(12):e0144021.  doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0144021Kingdom J, Ashwal E, Lausman A, Liauw J, Soliman N, Figueiro-Filho E,et al.Guideline No. 442: Fetal growth restriction: Screening, diagnosis, and management in singleton pregnancies.J Obstet Gynaecol Can. 2023 Oct;45(10):102154. doi:10.1016/j.jogc.2023.05.022Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.Intrauterine growth restriction.Additional ReadingKasem A, Wazir U, Headon H, and Mokbel K. Breast Lipofilling: A Review of Current Practice. Archives of Plastic Surgery. 2015; 42: 126-130.LeBlond RF, Brown DD, Suneja M, Szot JF. The Spine, Pelvis, and Extremities. In: LeBlond RF, Brown DD, Suneja M, Szot JF. eds.DeGowin’s Diagnostic Examination, 10e.New York, NY: McGraw-Hill; 2015.

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Koger R, Reisinger A, Syböck K, Zettl A, Huber J, Kirchengast S.Asymmetry in body composition parameters of the upper and lower extremity among healthy Austrian women. Anthropol Anz. 2023 Jun 19. doi: 10.1127/anthranz/2023/1690.Cruz NI.Abstract: Breast asymmetry in women requesting plastic surgery of the breast.Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open. 2016; 4(9 Suppl): 195-196.Bruant-rodier C, Dissaux C, Baratte A, Francois fiquet C, Bodin F.The breast of the adolescent girl.Ann Chir Plast Esthet. 2016;61(5):629-639.  doi:10.1016/j.anplas.2016.05.006Noisser V, Eigenberger A, Weiherer M, Seitz S, Prantl L, Brébant V.Surgery of congenital breast asymmetry-which objective parameter influences the subjective satisfaction with long-term results.Arch Gynecol Obstet. 2022 Jan;305(1):95-102. doi:10.1007/s00404-021-06218-0Kayar R, Çilengiroğlu ÖV.Breast Volume Asymmetry Value, Ratio, and Cancer Risk.Breast Cancer (Auckl). 2015;9:87-92.  doi:10.4137/BCBCR.S32789Mareti E, Vatopoulou A, Spyropoulou GA, Papanastasiou A, Pratilas GC, Liberis A,et al.Breast disorders in adolescence: A review of the literature.Breast Care (Basel). 2021 Apr;16(2):149-155. doi:10.1159/000511924. Epub 2020 Nov 30.Faizan M, Ahmed S, Khalid S, Zahid M.Localized gigantism.Saudi Med J. 2015;36(6):762-3. doi:10.15537/smj.2015.6.11344Śliwowski R, Jadczak Ł, Hejna R, Wieczorek A.The effects of individualized resistance strength programs on knee muscular imbalances in junior elite soccer players.PLoS ONE. 2015;10(12):e0144021.  doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0144021Kingdom J, Ashwal E, Lausman A, Liauw J, Soliman N, Figueiro-Filho E,et al.Guideline No. 442: Fetal growth restriction: Screening, diagnosis, and management in singleton pregnancies.J Obstet Gynaecol Can. 2023 Oct;45(10):102154. doi:10.1016/j.jogc.2023.05.022Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.Intrauterine growth restriction.

Koger R, Reisinger A, Syböck K, Zettl A, Huber J, Kirchengast S.Asymmetry in body composition parameters of the upper and lower extremity among healthy Austrian women. Anthropol Anz. 2023 Jun 19. doi: 10.1127/anthranz/2023/1690.

Cruz NI.Abstract: Breast asymmetry in women requesting plastic surgery of the breast.Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open. 2016; 4(9 Suppl): 195-196.

Bruant-rodier C, Dissaux C, Baratte A, Francois fiquet C, Bodin F.The breast of the adolescent girl.Ann Chir Plast Esthet. 2016;61(5):629-639.  doi:10.1016/j.anplas.2016.05.006

Noisser V, Eigenberger A, Weiherer M, Seitz S, Prantl L, Brébant V.Surgery of congenital breast asymmetry-which objective parameter influences the subjective satisfaction with long-term results.Arch Gynecol Obstet. 2022 Jan;305(1):95-102. doi:10.1007/s00404-021-06218-0

Kayar R, Çilengiroğlu ÖV.Breast Volume Asymmetry Value, Ratio, and Cancer Risk.Breast Cancer (Auckl). 2015;9:87-92.  doi:10.4137/BCBCR.S32789

Mareti E, Vatopoulou A, Spyropoulou GA, Papanastasiou A, Pratilas GC, Liberis A,et al.Breast disorders in adolescence: A review of the literature.Breast Care (Basel). 2021 Apr;16(2):149-155. doi:10.1159/000511924. Epub 2020 Nov 30.

Faizan M, Ahmed S, Khalid S, Zahid M.Localized gigantism.Saudi Med J. 2015;36(6):762-3. doi:10.15537/smj.2015.6.11344

Śliwowski R, Jadczak Ł, Hejna R, Wieczorek A.The effects of individualized resistance strength programs on knee muscular imbalances in junior elite soccer players.PLoS ONE. 2015;10(12):e0144021.  doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0144021

Kingdom J, Ashwal E, Lausman A, Liauw J, Soliman N, Figueiro-Filho E,et al.Guideline No. 442: Fetal growth restriction: Screening, diagnosis, and management in singleton pregnancies.J Obstet Gynaecol Can. 2023 Oct;45(10):102154. doi:10.1016/j.jogc.2023.05.022

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.Intrauterine growth restriction.

Kasem A, Wazir U, Headon H, and Mokbel K. Breast Lipofilling: A Review of Current Practice. Archives of Plastic Surgery. 2015; 42: 126-130.LeBlond RF, Brown DD, Suneja M, Szot JF. The Spine, Pelvis, and Extremities. In: LeBlond RF, Brown DD, Suneja M, Szot JF. eds.DeGowin’s Diagnostic Examination, 10e.New York, NY: McGraw-Hill; 2015.

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