“It was just such a strange thing for a young girl to have to deal with, especially when there is a school uniform so you can’t change the way things fit. What was I supposed to do? Get an XXXL top for it not to fit me anyway?”
What is macromastia?
GIGANTOMASTIA, also known as breast hypertrophy or macromastia, is a rare medical condition where breast tissue grows far beyond what’s typical, causing significant physical and emotional impact.
While it can occur at any stage of life, it’s most often first noticed during periods of hormonal change such as puberty or pregnancy.
These two terms are often used interchangeably, but there’s a meaningful clinical distinction.
Both describe excessive breast tissue growth beyond typical proportions relative to body size, but they sit at different points on the same severity spectrum: macromastia generally refers to excess breast tissue under roughly 2.5kg (5.5lbs) per breast, while gigantomastia refers to more extreme cases exceeding this threshold – some clinicians define it as breast tissue exceeding 3% of total body weight.
