Anatomically, breasts are modified sudoriferous (sweat) glands which produce milk in women,

and in some rare cases, in men.[2] Each breast has one nipple surrounded by the areola. The color
of the areola varies from pink to dark brown and has several sebaceous glands. In women, the
larger mammary glands within the breast produce the milk. They are distributed throughout the
breast, with two-thirds of the tissue found within 30 mm of the base of the nipple.[3] These are
drained to the nipple by between 4 and 18 lactiferous ducts, where each duct has its own
opening. The network formed by these ducts is complex, like the tangled roots of a tree. It is not
always arranged radially, and branches close to the nipple. The ducts near the nipple do not act
as milk reservoirs; Ramsay et al. have shown that conventionally described lactiferous sinuses
do not, in fact, exist. Instead, most milk is actually in the back of the breast, and when suckling
occurs, the smooth muscles of the gland push more milk forward.

The remainder of the breast is composed of connective tissue (collagen and elastin), adipose
tissue (fat), and Cooper's ligaments. The ratio of glands to adipose tissues rises from 1:1 in
nonlactating women to 2:1 in lactating women.[3]

The breasts sit over the pectoralis major muscle and usually extend from the level of the 2nd rib
to the level of the 6th rib anteriorly. The superior lateral quadrant of the breast extends
diagonally upwards towards the axillae and is known as the tail of Spence. A thin layer of
mammary tissue extends from the clavicle above to the seventh or eighth ribs below and from the
midline to the edge of the latissimus dorsi posteriorly. (For further explanation, see anatomical
terms of location.)

The arterial blood supply to the breasts is derived from the internal thoracic artery (formerly
called the internal mammary artery), lateral thoracic artery, thoracoacromial artery, and posterior
intercostal arteries. The venous drainage of the breast is mainly to the axillary vein, but there is
some drainage to the internal thoracic vein and the intercostal veins. Both sexes have a large
concentration of blood vessels and nerves in their nipples. The nipples of both women and men
can become erect in response to sexual stimuli,[4] to touch, and to cold.

The breast is innervated by the anterior and lateral cutaneous branches of the fourth through sixth
intercostal nerves. The nipple is supplied by the T4 dermatome.

Lymphatic drainage

About 75% of lymph from the breast travels to the ipsilateral axillary lymph nodes. The rest
travels to parasternal nodes, to the other breast, or abdominal lymph nodes. The axillary nodes
include the pectoral, subscapular, and humeral groups of lymph nodes. These drain to the central
axillary lymph nodes, then to the apical axillary lymph nodes. The lymphatic drainage of the
breasts is particularly relevant to oncology, since breast cancer is a common cancer and cancer
cells can break away from a tumour and spread to other parts of the body through the lymph
system by metastasis.

Shape and support

Breasts vary in size, density, shape, sag and position on a woman's chest, and their external
appearance is not predictive of their internal anatomy or lactation potential. The natural shape of
a woman's breasts is primarily dependent on the support provided by the Cooper's ligaments and
the underlying chest on which they rest (the base). Cooper's ligaments, also known as the
suspensory ligaments of Cooper, suspend the breasts from the clavicle and the clavi-pectoral
fascia. As their fibers run around and through the breast, these ligaments support the breasts in its
position on the chest wall and maintain their normal shape. The breast is also attached at its base
to the chest wall by the deep fascia over the pectoral muscles. In a small number of women, the
frontal ducts (ampullae) in the breasts are not flush with the surrounding breast tissue, which
causes the sinus area to visibly bulge outward.

Relatively round breasts which protrude almost horizontally.

Some breasts are high and rounded, and protrude almost horizontally from the chest wall. Such
high breasts are common for girls and women in early stages of development. The protruding or
high breasts are anchored to the chest at the base, and the weight is distributed evenly over the
area of the base of the approximately dome- or cone-shaped breasts.

In the “low” breast, a proportion of the breasts' weight is actually supported by the chest against
which the lower breast surface comes to rest, as well as the deep anchorage at the base. The
weight is thus distributed over a larger area, which has the effect of reducing the strain. In both
males and females, the thoracic cavity slopes progressively outwards from the thoracic inlet (at
the top of the breastbone) above to the lowest ribs which mark its lower boundary, allowing it to
support the breasts.

The inframammary fold (or line, or crease) is an anatomic structure created by adherence
between elements in the skin and underlying connective tissue[5] and represents the inferior
extent of breast anatomy. Some teenagers may develop breasts whose skin comes into contact
with the chest below the fold at an early age, and some women may never develop such breasts;
both situations are perfectly normal. The relationship of the nipple position to the fold is
described as ptosis, a term also applied to other body parts and which refers in general to
drooping or sagging. Due to breast weight and relaxation of support structures, the nipple-areola
complex and breast tissue may eventually hang below the fold, and in some cases the breasts
may extend as far as, or even beyond, the navel. The length from the nipple to the sternal notch
(central, upper border) in the youthful breast averages 21 cm and is a common anthropometric
figure used to assess both breast symmetry and ptosis. Lengthening of both this measurement
and the distance between the nipple and the fold are both characteristic of advancing grades of
ptosis.
The end of the breast, which includes the nipple, may either be flat (a 180° angle) or angled
(angles lower than 180°). Breast ends are rarely angled sharper than 60°. Angling of the end of
the breast is caused in part by the ligaments that suspend it, such that the breast ends often have a
more obtuse angle when a woman is lying on her back. Breasts exist in a range of ratios between
length and base diameter, usually ranging from ½ to 1.