What is the structure of the breast?

Nowadays, many women pay special attention to breast health, so in order to have a deeper understanding of the structure of the breast, many women want to know specifically what the structure of the breast is like? So in order for you to have a comprehensive understanding of the structure of the breast, please take a look at the detailed introduction below. I hope that through the introduction, you can have a comprehensive understanding of the structure of the breast, so that you can better prevent breast diseases.

The breast is located between the 2nd to 6th ribs on the chest, with the inner edge close to the sternum and the outer edge reaching the anterior axillary line. The nipple is located between the 4th or 5th ribs, 1CM outside the midclavicular line.

The external structure of the breast is mainly composed of the nipple, areola, and epidermis.

Nipple: It is composed of dense connective tissue and smooth muscle. When there is mechanical stimulation, the smooth muscle contracts, causing the nipple to erect, squeeze the milk cavity and discharge its contents.

Areola: hair and glands. The glands include sweat glands, sebaceous glands and mammary glands. The sebaceous glands are also called areola glands. Their secretions have the function of protecting the skin and lubricating the nipples and baby's lips.

The internal structure of the breast is mainly composed of glands, ducts, adipose tissue, fibrous connective tissue, etc. Its internal structure is like a small tree growing upside down. The mammary gland is composed of 15-20 lobes, each lobe is divided into several lobules, and each lobule is composed of 10-100 alveoli. These alveoli are closely arranged around the small milk ducts, and the openings of the alveoli are connected to the small milk ducts. Multiple small milk ducts merge into interlobular milk ducts, and multiple interlobular milk ducts further merge into a mammary duct of an entire gland lobe, also known as the lactiferous duct. There are 15 to 20 lactiferous ducts, arranged radially with the nipple as the center, converging at the areola and opening at the nipple, called the lactiferous foramen. The lactiferous duct is relatively narrow at the nipple, and then expands into an ampulla, called the lactiferous sinus, which stores milk. The opening of the mammary duct is composed of stratified squamous epithelial cells, the narrow part is composed of removed epithelium, the ducts at all levels below the ampulla are composed of double-layered columnar epithelium, the terminal ducts near the alveoli are composed of cuboidal epithelium, and the alveoli are lined with cuboidal epithelium.

Gland: It has the function of secreting milk, which is mainly secreted by the glandular lobules. The number of alveoli in the glandular lobes affects the size of the breast.

Duct: Also known as the mammary duct or lactiferous duct, the duct mainly transports nutrients and stores milk.

Adipose tissue: It surrounds the mammary gland in a sac-like shape, forming a hemispherical whole. The amount of fat tissue determines breast size

Connective tissue: The mammary gland is located between the superficial and deep layers of the subcutaneous superficial fascia. Also known as the suspensory ligament, that is, Cooper's ligament. Provides support for the breasts. During radical mastectomy for breast cancer, the pectoralis major fascia and muscles should be removed together. The connective tissue, combined with the chest muscles, is the tissue that suspends the breasts. It has no elasticity at all, and once it is overstretched and the tissue is broken, it is difficult to recover, thus causing sagging breasts. In addition: The breasts are rich in blood vessels, lymphatic vessels and nerves, which play a role in nutrition and metabolism of the mammary glands.

What is the structure of the breast? The above is a detailed introduction. I believe that many women will understand the structure of the breast after reading the above content. They will know the severity of their breast disease after they have it, and they will also know to pay attention to breast protection. Therefore, after understanding this aspect, it is still beneficial for women to protect their breasts in the future.