Symmastia is a breast surgery complication characterized by the location of two breasts being very close to one another or appearing to be connected by a web of tissue meeting above the sterum in the center of the chest.

Symmastia can be discomforting, emotionally challenging, and aesthetically displeasing. The condition may be most common among large breast implanted women and more apparent in thin women with implant locations both under and above the pectoral muscles, including:

- Women who have had several breast surgeries.
- Women with a depressed breast bone including the breast implants to lean inward, also known as pectus excavatum.
- Women who undergo surgical intervention to increase cleavage through the release of soft tissue or pectoral muscles at the medial location of the chest.
- Women who have other mal-position issues.

This complication can be complex and there is a risk that the condition will develop again over time. Improvement for symmastia requires surgical intervention.
The surgical approach sometimes involves removal of the breast implants. The breast implant pocket capsule (scarring) is also removed. This is called a capsulectomy. The capsulectomy helps to provide a new surface and prevent reoccurrence of symmastia. The edges of remaining capsule are rolled up sutured to one another (capsuloraphy). Then, the breast implant pockets are closed as the presternal subcutaneous layer of tissue is sutured to the sternum periosteum.

The placement of sutures requires careful consideration. Your surgeon will use a breast implant sizer to evaluate the correct location for the sutures and level of improvement required for the mal-position. In many cases, the breast implant pocket must be opened on the side in order to alleviate pressure along the cleavage area. Any other inappropriate implant positioning such as asymmetry between the breasts will be addressed during the procedure. There are a variety of methods available to improve the disfigurement, including: allogenic dermal grafting, fibrin-based tissue glue, and delayed filling of an adjustable implant.

Symmastia is a breast surgery complication characterized by the location of two breasts being very close to one another or appearing to be connected by a web of tissue meeting above the sterum in the center of the chest.

Symmastia is a breast surgery complication characterized by the location of two breasts being very close to one another or appearing to be connected by a web of tissue meeting above the sterum in the center of the chest.