For several reasons, the most “talked about” of them being when they are sexually excited. When this happens, there is a release of the hormone oxytocin into the bloodstream, which causes the muscles around the nipple to contract – hence it becomes hard and, on average, 1 centimeter long. But the lighthouse can also light up when the girls are startled or scared. In this case, because of the release of adrenaline in the blood, a substance that prepares our body to face dangerous situations – and which also makes the muscles contract.
The most curious facts about our beloved bosom friends
ARE THERE WOMEN WITHOUT BREASTS?
Yes, but this is beyond rare. Women suffering from amastia have no mammary gland in one or both breasts. It is a congenital problem corrected with the implantation of a prosthesis. There is also a disorder called atelia, which is characterized by the absence of the areola and nipple. In this case, the solution is to build the nipple surgically and the areola through a tattoo.
WHY DO BREASTS GROW AT PUBERTY?
When girls are about 11 years old, the ovary matures, producing two hormones: estrogen and progesterone. They stimulate the growth of the milk ducts (or mammary ducts) in the breasts, which become larger. At the same time, it increases the accumulation of fat, collagen and elastin, which is what will give the breasts volume. On average, breasts grow until age 19
AND WHY DO THEY FALL INTO THE MENOPAUSE?
In young women, breasts are firm due to the presence of collagen and elastin, which act as a kind of natural bra. With advancing age, the production of these substances decreases and the milk-producing tissue, called fibroglandular (more rigid), is replaced by fat. As fat is soft, it ends up falling due to gravity, taking the breast with it.
BEFORE SILICONE, WHAT MATERIALS WERE USED TO ENLARGE BREASTS?
It’s hard to believe, but when the first surgeries to increase the size of the breasts began to be performed, in the first half of the 20th century, doctors used materials as bizarre as polyester, ivory, glass balls, ox cartilage and even corpse fat! At that time, of course, there was no silicone yet. This material has been widely used since the 1960s.
CAN A BREAST GROW DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHER?
Yes, and this is very common. According to the mastologist Ivo Carelli, president of the São Paulo section of the Brazilian Society of Mastology, as well as the other peer organs of our body, the breasts are not totally symmetrical. “This can be explained by the reduction of hormone receptors in one of the breasts”, he says. But this is just an aesthetic issue, which does not put your health at risk.
DO MAN ALSO HAVE BREAST CANCER?
Yes, but these cases are a hundred times less frequent than female breast cancer. Who suffered from the disease last year was musician Peter Criss, drummer and founder of the rock band Kiss. He did the treatment and apparently got cured. In the US, 1,910 men had the disease in 2009, of which 440 died.
CAN “BREASTLESS” GIRLS BREASTFEEDING?
Yes, even plank girls can breastfeed, as breast size has no direct relationship with milk production capacity. It is made in the mammary glands, which grow during breastfeeding, regardless of the size of the breasts. «The volume of the breasts depends, to a large extent, on the amount of fat and connective tissue (collagen and elastin) present in them», says gynecologist from São Paulo Carolina Ambrogini. In time: micromastia is the term used to designate abnormally small breasts
WHY DO BOYS’ CHEST GET HARD IN PUBERTY?
Because, at this stage, the production of estrogen also occurs in boys, which stimulates the growth of the mammary glands. But the production of testosterone, the male hormone, is so much greater that the chest soon returns to normal. Anabolic steroids and diseases of the liver or glands can also cause abnormal breast development in men at any age. This disorder is treated with drugs or surgery
WHAT IS THE MAXIMUM SIZE THAT A BREAST CAN REACH?
There is no maximum size – and no minimum size. According to mastologist Ivo Carelli, breasts have, on average, a base of 11 centimeters and a height of 6 centimeters. A survey conducted in the USA revealed that each breast weighs an average of 500 grams. But there are women with much bigger breasts, like the American stripper Maxi Mounds (something like “Grandes Montes”, in English), whose silicone-turbocharged melons weigh 9 kilos each!