As young women develop their breasts at puberty it may become apparent that there is either asymmetry or frank maldevelopment of the breast tissue.  This can manifest itself in well known conditions such as Poland's Syndrome (where breast tissue fails to develop on one side associated with a failure of complete development of the chest muscle and sometimes abnormalities of the upper limb and hand on that side) or tubular breast deformity where the breast has a very narrow and often high base on the chest wall as well as a herniation of the nipple-areola complex.

Sometimes the breasts fail to develop for no apparent reason which can create distress and needs consideration of corrective surgery.