Biomechanical Properties of Breast Tissue

The present thesis studies the mechanical behaviour of the breast tissue for a better understanding of its function, with special attention to breast skin elasticity. The skin elasticity is important for studying the effect of plastic and oncoplastic surgery techniques for breast reconstruction as well as for the design of cosmetic breast implants. An experimental set was built and an intensive testing program was conducted to obtain the elastic properties of the breast skin. The mechanical properties of the skin were determined with a non-invasive, in vivo suction skin elasticity meter (Cutometer SEM 575, Courage & Khazaka Electronic GmbH, Germany). The mechanical parameters analyzed were firmness (Uf) and elasticity (Ur/Uf). Several key points of the breast anatomy were investigated. Variations in the mechanical properties of the skin were analyzed with respect to: (1) Age, (2) hormonal status, (3) different breast size, (4) different body mass index, (5) breast region. Thus, it verifies whether there are differences in the values of elasticity and firmness due to the several variables under analysis. This study concluded that the age and number of samples can influence some of the results, requiring further future work.