Oct 02, 2012 Fat armpits? Breast tissue? Or maybe it's neither.
So I hear a fair bit of talk about how armpit fat is really breast tissue that should be contained in your bra cups. For me this has never worked as no matter what I try to do to keep it in, it moves out the minute I move my arms. I decided to research a little more. Since I'm technologically challenged and don't have any pictures of my own to show you what I mean, this is the sort of armpit fat I am talking about. cupshttp://fittipdaily.com/get-rid-of-your-armpit-fat-6662/
On me it actually sits above my bra cups so I cannot scoop it in. Of course if I go up enough cup sizes to include the bulges I do not have enough to fill the rest of the bra. And as soon as I move my arms the bulges escape from the bra anyway.
So, let me introduce you to the pectoralis major. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pectoralis_major
You can read the fine details if you wish but the picture at the top right of the screen is the part that I am interested in. Notice that the muscle fans out on the chest and tapers off into the armpit area. I always figured I just had chubby armpits or maybe I had the abberant breast tissue that was mentioned here (see video) - http://www.bratabase.com/profile/353/adventures/67/
I have neither. At rest (with my arm just hanging by my sides) I have what appears to be pockets of fat in my armpit. However if I flex my arm there is actually a very solid layer of muscle underneath the skin. This would explain why the tissue escapes from a bra...it is not just sitting there doing nothing - it actually is working muscle. Unlike a little pocket of fat that just sits there and will go wherever you can force it, it actually has a purpose and it seems, it will not be distracted from it.
As for why it is more pronounced on some women.
Everyone's anatomy is a little different. Just because a medical textbook says a muscle will start *here* and end *there* is not always so - this is just what is considered average. The range for normal is far and wide. Genetics of course are probably a factor. Then there is the factor of how much do these muscles get worked? Obviously the more you work them the bigger they are likely to get. For me I think the fact that I have been a lifelong swimmer goes a long way to explaining it. I have been in the pool since I was 3 years old so my chest and upper back muscles are well developed. Go and google some images of female swimmers. A LOT of them have this and they are in no way fat and you can also clearly see on some of them that this tissue is clearly separated from their breast tissue and there is no way they could make it fit in a bra.
Of course if you flex and cannot feel muscle or there seems to be little there then maybe your anatomy is different. But I know it's a frustrating problem for some women and I hope this goes some way in providing an explanation for some.
8 comments
gah.. that first link should have been this http://fittipdaily.com/get-rid-of-your-armpit-fat-6662/
This actually might be my problem too!
Before I read your post I was actually feeling my armpit fat and flexing it, and it just feels like a muscle.
So then I read your post and now I feel more confident that this could be the case :)
I use to work out a lot and swim, but I gained a lot of weight and got more fat in the armpit. But I think the main bulge is muscle (underneath some fat). No matter how wide wires or big cups I've tried, they can't enclose the bulge there, cause it's sort of above the bra/wings. I've also tried some with taller cups, but the straps nearly cuts of my arm.
I think the best is firm, taller wings on the bra, to make it stay as flat as possible. - as well as a cup that fits and covers everything that actually is breast tissue.
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