Published on
Updated
Reading 2 mins.
On social media, Pamelia, a 27-year-old Australian, is trying to raise awareness about a rare, but somewhat cumbersome health condition: gigantomastia. In a few months, his chest took more than 31 cm.
At first glance, Pamelia resembles young women who make influence their daily activity: a doll’s face highlighted every day behind the camera of her smartphone and staged against a backdrop of musical excerpts. But one element cannot escape you during her videos: the young woman has a more than imposing chest. “Exceptional” would be a more adequate qualifier. A physical detail that she does not owe to surgery, however, but to a rare disease, gigantomastia, which she assumes behind the screen.
An M cup in a few months
In just eight months, in fact, Pamelia’s chest has grown by 31 centimeters, going from a natural J cup, already imposing, to an M cup. The young woman has thus noticed that day after day, her underwear does not suited him more, that his chest changed shape, before feeling pain in his back as well.
“At first it was fun and interesting to see how big they grow, but recently I have become uncomfortable and wish I had normal sized breasts,” she testified in the New York Post.
A handicap which however pushed him to consult. It was then that a surgeon diagnosed him with gigantomastia, a rare condition.
What is gigantomastia?
There are few studies and knowledge about gigantomastia. According to the National Center for the Advancement of Translational Sciences, this is a very rare condition, however mild, breast enlargement that can cause breast pain, ulceration or infection, postural problems, sore back pain and intercostal nerve damage resulting in loss of nipple sensation.
The cause of the appearance of this disease in the young woman remains unknown. However, Pamelia also suffers from polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Tests are currently underway to determine if the two conditions have a link, including hormones involved.
Can gigantomastia be overcome?
If Pamelia seems to be having fun with her fate on her TikTok videos, it’s only for the purpose, it seems, of raising awareness of her rare disease. For the rest, the young woman considers her daily life to be difficult, especially in the eyes of others:
“I struggle to find clothes that fit my chest, and I end up wearing T-shirts that are too big. There are very few options for busty women, especially if you don’t want to show your low-cut”.
According to a rare study published in the Pan African Medical Journal in 2018, beyond the physical ailments, gigantomastia generally leads to significant psychological distress in the affected woman.
To return to a normal life, the Australian will therefore have to resort to a breast reduction. An operation which will allow him to find a more practical volume on a daily basis, but which however has no guarantee against recurrences.