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Cooper ligaments
Make it clearer
The Cooper ligaments, also called the suspensory ligaments, are the framework that holds the breast up from the inside. They are bands of tissue that anchor the breast to the fascia of the pectoralis major, that is, to the covering of the large chest muscle underneath.
They do not simply hang from one point. They run all the way through the breast tissue, from the dermis, the deep layer of the skin, to that fascia at the back. And one detail decides how a breast feels: they are not taut. They are like the inner guy lines of a tent, fixed at both ends but with some slack, and that is why they support the breast without getting in the way of its natural movement.
That slack also explains something that happens over time. In most women, the years stretch these ligaments and the breast descends. It is not that something breaks: it is the same guy line, a little longer.
In brief
Cooper ligaments are the bands of tissue that anchor the breast to the fascia of the pectoralis major muscle.
They run through the entire breast tissue from the dermis of the skin to that fascia, and because they are not taut they support the breast without limiting its natural mobility.
The inner guy lines of a tent, slack but fixed at both ends.
In most women, over time and with age these ligaments stretch and the breast descends.
Sources (1)
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, StatPearls PublishingAnatomy, Thorax, Breast, StatPearlsPublished
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