Question for young adults and adults

[ttoy25]

My 2 yr old daughter has a noticable breast deformity. Her ribs stick out in front causing her nipple to go to the side of where it should be. I am worried about what she will look like when she gets older and grows breasts. If someone here has or had this problem can you email me please. I would like to know what you did to correct it. I hope you can email thru the site.

[The Slice]

Try doing a Google search for both Pectus Excavatum, and Pectus Carinatum. These links will give you images of them.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/e...cle/003321.htm

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/e...pages/9011.htm

Further searches will find you plenty of info about them. In short, pectus carinatum will only be a cosmetic issue unless it is associated with any other problems. Pectus excavatum however, depending on the severity, may require surgery to facilitate better breathing capacities. If your daughter's chest looks anything like the images at either of these sites, then you will want to discuss this with your doctor and/or a specialist. It's not likely that surgery will be anything emergent and I imagine that the recommendation will be, as in scoliosis, to wait until either she has pretty much finished her growth spurt, or it becomes clear that respiratory compromise is an issue.

[ttoy25]

Thanks for the reply but.

My daughter doesn't have either of those. Her chest only goes out over her left breast. She has some fused ribs right over her breast and they are growing out.

[The Slice]

What are her ribs fused from? What needs to happen now is evaluating the real severity of this in terms of the cosmetic aspect and weighing that against the risks of surgery. In other words considering the risks involved with looking "perfect" by having surgery, or teaching her to accept herself as she is and understanding that what is in her head and heart is who she is, not what the "package" looks like. I feel that in today's society we are putting far too much emphasis on the "perfection" of the outward appearance as the yardstick of our worth as people. I think it's also related to the old predjudices against people who are physically/mentally challenged and those who are "disfigured" as it forces them to face their own vulnerabilities and think about the possibility that it could be them that is in that situation. I would again emphasize that invasive surgery is best left for medical necessity.

[cherylplinder]

I would take her to your closest Shriners for an evaluation, maybe. They are excellent.