Breast Buds & Breast Development

Breast development can begin as early as 8 years old and may continue into your late teenage years, so it's important to know what to expect and why! Your journey will be unique to you, so to help you make sense of those budding boobs, we’ve put together this handy guide.

When does breast development start?

The average age for breast growth is around 8-13 years old, which is normally when puberty begins, and the first sign that breast development may have started for you is most likely tenderness in this area, or even itching.  This happens because the skin covering the breast area is starting to stretch to accommodate new growth, even if you really can't see much happening at all.

Breast Development In Stages

Swelling:

One of the first signs that your breasts are starting to develop is a swelling underneath the nipple area, causing the nipple to appear swollen, it can feel quite tender but it's perfectly normal if not a little uncomfortable.

Breast Buds:

Breast buds are a more noticeable indication that something is going on in this area, breast development, or to give it its technical name ‘Thelarche’, starts with a small lump being noticed under the skin and behind the nipple about the size of a ten pence piece. This is called a breast bud.

They can start developing anytime between 8 and 13 years old. The nipple and areola (the coloured circle surrounding the nipple) may start to protrude and continue to look a little swollen as the bud starts to grow.

A breast bud can feel quite hard to the touch and is often tender or sore. But don't worry if you accidently knock the breast, the odd knock here and there will do no lasting harm.

Breast buds are just the beginning of breast growth, and they won’t disappear or be replaced by anything. They will continue to grow into the breast tissue and become the size and shape you’ll be more familiar with as a young woman.

Breast development at this early stage doesn’t require a bra for support, but your chest may feel tender, sore or even a little itchy as your breasts start to grow. A soft cup bra, starter or training bra might make you feel more comfortable as they provide some extra padding for the area, but if you’re comfortable without it, this is fine too!

Growth of breast tissue:

Over the coming months you will see that your breasts appear fuller, and a more defined shape starts to become noticed and inside the breasts the structures that will produce breast milk start to form.

Sometimes one breasts develops earlier than the other, which whilst alarming is very normal and don't worry the other breast will catch up...although even when fully developed they will never be identical - think of them as sisters and not twins!

Nipples and Areola:

The nipple and the area surrounding it which can be a little darker or lighter in colour starts to become raised and sometimes this can look like a second mound on top of the breast. 

The Final Stage:

The second mound now disappears, and a single breast contour is noticed, and now the nipple itself may start to protrude and become more noticeable.

This however, is not true for everyone and for some nipples remain flat or inverted and whilst this may not be what you thought they would look like, it is very common and normal.

• Fatty Tissue - during your teens and early twenties and when the breasts are developing, they may feel quite firm and dense, they become softer as you age. You can see from the yellow sections in the diagram that breasts contain quite a lot of fatty tissue, this means they can increase or decrease in size depending on weight gain or loss.
• Breasts themselves contains no muscle, so don’t be fooled into thinking you can do any form of exercise to make your breasts fuller. There are however muscles that lie behind the breast (Pectoralis minor and major) that help support the breast itself and very often it is the firmness of these muscles that helps keep the breasts lifted and in shape.
• The lymph nodes are tiny in size; about 1cm and their job is to filter any excess fluid from your breast and to help your body fight infection.
• Lobules sometimes referred to as your mammary glands are a few millimetres long and hollow. And this is where breast milk is produced and stored.
• Ducts almost look like tree branches within the breast and are responsible from carrying milk from the lobules to the nipple, in order to breast feed.
• As you enter puberty you may notice that the circle surrounding your nipple starts to become larger and darker in colour. This is called your Areola no one really knows why this area changes colour during puberty, but many experts believe it is to make this area more visible to an infant allowing it to find the nipple when breast feeding. Remember there is no right or wrong size or colour for this area to be, we are all different.
• You may start to notice little spot like lumps on your areola, these are called Montgomery glands and just like the body produces oil to keep your scalp and face moisturised, these glands do the same for your nipple and areola.
• To put it plainly the nipple is there to help deliver milk from the lobules to a baby. But it is very sensitive and has many nerve endings, this is why when you are cold, or the nipple is rubbed it can become hard and stand out.

When will my breasts stop growing?

Breasts can take between 3-10 years to fully develop and as we've said breast development for you will be different to friends and family members.

They can also grow in spurts, so don't be too upset if it looks like no development is happening, as you have seen from the picture above, there is quite a lot of development going on inside your breasts.

Breast Development and Periods

Breast development usually arrives about 2 years before a first period, but this can vary from person to person.

If you have started your period, you may notice your breasts become sore and tender in the week leading up to your period. This is due to hormone changes in your body, we call this your menstrual cycle. The same hormones that tell your body that your period can arrive soon, can also make breasts appear fuller for a few days.

Ultimately, everybody develops at different times and in different ways. Don’t compare yourself to others and rather focus on getting acquainted with your own body and what’s normal for you.